I've never once had a problem I couldn't solve by a quick search of Ubuntu's forums/documentation and editing the config files myself.

That's a lot harder than what the average computer user wants. When I used Ubuntu, I was terrified of the config files, and I hated forum searching to solve problems. It seemed like such an inelegant solution.

My legacy Windows XP install makes me want to bang my head on the wall.

The documentation covers the basics, but it rarely helps if there is a problem.

I had a problem with graphics card issues last year and spent a couple weeks of research before finally finding a way to fix the problem myself. The forums and documentation didn't help.

And I found numerous other people asking the same question but not getting any answer. After I found the solution I posted it on their forum threads.

But diving and getting lost in windows registry is not elegant either..

The "troubleshooting" section in Windows help is every bit as useful as horns on a goldfish.

the ui should either work, or tell the user why it doesnt work, troubleshoot is a band aid.

Regarding the article: many of these points seem really vague or really nit-picky, like the bit about drive encryption.

I also agree with you about Ubuntu not trying to be Windows. I think they want to instill the paradigm if you're going to change a setting, be prepared to do it as a superuser or root ahead of time. Linux security isn't going to change to be more like Windows security.

Also, automatic backup is a bit annoying for many home users, who do not have the required place to store their data.