I was in on the start of this thread so I've read almost all of it.
1) The person who started it was *NOT* trolling... but was a new user to linux and also an experienced computer person. His comment was that Linux wasn't as easy to deal with as Windows (usually) is.
Correct (I confess to starting the thread, mea maxima culpa). I'm running both Windows and Linux - Windows for work or when on my Laptop - which has to be Windows for work - for now, Linux by choice. I *REALLY* want to see Linux do better, which was the purpose of the original post. I've worked with computers - mainframe, mini, and micro - since 1970 (you've got me beat, I'm really impressed).
2) Even though I am would I would consider a very experienced computer person (45+ years at it with mainframes, mini's and micros), I sometimes find myself bending over backwards to get something to work and I may or may not succeed. And I say to myself "no way that next door neighbor Sam is ever going to be able to get that to work!"
This is the main point I was making. I know there have been several anecdotal posts about non-computer types happy with Linux. These are really no more relevant than posts about the (huge number) of people who are very happy with their Windows systems. *ANY* OS is good when it's working correctly - the real test is what happens when something goes wrong. FOR THE MOST PART, when Windows attempt to recover for the user in a more graceful way than Linux. While I can remember the days of having to to edit win.ini, most systems don't even have that file any more. Most people are *NOT* going to to be comfortable editing config files to fix problems. I'm not claiming in any way that Windows will solve the problem for us, but it fails in a way that makes the user feel that it tried. For most users, perception is more important than substance.
I agree with the premise that Linux needs to be more user friendly. I don't agree with people who want it to be Windows and want it NOW....
Actually, I don't *EVER* want it to be Windows. I'd like to see it remain an OS with the substance it has now. I was simply stating that it needs to work with the users more when there are problems. This isn't intended as an indictment, it is a statement of a problem that needs to be overcome for it to significantly grow in market share.