> * I've personally spent and watched coworkers spend hours and hours tinkering with graphics cards drivers or other random quirks*
This is like complaining that a Hackintosh is buggy and requires tinkering. If you want a polished experience, buy computers with first class Linux support from vendors. Even better if you buy machines with Linux preinstalled.
> Desktop linux is not ready for average users
If ChromeOS would suit a user's needs, then so would a polished Linux distribution like Ubuntu with Firefox or Chrome, most of the time.
This is like complaining that a Hackintosh is buggy and requires tinkering. If you want a polished experience, buy computers with first class Linux support from vendors. Even better if you buy machines with Linux preinstalled.
> Desktop linux is not ready for average users
If ChromeOS would suit a user's needs, then so would a polished Linux distribution like Ubuntu with Firefox or Chrome, most of the time.