I remember saying in 2000 to someone that Linux cannot simultaneously have a reputation as "elite" and being for hackers and also have its Year of the Desktop.

I remember saying in 2000 to someone that Linux cannot simultaneously have a reputation as "elite" and being for hackers and also have its Year of the Desktop. Of course, we ask so much more of desktops now than when I was running a beta of NT 5, so I think all of the goalposts have moved (or perhaps a rising tide has lifted many boats). Still, whenever I try to set up a machine that is the equivalent of my "not very thinking hard, screwing around with my brain off" Windows setup, I keep coming across this friction, a drag to any momentum I develop. I think the issues are multiple, complex, and fairly entrenched. It's a shame because I would like to be able to set up machines for friends that are familiar, easy to use, and so forth, but my occasional efforts have been stymied.