Folks like to keep things simple. They want someone to trust. Microsoft has
never had to earn their trust. They get it by default because Windows comes
with the computer and works well in the beginning. However, things quickly
fall apart and users are left to their own devices. People forget this part
and remember only that Windows was easy to use because it felt comfortable
and familiar. They cut MS and Windows a lot of slack which they are not
prepared to extend to Linux.

I have had people tell me that Windows is easier to install. They forget
that it takes longer, does not come with any programmes and you need to feed
it driver disks for a long time to get it up and running then you need to
re-boot after every update. I once counted the time difference and mouse
clicks and you would not believe the difference. The problem is that Windows
users are so used to clicking through EULAs that they no longer register
this as a step. They are so used to scrambling around for driver disks that
this becomes a norm. When they don't have to do it Linux they think that
Linux is inferior because it has not installed the driver. Most of the time
the driver is installed but not activated or set up properly.

When there is no sound they blame Linux. In most cases it is usually just
muted. When the wireless does not work they have not set up their wireless
network with security etc. They say that it just worked in Windows. No you
need to set it up the first time there too. They forget.

Linux is NOT Windows. I hate to think of the number of times that I have
written that. People would not expect that OS/X would be like Windows, but
they expect it of Linux for some perverse reason that I cannot figure out.
They expect that their Windows programmes will not work in a Mac, yet expect
it of Linux. Sometimes I think that we try to do too much and in so doing we
are fuelling this desire for Windows. That is why I gave up on Wine and
seldom even use my Windows VM. By giving Wine and VMs solutions to new users
we are doing nothing for them but making them dependent on Windows. I prefer
a clean break or even a dual boot. Keep them separate and never the twain
shall meet is my current thinking.