> This happens in crypto land, too, where the coins fork
You only get hurt when you're holding? Crypto for me was always about not using it as a speculative currency, but actually /using/ it when you could. There's a thing called /spending/ which all the wealthy seem to avoid.
> Linux has been making progress but still isn't a good alternative for the common user
For non tech savvy people, Linux can cause problems, but only if they do something weird to their system. Linux, specifically Ubuntu or Mint, untouched, and unaltered is a great out-of-the-box experience.
The key (if turning someone on to Linux for the first time) is to stress that the command line is for power users who want full control of every bit on the system.
It's best to gradually introduce the command line once they're familiar with using the system and are comfortable doing their first (command line) update/upgrade ritual.