I've had my experience with Linux, and it is very annoying to have to go through all the compiling and ./configures just to install something. Then only find out you don't have a dependency you need. Yeah, Linux is good for servers. I would use it for my server because of its stability. However, I would not use Linux as a desktop operating system until somebody develops a user friendly simple-to-use OS on the Linux kernel. Yeah, its a better operating system at the kernel level, but it has a long way to go.
There are two reasons I don't use Linux....1 is the method about which I have to install programs, its like hell if you don't have the right dependencies, and even getting them compiled and installed can be a job. Hypothetically, i think the best OS would be Windows XP on the Linux kernel, with the extra UNIX features that you don't have in regular XP.
P.S. I have only had XP crash on me one time, and that was because of a bad Creative driver. I've had Linux lock up on me twice. Like was said above, if your Windows is crashing at night, either you have a serious hardware problem or you need to get the hell off of Windows ME!