[eadmund]

> For example, Ubuntu and Mint don't let you configure the mouse wheel scroll speed.

Since both are Debian derivatives, I imagine that both include synclient(1). No, it's not a GUI — but that's better, because you can just put the right command into your login scripts, and you know that it'll execute, and never get deleted because a desktop environment decided to change its config file format.

> Want a really good, free git GUI client? Sorry, not on Linux.

Magit is awesome.

> Sad to say but Windows, for all its faults, does work.

I have a couple of Windows machines, and I don't feel that they work. Swallowed keystrokes & clicks, ads — no thank you!

[antisthenes]

> because you can just put the right command into your login scripts, and you know that it'll execute, and never get deleted because a desktop environment decided to change its config file format.

You just lost 99% of the userbase.

[menacingly]

I use synclient at login now, but your paragraph about it alone has a few great reasons why a civilian might be turned off by linux on the desktop.