Tinkerbell Factor
I know I am not alone in this. If you read Slashdot regularly, you'll see a recurring theme in the arguments made by Linux proponents: While Linux is more complex than some other operating systems, it provides a great deal of power and customizability. Many Linux users, including me, actually take pride in the ability to use the system.
While I have had some good experiences with operating systems that are more conventionally intuitive, the operating systems that present the greatest challenge intrigue me the most. And the payoff is a great deal of satisfaction in the ability to fine tune and customize the interface and the work environment.
Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) operating systems are a different story altogether. While I typically detest the company's innovation strategies, I have actually, in some deranged way, found a certain measure of fulfillment in being able to accomplish difficult tasks on Windows.
http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/18878.html
Each new crash or system glitch presents new challenges, new routes to explore, new techniques to learn. Because I have a tendency to fetishsize the tool -- whether it be a new development tool, an operating system or even a new graphics card -- my means to the computing end is often just as pleasurable for me as the end itself.