Which is why I suggest switching to open source applications before switching to Linux, when someone expresses interest in Linux. There is no sense in making the jump if you discover that the alternatives don't reflect your needs. There is also no sense in attempting to make a switch that will fail because they are overwhelmed by too much new stuff at the same time.

Yet suggesting that Linux is a lacking on the desktop is a bit silly. Many excellent developers have contributed to making an excellent desktop for Linux users. What people usually end up having trouble with is making the transition, and those difficulties apply to transitions in both directions. Going from Linux to Windows may be uncommon, but a few of us have done it. In my case it was because I transitioned from a career where Unix dominated, to one where Windows and OS X dominated. Even though switching between applications didn't present much of an issue, there was a bit of a culture shock when it came down to maintaining a Windows system. (Not that it surprised me. I had already turned down a job developing software for a robotic observatory since it involved Windows software development. Apparently Windows developers speak an entirely different language from Unix developers.)

Even after using Windows and OS X for a number of years, that history with Linux is still evident. The only application that is consistently open under OS X is the Terminal. My editor of choice under Windows is vim. Heck, I even plopped down a hefty sum of cash to get a Windows file manager that supports regular expressions (amongst other things). I can only imagine the difficulties that Windows users go through when switching over to Linux. After all, I have the benefit of using a variety of open source applications under Windows. Very few Windows users have the option of using their commercial applications under Linux (unless they trust WINE or use a VM, both of which present issues for some software).

Yet none of that says that Windows is better than Linux or Linux is better than Windows. It just says that they are different, and that it is easier to use what you are familiar with. That's true even when the user is willing and able to adapt.