The thing with Linux is that because no corporation controls it, there are so many ways to do basic things because there is so much variety.
Think of it in a religious sense, if you will. "Religion" could be a lot simpler if there was just ONE religion everywhere. And if there was ONE Bible and no "translations" to deal with from Hebrew and Greek, and ONE language to read it from. Differences in manuscripts, Hebrew and Greek Texts and so many interpretations can drive anyone up the wall. Even God we are told is not one...but three. The Trinity is a mystery we are "supposed" to believe, but it complicates things even further. Catholics, Protestants are divided themselves, the Eastern religions have their own complexities, etc. You can see where I am going with this. Yet, most of us manage to engage in religion and worship the Supreme Being the best way we can.
Now, when we take a look at the computer world, we find a similar situation. We have some major players controlling it all, and governments just sitting there and letting everyone go their own way. So people follow a leader because that's what they know. The leading companies lead, not only because of marketing savviness, but, because they manage to get there by cunning moves... some of them real "ugly." The best sellers are not always the best producers of software or hardware.
Microsoft made some moves three decades ago when they outsmarted IBM with the DOS OS strategy. The beat Apple then with their inferior Windows, because of clever moves. Since then, MS has been a convicted monopolist who has outsmarted other companies and government leaders, many a times with underhanded operations. It seemed that this ONE company was going to control the market forever.
Then, a strange thing happened, about 20 years ago, a man from Finland, Linus Torvalds, came up with his own Operating System, emulating the business workhorse (Unix OS) procedures, and made it available for free over the Internet, having no idea of the far-reaching product he was creating. The rest is history. At first, people laughed at it, then when Linux started multiplying like rabbits, the Corporations started fighting the Linux viral movement, but in a word, they "lost." Linux is here to stay, and is giving Microsoft and Apple and other companies enough headaches that they can't keep enough bottles of Tylenol and Advil around. A case in point, look how Apple and Samsung are suing each other fighting in court over Android (which has a Linux core). Apple is scared to death of losing their lead in tablets and smartphones. So "fight" if you will.
Coming back to computers, Microsoft software has its own complexities, outselling Linux books by a mile. Why sell so many books on how-to's to use a MS computer if it was so easy? Obviously, there are challenges there. But normally, there are but a few options on how to do things. With Linux, there are dozens of ways to do things. So people get confused. However, those who work with Linux find that once you get to learn the basics and understand how the Linux ecosystem works, it is not that much harder to use than Windows.
Someone mentioned the need to mount a CD Rom. That was necessary 15 or 20 years ago. Not anymore! You can still do it that way, if you WANT to, but generally Linux offers a lot of graphical managers to work for you, a la Windows. Another poster mentioned that software is difficult to install. Again, that depends. Nowadays, most Linux distros have central software repositories where you download from, even easier than Windows. In some cases, yes, you may have to go a bit further, and install a tar source file. But I myself have done that only a few times and not lately, because most software is available in an easier format. Linux has progressed quite a bit, to the point, that if someone says that it is too dificult to do it in Linux, it's because they have not kept up with the latest.
Coming back to the religion mess analogy: If you only read ONLY a few ultra-literal Bible versions, you may end up frustrated and stop reading the Bible. Nevertheless, there are plenty of other Bible versions that are much easier to read. And so it is with Linux. You may try 2 or 3 Linux distros, and end up frustrated because of those differences with Windows. But if you try an easier distro to use, then it is not so difficult. Admittedly, there are some distros and software for Linux which requires more knowledge. Bu I generally opt for the easier stuff, and not mess with those complexities, (not that I can't... I have managed to install more than six Linux distros next to a Windows partition, not to mention other drives installed. I have also learned to use commands in the past, but I rarely used them now.)
Regardless of what are your present feelings about Linux, the truth is that "everyone" uses Linux somehow. They just don't know it. Linux is everywhere, and even Linux opposers when they move away from it, continue using Linux unknowingly elsewhere on the Web. What they are getting away from, then, is from one or two particular interfaces they used, and strangely, in some cases they go back to using Linux in another device unknowingly, like Amazon Kindle, Nexus, Samsung Tab, Note, or on their TVs, or set-up boxes, etc., where they find it acceptable.
In conclusion, Linux is "a force to be reckoned with," and it has become the ultimate business "equalizer."
