I'm responding to this claim and the idea that it's "practical" for the average end-user: >> Try going to a mailing list and suggesting that editing text files

I'm responding to this claim and the idea that it's "practical" for the average end-user: >> Try going to a mailing list and suggesting that editing text files in /etc isn't a practical end-user experience and see what response you get. > First of all, it is perfectly practical, especially given the fact that you can find step-by-step instruction to do just about anything in a matter of seconds. I'm a firm believer in the idea that there isn't a "best" operating system, there is only an "ideal" operating system for any given person's use-case and value hierarchy. If your mom likes Ubuntu, good on her. I suspect she's an outlier within the general populace.