To answer your questions:
1. Yes there are many versions of linux that are freely available for download on the web.
2. Easier and better than windows? That's a two part questions, easier? NO WAY. I've been working with computers for 19 years and work in IT. I consider myself fairly decent with computers yet Linux is one of those areas that I've just never had time to play with. If you like to just take a piece of software, install it and run then Linux is certainly not for you.
Better? That's a relative term and depends entirely on your usage. Where I work our mail server runs Linux and does so very well. Every single end user machine runs Windows. Of the people in the IT department there are only a few who even know how to run a web browser on a linux machine, let alone configure it into anything practical.
3. Yes this operating system is certainly for people who know what they are doing. It has been my experience that Linux is usually one wrong command away from being completely screwed up. This is not a problem if you have some sense of what you are doing, thus you might could undo what you did wrong.
I'm sure people will argue here that it's a user friendly operating system, which can be true, if you're the right user. Basically linux is more selective about who it makes friends with. Simply put Linux die hards swear by it and think it's a great easy to use system. Understand though that these are people who think nothing of having to work for hours to make one feature work because there is no documentation.
It's a VERY powerful operating system that does have several advantages over Windows for many situations. Unfortunately it's far to hard to configure to ever become mainstream. I enjoy tinkering with it because it takes me back to my childhood before Windows came about, back when computers were used by only those who knew what they were doing.
The fact is that Windows has made computers available to a lot of people who would otherwise have no business dealing with them.
15 years ago the home computer was for people who enjoyed to tinker, it was a hobby. People who had them understood how they worked. Now the comptuer is a tool for people but they don't understand or care how it works. When it doesn't work they would rather find somebody to fix it or replace it rather than learn how to fix it themselves. For that I hate Windows, but it does give me job security for there will always be people for me to fix their problems.
If you want a puzzle and have some time on your hands then certainly give Linux a shot. If you just want your computer to work so you can surf the internet, chat, burn cd's, etc and you don't want a hassle then stick with Windows. Sure in the long term windows might crash more often, but you'll have a whole lot less trouble trying to make things work.
Anybody who argues that Linux is a user friendly operating system really doesn't have a good outlook. It might be user friendly to them, but not to the masses. Most people can't even understand Windows, Linux would be impossible for them. It has it's place and it has it's function. Unfortunately that place is not on the mainstream of PC's. Too many people could never make it work.
