Heya, Chris. Yeah, your perspective is what a lot of Linux guys rant on and on about. Basically, from the point of view of some individuals, Microsoft is the font ouf all evil, and only stupid cows without adequate technical skills use anything but Linux. Open Source Forever! Knowledge is Free! Smite the unbelievers!

Most people buy a computer to do something, not to make a particular political or philosophical statement. Furthermore, technical proficiency doesn’t begin or end with a particular operating system: some of the most brilliant computer scientists use exactly the “wrong” OS, whatever that happens to be. VM, MVS, OpenVMS, Solaris…or even, heaven forfend, Windows.

But for some percentage of the computer using population, the choice itself is akin to a matter of religion. And the unbelievers are spat upon from on high by those who know the Truth.

Frankly, an OS is a tool, not a religious choice. Use what works, what solves the problem you want addressed, what reduces your stress level. In my opinion, people who fail to grasp that are the “dumb” ones, but like the choice of a particular OS, that’s mostly just an opinion.

One of the problems with PCs on the desktop is that the “requirements” most users have are often terribly vague. If someone plans on writing some documents, sending some emails, browsing the Internet…any OS will work fine, and Linux will make a fine choice. But if that person wants to walk into any store and buy any piece of hardware/software on the shelf, carry it home, and have it work most of the time…well, that’s so vague that the only answer would be to chose the most common/pervasive choice. For most folks, it’s easiest to choose the “default” choice, the one that has it’s own department at the computer store, the one that most folks know and understand.

Chris put things well: you know how to set things up in the OS flavour you are using, and it works well/reliably for you and your family. Selecting a different OS would not solve any particular problem you are currently facing, it wouldn’t prevent the death of any children/puppies/kittens, and it wouldn’t stave off global warming/economic collapse/the coming of the apocalypse.