Maybe I haven't been following Linux closely enough?

I'd happily pay for a Linux-based laptop that's on par with a Mac. If it had an app store, I'd consider buying some applications.

The thing is, on a day-to-day basis, almost all desktop software that I use is either free, or has a good enough community version. I very rarely come across something that's useful enough that I pay for it.

FYI: What do I pay for? MakeMKV, TurboTax, VMware Fusion, and a disk recovery application.

Here's the challenge: When I think of Linux, I just assume that everything is 100% open-source (and thus free beer) because I assume that every Linux user is a GNU fanboy and wants to compile their own software by rubbing two sticks together. Maybe my biases are outdated or wrong?

Anyway, when your users plan to compile their own software from source, half of the value of paid software is gone! (Commercial software is more than the source code, BTW)

Again, I'd happily pay for a Linux-based laptop on par with Mac.