A lot of that depends upon the user. I've been using Linux for around 20 years now, so I've long since passed through the tinkering and tweaking aspect. I install the OS, add the packages that have served me well over the years, and make a few minor configuration changes that I find useful. Anything beyond that is asking for a productivity sink. Then again, the same can be said for Windows. There are an astounding number of ways to tweak Windows using integrated tools or third-party utilities.

Fixing things seems to depend upon the user as well. I've always been fortunate with Linux in that most of my hardware has worked out of the box. I realize that isn't the case for everyone. I also realize that sometimes the Linux community is to blame because they push the cool distributions and fairly deep modifications rather than sticking to the defaults on tried-and-true distributions. Yet that is more of an issue with how people approach Linux than with the platform itself.

I'm not going to claim that Linux is a good solution for everyone, or even a good solution for people who have major issues with Windows. When people are thinking of making the jump, I usually suggest switching to open source software under Windows first. If they can't adapt to new software, Linux isn't going to be a pleasant experience. Once they know that they like the software, they should try their selected distribution via LiveCD/LiveUSB prior to installing it. If their chosen distribution doesn't work with their hardware out of the box, they probably aren't going to be happy with it either.

While I try to be realistic in my expectations of Linux, with respect to its benefits and pitfalls, I do see a lot of the criticism of it as being undue. If someone thinks it involves a lot more tweaking and fixing, it's probably because of how they approached Linux. Linux offers a lot of control and flexibility, but that doesn't mean that you have to use it. If you do choose to use it, be aware that you may break things in the process. Even the criticism about having to relearn things is partially a matter of how you approach computers. If you learn the basis of how applications work, most skills are transferable. If you learn an application, you're going to be relearning those skills for each new application and even major updates. (To give you an idea of what I mean, I had very few issues with Windows 8 or Office 2007 because it was a new metaphor for the same old stuff. A lot of people did have issues with the interface changes because their understanding of the software was as a collection of tasks that were performed in a particular way.)