I don't see a comeback for linux. http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=linux
http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=linux%2C OS X&cmpt=q&tz=
Anyway, Ubuntu works fine on most laptops. We can safely say it works across more hardware than OS X. We can also buy an Ubuntu certified laptop/desktop and have excellent support.
I wish Windows fan boys would stop pretending as if they never run into issues using Windows. I have to fix my dads computer once a week with windows. Windows 8.1 refused to wake from sleep on a brand new laptop that it came installed on and the wifi kept cutting in and out.
I find my self having a more pleasant experience more and more on Linux and less and less on Windows.
The most frustrating thing is the mystery about what causes it, since I haven't been able to find errors that explain it in the system logs.
I consider myself a technical person and while I think it's fun to use Linux, it's certainly not productive.
Should read: "...I'm certainly not productive."
Just because you struggled with the Linux paradigm, it doesn't mean that it's an unproductive platform.
I've seen and helped people that hit these brick walls everywhere, whether it's installing the OS itself, a compiler, accessing a thumb drive, or whatever other task they want to accomplish.
These are things that may be incredibly trivial for us that's comfortable in this environment, but a brick wall for others.
Gaben is closing that gap for us.
Also, Minecraft runs fine on Linux. If GP poster had trouble, it's probably down to a video driver issue (which aren't unique to Linux, but are arguably more painful), or a new-environment-learning-curve thing.
The big studios might not care too much (though even this isn't really universal, since there are plenty of big studios that do target Linux/SteamOS), but there's a lot of activity from indie developers, many of whom are targeting SteamOS before they even target OS X (though there still aren't any SteamOS exclusives that I know of).
You and your nephew must be doing something very wrong.
Then I get a dozen calls in the next six months about how completely broken something in 7 or 8 is, but they never consider switching back.
I don't know how to fix that. They get it in their heads that Windows is right and everything else is wrong and the first sign of contention drives them to panic right back to the MS camp, where every day is contention with the viruses and spyware.
Just an example, I had setup a small store with Ubuntu terminals. Six months later they wanted me to switch it all to Windows 8. For those six months the only service calls I got were software updates and general inqueries like "how do I download X?" or "how do I get flash?". Linking a one click Ubuntu install for Flash is insanely easy.
But now its been over six months again since the Windows 8 switch back, and I'm in about once a month to remove systemic viruses and spyware from all the computers because they all get horribly infected and I make them change their passwords every time. They even had the store owners credit card info stolen once, but they would never fathom using anything else again.
And they switched back because Office 2013 in Wine (because they could not stand LibreOffice) didn't interopt between each part properly - IE, trying to open an Access database as a form fill in Word never worked, and they didn't want me to just give them network disabled XP VMs to run Office in using all their old license keys because when they tried that the employees kept trying to use IE6 in the VM and complained it had no Internet connectivity.
It's depressing to read stories like these. I to do not know how to neutralize the peer pressure that seems to make people want to be constantly abused by their malware-infested Windows machines just because their friends are...
One thing may help: interesting metaphors.
When my mom once asked about viruses, I made her picture her computer as an SR-71 cruising at Mach 3.6, high above anti-aircraft fire directed towards Windows machines. Sticky images like this may help, but they may need occasional reinforcement.
Every once and then she also forwards me a chain letter warning about the dangers of such-and-such e-mail scam that tricks people into download malware. I tell her to relax because the malware most likely will not be able run on her computer, much less compromise it.