It sounds like a lot of these problems could have been mitigated in two ways: First, buying compatible hardware (nobody complains that they can't run Mac OS on

It sounds like a lot of these problems could have been mitigated in two ways: First, buying compatible hardware (nobody complains that they can't run Mac OS on a Dell, so why do they complain about incompatible hardware on Linux when the Ubuntu has a certification program and there are tons of lists of compatible hardware around). Second, understanding what's going on. AFAIK the "Gnome" listing in newer Ubuntu versions is really a compatibility mode of some sort, not the Gnome we all knew (and some of us loved). If you don't like Unity, use a different distro (like Mint, which is based on Ubuntu and thus is compatible with "Ubuntu" packages). Use what you like, and if he likes Mac OS then wonderful, but don't complain about things that are your own fault.