Unholy horrors.. really ? .. hmm, well sounds like you have had some bad luck there.. I "had" mostly been a XFCE user for a number of years, not because of the lesser system requirements, but just a preference thing, with Gnome as a dual boot option.. I started using Gnome a bit more, but didn't want Unity so I switched that system to Mint.. have found myself pretty much full time Mint user now with their version of Gnome. Can't say that I have noticed any bugs.. As to driver problems, can't say I have had any problems since about 2002 which is probably the last time I had to figure out a driver problem for my dialup modem. Of course I will caveat that with the fact that I have only run desktop systems (no laptops with wireless cards), and that I have also been a Nvidia video person because they always "had" more Linux support.. I suppose the other difference lately is that I really just don't care enough about having the proprietary video drivers anymore.. strangely though, the desktop effects are working just fine with my latest Mint and I didn't do a thing for the drivers. but I wouldn't have anyway, because the effects are just not that important to me.

There is absolutely no requirement to do "tweaking" on a Linux system.. If you want it to "just work" as you say, then just leave it be.. Once installed, you just use it as you do Windows, all that "knowing the inner workings", and "desktop wars", all of that was your choice to do and unnecessary (your the one who wanted to know how the torque wrench worked).. As to drivers and configuration files, I have actually found Linux to be extremely good at taking care of it itself fro a fresh install.. unlike Windows in which you would have to have a friend who has a working Internet connection and a burner who has to go to a website and download your missing network drivers because you can no longer find the drivers CD..

I find it no real difference between the 3.. Linux has no requirement to "tinker"., and no more technical knowledge to use is needed, than either Windows or OSX .. All three require learning the basics of each system.. How do you start it, how do you find and open programs, how do you add new programs. and the core programs most people use like web browsers and media players and such.. none of the 3 systems really have an advantage here if you starting from a blank slate of having not used any of them.. Everything is easy when you know how to do it. This can be said for all three systems.. The only real difference is when you may become stuck somehow and need help.. Windows users have the advantage in numbers, for free help.. OSX users are probably more inclined to pay for support.. Linux users have to rely on Google and community forums.. The chances of needing help are increased if you go outside the norm and do as you say and "tinker" , but no more so on any of the 3 systems than any other.

What if my experiment is to calculate the trajectory of a satellite to collide into the mouth of an active volcano ?.. I'm thinking after my first test run, it's not going to have much progress.

He probably wasn't selling "counterfeit" drugs, any more than a pharmacy selling generics are.. more likely he did use the brand name to promote the sale of a generic though,.. As to "foreign".. ok, um in the first place Canada is technically a foreign country, so there's that.. and then there is the fact that we in the US pretty much buy everything foreign made.. known or not... so saying "foreign made" is supposed to be scary, or a crime ?.. Walmart would be the criminal masterminds of all time if selling "foreign made" is a crime.

How bout they make Thomas pay 5 times that 33 % of her gross sales !!.. That'll learn her !

Every so often I will be watching a TV show, and low an behold in some office environment a tablet will be whipped out like it is an everyday tool that they use in their business.. Now perhaps with Office on it, that could become a reality but I think in real (non TV) life, at least at the moment, it's mostly just fiction.. I also believe that it is going to be a hard fought battle for tablets to become a workplace staple.

Actually.. Vista is not the definitive Microsoft failure.. It was and is still quite usable.. the honor of definitive failure goes to Windows ME.

What is your point ?.. I am now informed of your preference.. So I counter with (guess what ) similar qualifications as you have.. I've used the same phone OS's as you did, and I am more comfortable with Android.. I also run Linux at home, and work all day providing tech support to Windows and Mac users.. I can own and run whatever I want, and I can tell you if Mac OS and Windows (XP/Vista/Win7) were free, I would still be running my Linux.. But higher road, I won't call any of them crappy (although Vista is pushing it).. Here is the thing.. there is no "I win !", all of the operating systems we've talked about are very functional.. Some may be better for some people who are less functional, but that doesn't mean the OS or those that use it are better than the OS's or people who use something else..

So if I choose to smoke.. and I have paid $2 per pack in taxes.. If I get cancer, then my treatment is all paid for.. Right ? .. I don't think so.. If I have insurance, whatever limits I have are used up, and then whatever else I have that can cover the costs are used up.. and then I either live or die with a huge debt.. Show me where that tax money really goes.. It goes to pay for commercials with coughing babies and old people smoking through their neck.. It does not go to pay for anybodies treatment.

Yes I a word for sure.

So, like FPS deathmatches ?.. Why not, that way you can infidels many times over and over.. surely better than the real thing.

Maybe I have become paranoid, but unless a link is obvious I am usually checking the bottom of the browser to see where a link is sending me before I click it. I don't think there are that many redirects to Bing or Google.., but sure there could be many to Bing or Google search results, but those as well as direct links are easy to spot.. Broken links should lead to Web page not found errors, although I know some configurations can lead to your default search engine.. If Bing is your default, then there you go.

And it could also be done with FTP or via email attachment and numerous other ways.. The percentage of illegitimate use is high, but you could say the same thing about email and web sites in general with their spamming,phishing and malware, We are not going to shut down the protocols and technology that make those possible any time soon.. But all this really comes down to is whether or not anybody has a right to control what bits I am sending and receiving, and even more importantly to know what those bits are and be upset by them.. If someone intercepts these companies communications and is found out, you can bet they will have a different view on privacy "as it applies to them".

It's not like your choice is permanent like a tattoo or anything.. Forget browsers, I used to do the same thing with whole distros until I found trends in what I liked and narrowed down my choices.. I realized that for the most part I could make pretty much any distro to my liking with some work. There are some fundamental things (mostly package managers/reps) that do work better in others that matter.. But if I felt that I was missing out, it would be no big deal to test drive something else to usually find that my original choice was better after all.