I used RedHat, SuSE, Debian, Ubuntu. Ubuntu was my desktop for a long time, but slowly Microsoft and Ubuntu working together changed that. First Microsoft got better, and it supports the latest hardware and - so I heard - power management is better, important for my new notebook. At the same time Ubuntu changed to desktop to something I have no love and no use for.
I did kernel hacking (network code - NAT and firewall, kernel 2.2), Linux was my main system since 1995, I worked for one of the major Linux companies (on two continents) and my server stuff still is solidly Linux. However, on the desktops Windows (7 and 8) has replaced it.
Reason: Good enough and hardware.
I have a new (Derll XPS 13) "ultrabook" with a touch screen (yes it's "shiny" and I hate that, but *I want touch*) and SSD drive. Contrary to what I feared when everyone complained about Windows 8 the only real difference I had even before the latest big patch was that "app" start screen. It was very easy to work on the desktop anyway (without installing anything), and all I added in addition to Chrome and Firefox was git (which includes a bash - hurra!!!) and a good console app (ConEmu). Look guys, I only installed a handful of key pieces of software and I can use my Windows 8 without getting used to any "Windows-isms" like Powershell (powerful it may be but I remain a Unix person). I feel ZERO pain using Windows 8 as my desktop, even though I use the console a lot and MongoDB and node.js and vi. The hardware requires that I run Windows 8 (don't tell me "but there's a driver for xyz", that may be but I don't want to beta-test software I rely on every day. I frankly don't care too much about the OS as long as stuff works the way I'm used to. bash, git, vi, a tiny virtual screen manager software for Windows - and I get perfect support for this up-to-date Ultrabook.
So Windows 8 is good enough for me to continue without changing my (Linux) habits, and it has the superior hardware support. Sorry, Ubuntu. Oh, and on the server I installed Debian, for commercial projects I take whatever they have decided on.
I have Ubuntu in a VMware VM on my desktop, but my Ultrabook with only 256GB SSD has no room for two OS installations, which is why I tried the above workarounds in the first place and I've been pleased far beyond my expectations after having read all those horror stories about Win 8. I find myself starting the Ubuntu VM less and less, since everything works so well.