Let me give you 2 big reasons:

Linux does not work with the particular hardware or software you want or need to use.

It’s a PITA to just do basic stuff.

It’s a PITA to just do basic stuff.

In my experience basic stuff like browsing files, editing documents, launching apps, installing apps, and obviously a million things using a web browser, are all easy and snappy in a fresh out of the box install of Linux Mint.

That’s cool. That’s not been my experience at all. Nor has it many many other people. It’s like the number 1 complaint, and the number of delusional people who try to pretend like it doesn’t exist is insane.

is it a pita because you expect it to function like windows or are there specific roadblocks youve encountered?

It’s a PITA because there are a dozen different installation methods, and if anything at all is not functioning perfectly, the only advice you’ll get is typing random commands into the terminal that report back some generic error that you have no idea what to do with.

i dont mean this in a judgemental way but that sounds like you dont understand or just dislike the process and conflate that with difficulty. the commands aren’t random, you just don’t know them. people who have learned how to use the OS (granted, not everyone has the time for that) generally know what commands do before they paste them in. I have a much easier time running a single command rather than navigating through layers of GUI but not everyone will share that preference

that sounds like you dont understand or just dislike the process and conflate that with difficulty

LOL and what exactly else would you call that? I don’t know them, I don’t want to know them, I just want it to work like every other sensible OS where I can figure out how to complete basic tasks without needing a computer science degree.

i literally said it’s up to preference, and I don’t have a CS degree, I did in fact figure it out