Apple and Microsoft have opinions about what I should be doing with my computer that are based on their desire to make a profit from my activity. The developer

Apple and Microsoft have opinions about what I should be doing with my computer that are based on their desire to make a profit from my activity. The developer cultures which have grown up around Mac OS and Windows have generally followed this profit motive. I often find myself blocked when I'm trying to do something out of the ordinary, or being nickeled-and-dimed over trivial bits of additional software which shouldn't be such a big deal. Linux has its rough edges, but it never intentionally gets in my way, and the free-software culture which supports it is full of so many generous people offering bits of knowledge and utility that my biggest problem is usually that of wading through the sea of resources trying to understand which ones are most applicable to my situation. I can always get the job done, and if I don't like the way things work I can always change them, straight down to the kernel if I ever cared that much.