Linux did not take from windows. Window managers and Office alternatives tend to be but Linux itself is not.

Either way my vote goes to Windows XP. Im sorry but its far easier to get someone using Windows XP then it is getting them to use linux. Trying to explain how to get a printer to work in linux is far more difficult then telling them how to insert cd and click next a bajillion times in windows. Also then they like to know when they are running out of ink.

Frankly 70% of computer users could care less how a computer does this special thing and that thing and how to do it via a command line. They don't give a flaming poo-poo they just want it to work and work easily. Since Windows 2000, windows and linux have been equal in terms of stability as far as i am concerned. And while windows is not as secure as linux between Antivirus and Firefox you and a firewall its decently protected.

if i am setting up a PC for someone I have a far easier time getting it just right so that everything is automated and the end user has to do nothing at all. Im sorry but Linux is not as user friendly as Windows is. And people complain the install process for windows is difficult? Wtf are you on? Put disc in say you want to install Windows to that drive install windows sit there and wait for it to ask for cd key enter you name and what not hit next some more. Linux and Windows is equal there unless you start doing like a Gentoo install which as well written as the docs are is probably the most annoying linux install I ever tried. I spent at least 8 hours installing it. Madness I tell you.

Like someone before me said : "Userfriendly" != "Noobfriendly" (The analogy with the sidewheels on the bike was spot-on , btw.)

In order to make a proper judgement on the matter , it's imperative to define the phrase "Userfriendly"

In my mind this means , the product must have a logical structure , anyone with even rudimental brainfunctions should be able to discern.(Scratch Windows here)
Also it's processes should be transparent to the user.(That weeds out the Bloat-distros like Mandrake , RedHat/FC and SuSE. Windows is even nowhere in sight here) , so that in a case of emergency (ie.- the user screws up) the proper tools and information must be at the user's disposal , without outside help. (Wether said user will make the effort of trying them , is another matter alltogether)

Yet , the day-to-day tasks should be doable without the least form of harassment.

From the Distros , I tried so far , Slackware(and it's derivates) comes closest.
All that's needed for it to work properly is the user being able to read.

yes, i agree, which is why when i was first a newbie, the first distro i tried was core linux (i think i messed up on the kernel compiling ... tho at the time i thought it was because of a bad lilo version) .. then i tried a few other distros .. couldn't get them to boot, debain booted, but the installer was horrible, and in the end, a few packages were corrupt (and that was the end of debain on my laptop ... and i hated it ever since :p ) .. finally i just got fed-up, and tryed LFS, using core linux/LNX-BBC (i used LNX-BBC to chroot onto a reiserfs partition with core linux on it (i had trouble with ext2/3 which is why i also hate those file systems :p ), then LFS failed, reason : you cant do the compiling as root (which is the only user i had at the time) ..., now really fed-up, this here newbie really wanted a usable laptop, so i use the core/LNX-BBC combo again, and this time, modified LFS instructions as needed, and used it to update every package on the system, and then that was my first successful linux install (a few months later i used gentoo linux when i was allowed to put Linux on the desktop computer) ....

so yes, there is diffidently a difference from user friendly, and newbie friendly ... LFS = newbie friendly, and Gentoo = user friendly :D (at least for me)

IMO, "Userfriendly" is "Newbiefriendly" with one big difference: "userfriendly" stuff can be altered to the user's tastes WITHOUT causing a loss of function and can be altered with little effort. "Newbiefriendly" usually lacks that kind of thing or loses function (maybe even crashing) when customization is done.

Lilo is an example here. You can make some nice customizations with just the lilo.conf file, for example have a background on the OS menu.

On of the biggest problems that prevents things from being very userfriendly is simple hardware detection. Not everything is configured right from the get-go.

Knoppix has a lot of options ready to go with no effort required. The popular apt-get system is a plus here too. It gets my vote for the most userfriendly distro.

I do agree that Gentoo can be called "userfriendly", though your options are limited at the start whereas they're ready to mess with in Knoppix.