Not really you rarely ‘have’ to get into the terminal, it just get very convenient once you get comfortable with the architecture. Which is not really required either. My 75 yo mom love it, the most techiest thing she does is apply updates by entering her password. I need to help maybe 4 times a year…

What about stopping windows from doing stupid things by itself?

You are wrong. Linux got really easy. Check out linux mint. Hardest part is making the bootable USB. My elderly parents both like it. Installation is much easier than windows and online help is much more available also.