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This article has nothing to do with the person who takes careful stock of things and the migrates over after weighing carefully the pros and cons. It deals with the others. And if I use only the male pronoun, please do not take offence - unfortunately, a vast majority of Linux users are male.
People start using Linux for various reasons - some due to peer pressure, some because they are curious, some because they want to appear cool, some because they think they can save money.
The initial stage that the average Linux user goes through is characterised by one thing - doubt. When someone steps away from the mainstream and makes themselves conspicuous by not following the masses, there is always a flicker of doubt as to whether the right decision was made.
Doubt results in defensiveness and defensiveness in abrasiveness. This is the time at which you find people who use Linux defending it loudly in every forum possible. They are not yet sure of the superiority of what they have chosen, they are unsure whether they are going to continue to be part of this eclectic crowd but they do not want to say it out loud.
Many Linux users stay in this stage for a long, long time. They learn very little about their new operating system, quietly use Windows whenever they need to, and are very vocal about Linux. They are part of the Linux user group because they want to have an identity that is different from the others - but they do not want to go through any difficulty to do so.
A great many who get stuck at this stage tend to quietly switch back to Windows. It is difficult to keep track of this kind of user as they come and go every six or nine months. The voice of the fanboy dies down gradually and he never admits to going back to the dark side.
