I used to be a “computer nerd”. My problem with Linux is that it is not “standard”. And that is what the public needs. They need to be able to go to the store and buy their software and install it on their machine with a minimum of hassle.
I’m no fan of windows, but I tried ubuntu and found I had to be a much more “active” user of my machine than when using windows. I still fought it out (heck, I really tried to embrace OS2-Warp) but had too many OS2 flashbacks while trying to get it to work. I finally decided I had more important things to do with my time than micromanage my computer.
Windows is “mostly” install stuff and forget it.
What is humorous about this is that you are actually wrong about Linux not being “standard.” Linux implements the POSIX standard - Literally!
POSIX or “Portable Operating System Interface [for Unix]” is the name of a family of related standards specified by the IEEE.
I realize what you meant to imply, i.e. it doesn’t work like most people expect. Even that isn’t really true if you use most mainstream distributions. The programs & the GUI environment work the same general way as Windows does. There is a button you push to get a list of Applications - or perhaps a list of Application types, i.e. Internet/Office/etc. You click on one of these and it fires off the application in question.
Now - it may not have the same names for the applications you are used to performing a specific task, though some cross OS boundaries like FireFox & Thunderbird. If you want IE/Outlook/etc. You need to run Windows. There are other options.