Yeah, I wasn’t trying to single out Fedora, I was using it as an example because that’s what I’m familiar with.
The point is, the whole “Linux can’t be used as a desktop for the average person” argument is pretty much obsolete. Once installed, the user experience (including system maintenance) can all be done via point-and-click GUI.
The only time I drop to the command line is to play nethack, and that’s because I’m too lazy to create a launcher for it.
Scratch that, I just checked... I do have a launcher for Nethack.
Yep, it can be done via GUI... right up until something goes wrong.
I’ve had enough experience with non-programmer users installing Linux and GNU because it was cheap.... and they’re feeling pretty pleased with themselves at how ‘easy’ it was.... until something goes wrong. And then they’re knocking on my door, saying “Uh.... my system is coughing up these messages and I have no idea what they mean...”
And off I go again, helping some poor schlub with their G-D system.
It has gotten so bad that increasingly, I no longer tell people that I worked in the computer industry. I don’t lie if people ask me directly, but I don’t open my mouth and tell people “Oh yea, used to work with XYZ type of system...”
Increasingly, I hide behind OS X. “I don’t know much about {Windows|Linux|etc}.... I use a Macintosh so I don’t have to learn anything about that stuff....”