tux0r

Everyone knows it’s win32/Linux.

if you are coming from windows things will be where you expect them to be

This is something that Linux neither can do nor (in my opinion) should try to do.

A file system with similar structure.

There is no Windows-like file system fully supported for / as far as I know. You can’t have C:\ on Linux.

A GUI setting menu where the most used settings can be changed without opening a command window. …

That’s not really distribution-specific though. All GUI configuration tools I know are distribution-agnostic.

Mostly GNU Emacs, but my $EDITOR is sam.

Finally, does anyone have any tips for distro-hopping?

Don’t. 🙂

Or rather, try as many distributions as you want, but use virtual machines for that - once you find one that Just Works, there’s no reason to “hop” anymore.

I think the problem here generally stems from the view that a system which is explicitly not Windows should be suitable for “Windows refugees”. (Haiku would come to mind sooner than Linux, but I don’t want to open that can of worms here.)

Mint isn’t “like Windows”, not even Zorin is “like Windows”. No operating system (except perhaps ReactOS) that isn’t Windows aims to provide a good sanctuary for “Windows refugees”. The expectation that a Linux distribution must be “suitable for Windows users” will lead to many more disappointments.

Bill Joy (google him if necessary) once said (quite rightly):

What was the goal of the Linux community–to replace Windows? One can imagine higher aspirations.

Take Linux for what it wants to be (a free implementation of parts of V7 UNIX for reasonably modern systems), and you’ll immediately be less disappointed.

(Disclosure: As far as Linux is concerned, I currently only use Gentoo myself—not because it’s great for Windows users, but because it’s a great Linux distribution.)