I mean it depends on the hardware - you can get unlucky with that, sure. I’ve usually installed timeshift so it can be easily restored if necessary, but I’ve never had to restore any of the systems I setup besides my own - since Ubuntu 12.04 - around 12 years ago.

LTS is what I go with so no bleeding edge updates, and I’ve not setup anyone else’s system that has a dedicated GPU so many of the common issues don’t apply in my case.

However, I remember from 8.04 - 12.04 having a complete fking nightmare with WiFi adaptors. I get a twitchy eye just thinking about ndiswrapper…

Linux is bad at audio therefore it’s bad at everything? Interesting. Fair point about audio though, if you’re doing anything to do with that then stay clear of Linux. Raspberry pi audio is bad even by Linux standards, lol

I’ve set up Linux for various family members over the years, most recently for my Wife (lubuntu lts on an old laptop) and it’s always been smooth, unlike windows where I’m having to fix their problems every other week.

Key takeaway here is I had to set it up for them, none of them had a chance in hell at doing so themselves. For simple tasks, once setup correctly - it’s great. For an end user experience without initial help, the slightest thing will throw them during setup.

I’ve honestly had better luck with retro games on Linux than windows. Half the time lutris can auto install the game with minimal input, and patch the games etc - and even with abandonware titles I just pointed proton at them after installation and no issues.

If you’re on older integrated graphics however, I will admit it can be a lot more problematic.

I used a Miele hoover as a shop vac, hoovering wall plaster, muck and sawdust etc and pretty much abused it - replaced all filters and gave it a good clean and it still works like new. That was 5 years ago and it’s still going fine.