One thing the author mentions only in passing but I think is very important to remember is this. Most people don’t use Linux. They use their computer to get things done. Sure, Windows is the “default” for most systems so users have to make a conscious choice and expend a little effort to become Linux users. But almost nobody is thinking “I’m going to go play with Mint, or Ubuntu, or Red Hat today.” No, they are thinking, I want to check my email, drop in on Free Republic, look for some funny fail videos, find a good recipe for... The OSes job is to facilitate the applications that make those things happen. All the debates over technical and legal issues are just noise to the users. They just want to get stuff done.
Agreed. It’s a lot like arguments over the best car. Every make has its fans, but in the end, most people just want to go to work or run errands.
I have an old Windows XP box that I’ve tried loading Linux on but without any luck so far. I set the bios to boot off the dvd drive but no joy. It brings up a Linux splash screen but that’s as far as I can get. Sucks being a novice.