It’s a fair and obviously well-informed column although he rationalizes nearly every shortcoming. ‘It’s good but...’
In my view Linux has always struggled a bit from a lack of a dominant player synonymous with the OS. Red Hat might be a real or perceived brand leader but while enthusiasts might enthuse about this or that distro it is, as the column suggests, absolutely bewildering to someone who might very well be interested in an secure, stable Windows alternative but who gets slammed with choices and vagaries as soon as they walk in the door.
Microsoft support is, in a word, abysmal. Like Apple, they save billions by essentially throwing support cases to the wolves - or, in this case, the other users. Incredibly, many Windows/Microsoft end users, MVPs or otherwise, are willing to help out - for free - and their help is almost always faster, more accurate and clearer than anything offered up by Microsoft employees (*wink wink*) who are, too often, non-native English speakers usually in India. Their ‘help’ is often a series of useless links, outdated information, attempts to fend off the query and general bureaucratic box-ticking uselessness. They simply don’t know their own product. However, because Windows is Microsoft and Microsoft is Windows at least there’s a single point of gathering for exchange of info (thousands of independent forums notwithstanding).
The Linux community are knowledgeable to a fault but they are also often prickly, impatient and demanding bordering on hostile. Requests for layman-caliber information are often greeted with the equivalent of STFU Noob or a flood of indecipherable jargon. Linux users are strong advocates for their OS but their manners are often lacking.
Plus the Linux community is fragmented - hugely so. Understanding "under the hood" is likewise fragmented and variable. Good help is hard to find, no matter which way you go.