I have to say that I've never struggled as much as Keef seems to, particularly in the last couple of years.
"Setting them up and getting them to work was a long, hard job. I had to (re)learn a load of batch command language to make, configure, install etc various bits. Poking modules into the core was part of the fun."
It certainly used to be. But my most recent Linux install was Mepis and I certainly didn't have to work out scripts (I think that's what you mean by batch language) or indeed compile anything. Nor did I have to poke modules into the
kernel. It installed, found all my hardware, gave me a choice between the free or proprietary driver for the video card and I was away. Quicker install than Windows and all the apps I use regularly were already there, so I didn't have to mess around with CDs and codes.
Getting things working smoothly on my heterogeneous network of Windows, BSD, Mac, Solaris and Linux machines took an evening (this aspect DOES need improving) but the essentials worked out of the box.
I confess I do tend to drop into Paint Shop Pro on Windows if I want to do complex graphics - I know I could do it with GIMP but I get lazy. I'm not really a gamer so I don't miss it and OpenOffice works just fine (standard at my workplace).
By all accounts Windows 7 is a vast improvement over Vista and a small improvement over XP but I really don't feel like forking over significant sums to an abusive monopoly, particularly for several machines, when I have a quite satisfactory alternative.
Mac
"The fundamental issue with Unix in its various forms is that it still lacks the huge base of drivers for peripherals that the windows familty of Operating systems have accrued through time"
Actually Linux supports a vast array of hardware "out of the box", far more than Windows ever did or does. The true Unixes, like BSD or Solaris lag a long way behind.