Windows update is the number one driver for people switching to Linux in my experience. I personally know at least 20 people who are are non-technical who switched to Linux solely because of windows update.
We do get update notifications in many linux distros as well. I guess the difference is how aggressive the windows updates are. Its like having a gun to the head if at all there give a choice in the first place. The fact that windows is still kicking around with these shitty ux practices says how low the desktop or laptop market must mean to companies these days.
The major difference is Linux can update in the background, with out much effect on working performance. Linux also doesn't force you to update, or block shutdown/boot events to perform an update. Its simply a much better experience.
This is so weird to me because I'm very much a turbo nerd power user Linux dork and I will still contend that Windows has a significantly easier user experience. I certainly don't use Linux because it's a convenient desktop platform.
It is significantly more predictable, though. If I switch on my Windows computer to do some work, say, for a deadline, it's out of my control what happens next. If I'm unlucky, there's literally nothing I can do to make the computer functional and meet the deadline because it's stuck updating something.
Linux has warts, but being able to switch on your computer and definitely use it is pretty important.
It doesn't help if it boots, if then I have to continously battle with my wlan configuration that every other device on the house doesn't have any issue talking to.
So I just accept as fact of life that on a Asus 1215B, bought with Linux pre-installed, I have to reboot the network configuration every now and then.
I guess it is still better than when Canonical replaced the wlan driver with a half-working one because FOSS rulez, or having 3D capabilities downgraded to GL 3.3 support, when the legacy AMD commercial driver was capable of GL 4.1.
I guess the difference is that these problems are fixable: maybe they're going to be annoying to fix, but you can actually do it.
In windows, some problems are simply outside of your control, or if you dip down into the registry to fix them, and that's possible, then your fixes can get unfixed on update.
To be honest, I just find it mind-boggling that all around the world, there are offices of high-paid professionals waiting for windows to finish updating minecraft before they can actually do some work.
It's probably just a matter of fixing some inane configuration file under /etc/.
Don't get me wrong - I find that kind of thing annoying too. But it's nothing compared to the Windows approach of interrupting your work to give you a popup about 'connecting your device' or whatever.