The article is correct

I use Linux exclusively and do so partly because I support the free software ideal. However, I am also responsible for several other people trying to use Linux (family, colleagues). Some but not all of these other users are very technical people in other domains (scientists). My experience is most users, including these technical users, will usually run into a problem that they cannot solve alone. Their only option without quite dedicated support immediately available would be to fall back to what they know: windows or mac.

I think the article is quite typical in this respect: somebody who gave Linux a try and would be happy to use it as a replacement, but encountered too many problems. I wish it weren't so, but just saying that it is biased or that no such problems exist is just denial.

I think the distribution model is different, with both advantages (all software is securely updated, single source) and disadvantages, but we should continue to live with it. In my recent experience, the real problem has been the instability of the desktop apps and environment, with the occasional hardware problem thrown in. Once you've gone to the trouble of installing Linux and changed your habits, most people want to benefit from its legendary stability and get on with their work. However, it just hasn't been possible to continue working, the changes (and bugs) have been too intrusive.