I get where you are coming from, and it is ground that has been covered many times, but Linux has its place. Linux stands on its own 2 feet, and has done for a long time.

In my early Linux days when I was still dual booting my desktop, I often wished Linux was a better desktop. On reflection, I really just missed what i knew on the MS machine and was hesitant to learn the Linux inequivalent or the Linux way.

In the last 10 years the installers have came on leaps and bounds, making it as simple as any M$ gear to install, and Canonical have really kept on top of the usability. The real issue, that i have found, is you either know about Linux and have tried it or the though of another OS beyond Windows doesn’t exist, and even the concept is alien, getting beyond that barrier is a huge challenge for the average user.

Personally I like Debian as a server and Ubuntu as a desktop. Often I am forced onto a RedHat based distro like CentOS/Fedora, and its familiar enough for me to get around, but strange enough that I find myself on google a lot :)

You will struggle to find a disto that is not based on Debian or Redhat, they all have there place. I find the variety is good, if one does well because they have reworked a piece of software just for them, the other distro’s are not long in taking notice and building that in themselves.

So as much as I might just say use Debian/Ubuntu, I am glad there is so much diversity in that space, it keeps everyone on there toes. Which is what M$ lacked for all those years.