I don't get it.. the only reason ubuntu is so prominent is it has had millions spent on publicity. It doesn't mean it is actually any good (It doesn't support c-media soundcards for one thing, and you have to compile a kernel to load that particular module.. not newbie friendly)
Debian is as easy to use as any linux, once you get your head around the "debian mission"
But as to the original point.. I believe linux is easier to maintain and use than say windows or mac-os because it is all open to see.. which is why full time non commercial users tend to avoid the "proprietary" brands like suse and redhat.. because they tend to not be as open.
For gaming you are usually ok, just so long as the games have ben coded properly and do not constantly make calls on the windows API and things like DirectX.. If they do you are screwed.. royally.. That is not any fault of linux, it rests purely with the game devs who can't (or won't) write proper standalone software. There are lots of great games out in the wild for linux/unix systems. Quake (for example) is completely open source.. all the games using the engine which are released for windows platforms are ports and skinning of an original open source engine.
The catch 22 is this.. If there is a linux workround for a windows game there is no incentive for the game devs to get their fingers out and build linux binaries..same with everything else that is M$ only.. which is why certain of us deprecate wine.. it is a bodge, and a disincentive to further development of open source software. The ONLY thing I have to use wine for is
Nokia phone software.. my
LG phone pops up as just another storage device.. what is nokias' problem.. oh yeah.. they want to SELL ringtones, and as
DRM only works with windows they don't want us making our own ringtones to put on our phones (heaven forbid we should get inventive and creative with SOMETHING WE OWN!!)
there you have it.. Linux is simpla, clean, cheap fast and effective.. easy to maintain and keep up to date, with virtually no known malware and tweakable and configurable beyond belief.. Sometimes it isn't easy, but who ever said computers were supposed to be easy?.. ahh yes M$ the creators of the click, point and don't understand generation....
What would you do if you found some unsupported bit of hardware on a windows system.. with no drivers etc.. ever sen a soundcard come up as an "unknown device"?.. been able to solve the problem using windows when the device has no markings and no installer cd ?? Nope.. you can't even work out what it is most of the time, so you are screwed..
Linux solution is way easier.. a little command.. "lspci -v" and there you have a listing of all the plugged hardware..as somebody in the open source community has probably also seen the device at some time there is most likely a driver for it.. a quick use of google and you have a solution.. very different from the "closed and commercial" windows experience methinks ;)
Conclusion.. Linux isn't hard.. windows is hard, it is made to be hard. The only reason people say otherwise is because that is what they are used to.. New PC users tend to progress faster and achieve more in less time on linux systems. They don't have to "unlearn" all the bad habits they have picked up, and so it is just like anythng new.. a learning curve.. in the case of a first timer it is the same for linux as for windows.. without a lot of the stupidity of having to pay for everything, even if it doesn't work or do what they want.....
So before coming with preconceptions about which linux is easier remember.. Redhat and suse are commercial products, just the same as windows.. debian and fedora (which IMHO sucks) are properly free and open, maintained and built on by the community of users who do it because they want stuff to work first and look pretty/be easy second.
Open source has taken the lead for multimedia applications now..and is rapldly pulling ahead with other desktop uses. *nix has always been a better GUI environment.. mostly because it has been around for way longer than windows.. remember Minix? (looked very similar to mac-os in the beginning) All M$ did was copy what was probably running on the unix machines they were coding windows on. hehehehe
It is a different philosophy, and one that gets a little getting used to.
