Still brickin'...
Don't suppose there will ever be an rc of Linux that focuses on making it straightforward to install...?
This weekend, about 10 years since my last attempts to venture into Linux-land (which resulted in a dead PC tower), I tried to install Debian on an old laptop - mostly because I need it to kick-start another side project I've been dabbling with, but partly on the grounds that so many on here have said "oh, things have gotten a lot easier since then".
I now have another computer that can only be made useful if I re-install Windows on it - which kind of kills my project dead in the water. No network connection. No graphics card recognition. No trackpad/mouse recognition. Heck, not even a way to scroll back up through the text output and try to figure out what might have gone wrong.
Web searches have given me nothing beyond "try another flavour of Linux" (not an option due to the nature of the project), or "download some firmware" - which I can't do on the box in question (due to the lack of network), and can't even figure out which devices need which versions (due to not being able to scroll up through the output).
Last time I installed Windows on a machine... yes, it was a pain stepping through all the wizards etc. But at least it told me what was wrong and either scanned automatically for fixes or pointed me in the right direction.
Yes, I know this post will get a lot of downvotes - mostly, I expect from the same Linux users who view Windows users as lower life forms.
But it's clear to me now why Windows still rules the roost on the desktop - and until Linux (and, from what I have seen in a number of places, various members of its community) get a bit more friendly, that's likely to remain the status quo.