Re: So? "...writing this for *you* Linux devs"...
As far as Windows-mimic distros, Zorin is one of the more well-known. I haven't run it for awhile. I have run Q4OS. It has a "Control Panel" (or "Settings", depending on which look you choose). It has "My Computer" and "My Documents". It has an application menu, just like pre-8 Windows, except that the applications are properly sorted into categories and not just tossed in any-which-way.
Have a squint at this screenshot and this one, for instance. Both Q4OS Linux, and both would be instantly familiar to a Windows user.
So some Linux devs have been working on Windows-look, easy-to-use distros. And have been for years.
That said, we're back to Windows-only applications -- Office, Photoshop, AutoCAD, etc -- and games, and the dearth of machines offered off-the-shelf with Zorin or Q4OS or similar.
And all that said, I'm mostly in agreement with your points. For the user that needs to go under the hood a bit, it's still Linux. You're not going to find a registry or a bunch of dll files, and your knowledge about SysWOW64 and System32 folders is not going to be of much help. You'll have to learn other stuff instead.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
