I stopped using Linux as a desktop operating system a few years ago. Just too much hassle to get things to work. I mean, installing software should just work, I shouldn't have to install multiple packages just to get something to work.
With that being said, I do still use linux as a server environment. Have you ever tried FreeNAS? It's extremely easy to use, I have it setup to run samba shares on my network. Pretty easy setup and runs forever sitting in my garage. Along with my dedicated backup server I have in there.
