Earlier quoted context omitted.
This won't be the answer you are looking for but let's face some bitter truth: I have been running Linux on my laptops since 2004 and in my experience it's always a struggle (servers since 1993 are happy, it's the desktop that suffers). As of right now, this struggle no longer worths it. Just use Winux (my made up name for the Ubuntu userspace under Windows 10 plus perhaps Xming).
I've been predominantly a Linux user on desktop/laptop since 1995. It has literally never been easier; to install, to use, to find hardware that works (even weird stuff like pro audio devices and oddball controllers), and to act like it's a "normal" computer without having to worry about drivers, kernels, X, etc. I have had at least as much trouble from my Windows partition and my Android phones as I have from my Lin…
No, Linux desktop is as easy to use as Windows (sometimes perhaps easier), the problem is one layer lower: the drivers.
1. Bluetooth breaks about every 3-4 months. 2. Wifi. Where do I start. Say: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wireless_network_config... "If you have problems connecting to networks in general or your link quality is very poor, try to disable 802.11n" -- are you kidding me? Then if you have anything complicated, chances are you are completely and totally screwed. Examples: a) PPPoE over Wifi is simply not supported. b) The only way I found to connect to my work VPN is via a Firefox-running-as-root (I kid you not -- and it wasn't me me who came up with this solution obviously). 3. Battery life. http://unix.stackexchange.com/a/119620/9452 4. USB 3.0. Sure, NEC and Intel hosts are supported. Throw your card away if it's not NEC. 5. Hybrid graphics.
On to the destkop:
1. Skype. Say what you want, Microsoft abandoned it and Skype is a huge part of communications these days, sorry. 2. Chrome and hardware acceleration.