I dont think it fair saying that linux has a long way to go for non technicle endusers, i am for all practicle purposes a newbie to linux, what i have found is that if i want to change any thing or customise any thing (well at least at my level) you can and its easyer than windows by far.
The diffrences between them though is that the guys at microsoft seemed to make an OS which is aimed at being userfrendly and forgot about everything else (and its not like it all works as it should so even the most technicaly inept monkey could od it bits of it ae still damned annotying and difficult) where as in linux user frendlyness is a secondary option, having an OS which works and dosent fall kicking and screaming to the ground evrytime some script kiddie in kazakhistan gets bored and dcides to release his softwarre of doom into the world.
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