You have a strange bias against Linux. I've convinced many non tech people to install Ubuntu and Mint without trouble. My grandma literally uses Fedora that I installed for her. During all these installations, it just worked; there was no driver issue to fix on any machine. In my experience talking to others, going from windows to OSX is infinitely more jarring than going to Linux (Cinnamon). I also think you're overestimating how many people need proprietary Windows software, by a lot.

If you're stuck on Windows, that sucks, but switching OS is the only solution to a hostile OS. You can tweak Windows however you want; it is still going to push updates that ignore your wishes and annoy you. We shouldn't stop recommending the best solution because you personally can't switch.