People usually do prefer the comfort of familiarity. That’s not a cop out. That’s just how most people work. Why do you think the most unanimously hated windows versions were the ones that changed the most? Why do you think the basic design of macOS hasn’t changed at all in more than two decades? People like what they’re used to. And a lot of them are used to Windows and have been for decades.
While yes, they can learn, a lot have acquired their (probably indeed very basic) knowledge of windows over the duration of 20+ years. It’s quite a jump to suddenly change that. It’s possible to learn, of course but it’s also necessary to lean and most people aren’t willing to do that if what they have works well enough.
This does indeed come back to people prefer what they’re used to. Of course that also goes for available software. People are used to Microsoft Office, Acrobat Reader, Outlook, the Creative Cloud, etc.
For some of those there are good Linux/FOSS alternatives, but for some there aren’t. I, for example, cannot switch my work macbook for a Linux machine. It’s simply not possible because of the software I need. My desktop at home does run Linux though, because there I don’t have the same hurdles.
That is indeed a big part that deserves more focus. A mainstream PC manufacturer (like Lenovo, Dell, HP, Acer, etc.) shipping a line of devices with Linux instead of Windows, especially if they pass the licensing savings on to the customers might do a lot for Linux adoption, similar to what, for example, the Steam deck did.
Because a lot of people don’t actually care. Yea, they’re more comfortable with Windows but in the end, all they need is a browser. Why do you think chromebooks sell so well?
For some of those there are good Linux/FOSS alternatives, but for some there aren’t. I, for example, cannot switch my work macbook for a Linux machine. It’s simply not possible because of the software I need. My desktop at home does run Linux though, because there I don’t have the same hurdles.
Because a lot of people don’t actually care. Yea, they’re more comfortable with Windows but in the end, all they need is a browser. Why do you think chromebooks sell so well?