After a dozen years as a dedicated Linux desktop/laptop user, I now see that trying to keep a Linux desktop functional over time is one of the charms and benefits of linux desktops. Having your wifi randomly go in and out after an update and digging into a fix is one a dozens of reminders of what your computer actually is and how it works (and doesn't). Like having a fussy classic car you have to mess with all the time to keep it running, you come to have a relationship with your computer that would otherwise be masked by abstraction. This relationship and deeper understanding of the machine carries over into other areas of programming and demystifies many things about computers that would be otherwise remain obscure. Yes, it is inconvenient. Yes, it can be frustrating. But how else can you really learn these lessons? How else can you gain the confidence to roll up your sleeves and do for yourself? The linux desktop may never be perfect but I wouldn't have it any other way.
I can see where you are coming from - but what you say is pretty much exactly why I don't use Linux outside of work. If I want to stream a movie or play a new game in my free time, I want a system that is going to deliver that to me with the least friction possible. I don't have the patience to be getting a lesson in hardware drivers when I am off the clock - I'm quite happy to be mollycoddled by Microsoft / Apple at that point.
