I second Bob's comment about opening a can of worms.
Because you said you are using the 'latest and greatest', I suggest using Windows 7 if you want a very user-friendly environment, and Linux if you want a very finite level of control over your computer, and its applications.
I've not used a Mac for more than 20 minutes in my life, but I can tell you that I'd prefer Windows and Linux over Mac by far.
