Aurora [1] - it's based on KDE and has a familiar UI, somewhat similar to Windows 7. My mum has been using it for a while now without any issues, and she does everything an average PC user would - web browsing, document editing, file/photo backups etc.
The main reasons I recommend Aurora is that it is immutable, atomic and semi-rolling.
- Immutable means your core system files are read-only, making it resilient to accidental file deletions and corruptions.
- Atomic means updates are done as atomic transactions - they either apply or don't, there's no chance of a partial/failed state, no scary "black screen" after upgrades.
- Semi-rolling means you'll always be on the latest version of the OS, with major versions pushed out every 6 months. The main difference compared to other distros like Mint is that you don't need to worry about doing a big and scary OS upgrade, as not OS updates AND upgrades are image-based and atomic, with no chance of dependency issues or conflicts. So as an end user, a major OS upgrade is treated like just another normal update and it makes no difference to them, providing a seamless update experience.
By the way, I would strongly recommend against Ubuntu and Ubuntu-based distros like Mint, because they all tend to fail at upgrades [2]. Atomic distros don't have this problem.
Mint is one you'll often see recommended for older folks, for good reason. The Cinnamon desktop is simple and familiar to Windows users and it has good compatibility. The only real gotcha is being based on Debian (like Ubuntu), so packages will be somewhat out of date, but for browsing and printing and whatnot that's not really an issue.
Anecdotally my experience with printing on Linux has actually been smoother than Windows in recent years, but we're talking about printers here so YMMV.
Used LinuxMint for years as the goto Linux distro in a VM on Mac Intel. Since I moved to Apple Silicon, Mint can't run since they unfortunately don't provide ARM builds . what would be the compatible alternative ?
Asahi is what the project to get Linux running on modern macs is called. For a stable Mint-like experience there's a Debian version (Mint is based off Debian) that includes the Cinnamon desktop as an option in the installer, so that would be most similar to what you're familiar with. (worth mentioning though that Fedora is the flagship Asahi version, so that may be more stable. I don't have personal experience)
oh I'm sure they exist but it's to the point where if I need a printer I go to the store and buy a printer, without worrying about linux support whatsoever. In my experience printers have a better chance of working under linux than under windows.
I had my mom on Xubuntu for many years. (There was a moment where I put Mint on there, but moved back to Xubuntu because that's what I was using.) It worked enough like Windows that she or Dad never had problems. I showed them how to check email, browse the web, play solitare, and shut down. I expected a call to 'put it back to what it was', but it never happened. Mom called me once about how to get the old solitare back, and guided her on how to change the type to klondike, haha.
Until a few months ago I would have suggested Pop!_OS. I had been a happy user myself for several years and it's nice that almost everything works out of the box. Personally I recently got a new laptop and switched, but would still have recommended Pop!_OS to a non-expert user. However...
A few months ago my girlfriend started trying Linux and went with Pop!_OS on my advice. For most regular use it does indeed work fine, but she has needs for specific software that only exists for Windows. And that's where quite a few issues appeared. Both on the 22.04 and the new COSMIC version, the Lutris/Wine combination has... quirks. It's a pain to get her software working. It also just randomly _stops_ working. Whereas on a spare machine with just Ubuntu 24.04, all that stuff just works instantly.
Granted, not the most typical usecase, but even non-expert users can have hobbies that require obscure software. And more important than anything is that their software continues to work easily. I'm not sure I would recommend Ubuntu to a non-expert. It has its own quirks.
This comment ended up being less coherent and more ranty than I wanted, but there's a non-expert's Pop!_OS experience.
Simple desktop that works and isn't crazy: Linux mint with cinnamon desktop. Just use it, I promise you won't regret it.
I don't use that, because I don't need the simplest thing, I'm a more complicated person. But my wife does, and it's amazing. I set it up for her. I tried out a handful of desktop environments the other day to see which one is the easiest to use, cinnamon is the only one I tried that I'd recommend, which surprised me. KDE just gets in your way every chance it gets, others just deviate too much from the windows concept of a desktop for someone who isn't into Linux to start using, and the rest have quirky behaviors and bugs that just make life harder.
As far as the distro, you'll hear mint a lot, it's what Ubuntu used to be back when it was the easiest to use distro. I'll always recommend it to people that just need a desktop that works. Linux Mint with Cinnamon Desktop, your parents won't even notice except that they don't have forced updates and login to outlook and all the terrible cruft, they'll just have a computer that works for them again.
I'd suggest Mint or Fedora. Mint is more beginner friendly / windows-ish, Fedora is more modern and polished.
In general Linux user exp. is more about Desktop environments than Distribution. The "what's under the hood?" question is not important as long as YOU are responsible for the maintenance (installing apps, backups, updates, etc), so you could even go NixOS, Arch or Gentoo, if you'd like. I'd also recommend to add an invisible automated backup (syncthing or restic+hetzner storage box).
I use a few different distros on a routine basis. Out of those, Ubuntu would probably be the best fit - it generally works right out of the box, the UI is intuitive for day-to-day use, there's plenty of information online about how to install/use/troubleshoot it, and the App center has an open source alternative for anything and everything. Mint might also be a good fit - I had a very positive experience last time I used it, but that was a few years ago so I haven't tried the newer releases.
These are very beginner friendly setups, I'd pick Debian for long term stability where you don't have to update much. I'd also recommend KDE/Plasma due to familarity with Windows UI, as it's much easier getting used to than GNOME.
Elementary has a MacOS look and feel, with nicely integrated default apps (in terms of UI design) so depending on taste I'd pick that. PopOS has a fairly nice integrated UI, too.
Fedora is good. Ubuntu is still good. Weirdly - if he has steam-deck and a desktop setup, fiddling around with steam-os in desktop mode can be a good enough entry-point.
Elementary OS is very mac like. Thats the one I would go for. Nice thing is that you can install window managers along side each other, so you can have your parents try out different ones.
Just curious, which distro has the best support for video card drivers, especially legacy Intel integrated and nVidia Quadro ones? I'm using Ubuntu 22.04 LTS but there are a lot of small issues.
Does Windows require an account? I've recently set up several windows machines and made them all offline, local-only accounts.
Also, I've seen it for Kali, but I'm guessing it exists for others - it's called Kali Undercover or something. It makes your GUI look a good bit like Windows.
They make it seem like it does, but tech savvy people and those who read the screen thoroughly can easily create an offline only account without ever connecting or creating an online Microsoft account.
Yeah, so while I support trying out Linux, it might be less change/headache if they just reinstall Windows with the offline account. Depends on how well they think their parent can learn Linux.
Fedora, Arch, or Debian, depending on taste. Arch wiki is very helpful and just about any problem you run into there will be a documented fix/workaround. Fedora is a good mix of up to date software and stability - you also don't need to worry about the command line, everything can be done via gui out of the box.
Aurora [1] - it's based on KDE and has a familiar UI, somewhat similar to Windows 7. My mum has been using it for a while now without any issues, and she does everything an average PC user would - web browsing, document editing, file/photo backups etc.
The main reasons I recommend Aurora is that it is immutable, atomic and semi-rolling.
- Immutable means your core system files are read-only, making it resilient to accidental file deletions and corruptions.
- Atomic means updates are done as atomic transactions - they either apply or don't, there's no chance of a partial/failed state, no scary "black screen" after upgrades.
- Semi-rolling means you'll always be on the latest version of the OS, with major versions pushed out every 6 months. The main difference compared to other distros like Mint is that you don't need to worry about doing a big and scary OS upgrade, as not OS updates AND upgrades are image-based and atomic, with no chance of dependency issues or conflicts. So as an end user, a major OS upgrade is treated like just another normal update and it makes no difference to them, providing a seamless update experience.
By the way, I would strongly recommend against Ubuntu and Ubuntu-based distros like Mint, because they all tend to fail at upgrades [2]. Atomic distros don't have this problem.
[1] https://getaurora.dev/en
[2] https://ounapuu.ee/posts/2025/02/05/done-with-ubuntu/
Mint is one you'll often see recommended for older folks, for good reason. The Cinnamon desktop is simple and familiar to Windows users and it has good compatibility. The only real gotcha is being based on Debian (like Ubuntu), so packages will be somewhat out of date, but for browsing and printing and whatnot that's not really an issue.
Anecdotally my experience with printing on Linux has actually been smoother than Windows in recent years, but we're talking about printers here so YMMV.
Used LinuxMint for years as the goto Linux distro in a VM on Mac Intel. Since I moved to Apple Silicon, Mint can't run since they unfortunately don't provide ARM builds . what would be the compatible alternative ?
Asahi is what the project to get Linux running on modern macs is called. For a stable Mint-like experience there's a Debian version (Mint is based off Debian) that includes the Cinnamon desktop as an option in the installer, so that would be most similar to what you're familiar with. (worth mentioning though that Fedora is the flagship Asahi version, so that may be more stable. I don't have personal experience)
https://git.zerfleddert.de/cgi-bin/gitweb.cgi/m1-debian/
Printing on Linux is very nice. The bloatware that is usually unavoidable under windows does not exist.
I have yet to run into a printer that doesn't just magically work under linux. It's very impressive.
> I have yet to run into a printer that doesn't just magically work under linux.
You haven't used a Canon IP-90 printer. :-)
oh I'm sure they exist but it's to the point where if I need a printer I go to the store and buy a printer, without worrying about linux support whatsoever. In my experience printers have a better chance of working under linux than under windows.
Me and my Arch laptop have been my family's tricky printing consultant for a few years.
I had my mom on Xubuntu for many years. (There was a moment where I put Mint on there, but moved back to Xubuntu because that's what I was using.) It worked enough like Windows that she or Dad never had problems. I showed them how to check email, browse the web, play solitare, and shut down. I expected a call to 'put it back to what it was', but it never happened. Mom called me once about how to get the old solitare back, and guided her on how to change the type to klondike, haha.
Until a few months ago I would have suggested Pop!_OS. I had been a happy user myself for several years and it's nice that almost everything works out of the box. Personally I recently got a new laptop and switched, but would still have recommended Pop!_OS to a non-expert user. However...
A few months ago my girlfriend started trying Linux and went with Pop!_OS on my advice. For most regular use it does indeed work fine, but she has needs for specific software that only exists for Windows. And that's where quite a few issues appeared. Both on the 22.04 and the new COSMIC version, the Lutris/Wine combination has... quirks. It's a pain to get her software working. It also just randomly _stops_ working. Whereas on a spare machine with just Ubuntu 24.04, all that stuff just works instantly.
Granted, not the most typical usecase, but even non-expert users can have hobbies that require obscure software. And more important than anything is that their software continues to work easily. I'm not sure I would recommend Ubuntu to a non-expert. It has its own quirks.
This comment ended up being less coherent and more ranty than I wanted, but there's a non-expert's Pop!_OS experience.
Simple desktop that works and isn't crazy: Linux mint with cinnamon desktop. Just use it, I promise you won't regret it.
I don't use that, because I don't need the simplest thing, I'm a more complicated person. But my wife does, and it's amazing. I set it up for her. I tried out a handful of desktop environments the other day to see which one is the easiest to use, cinnamon is the only one I tried that I'd recommend, which surprised me. KDE just gets in your way every chance it gets, others just deviate too much from the windows concept of a desktop for someone who isn't into Linux to start using, and the rest have quirky behaviors and bugs that just make life harder.
As far as the distro, you'll hear mint a lot, it's what Ubuntu used to be back when it was the easiest to use distro. I'll always recommend it to people that just need a desktop that works. Linux Mint with Cinnamon Desktop, your parents won't even notice except that they don't have forced updates and login to outlook and all the terrible cruft, they'll just have a computer that works for them again.
I too install Mint for elderly people to use.
The oldest person currently using mint is my 84 year old female friend.
The trick is to set it up perfectly for them. So they just do all the things out of the box as they would on a wIndows machine.
She particularly enjoys not having to wait days for an update to install.
I'd suggest Mint or Fedora. Mint is more beginner friendly / windows-ish, Fedora is more modern and polished.
In general Linux user exp. is more about Desktop environments than Distribution. The "what's under the hood?" question is not important as long as YOU are responsible for the maintenance (installing apps, backups, updates, etc), so you could even go NixOS, Arch or Gentoo, if you'd like. I'd also recommend to add an invisible automated backup (syncthing or restic+hetzner storage box).
I use a few different distros on a routine basis. Out of those, Ubuntu would probably be the best fit - it generally works right out of the box, the UI is intuitive for day-to-day use, there's plenty of information online about how to install/use/troubleshoot it, and the App center has an open source alternative for anything and everything. Mint might also be a good fit - I had a very positive experience last time I used it, but that was a few years ago so I haven't tried the newer releases.
Debian with KDE, Elementary, or PopOS.
These are very beginner friendly setups, I'd pick Debian for long term stability where you don't have to update much. I'd also recommend KDE/Plasma due to familarity with Windows UI, as it's much easier getting used to than GNOME.
Elementary has a MacOS look and feel, with nicely integrated default apps (in terms of UI design) so depending on taste I'd pick that. PopOS has a fairly nice integrated UI, too.
Fedora is good. Ubuntu is still good. Weirdly - if he has steam-deck and a desktop setup, fiddling around with steam-os in desktop mode can be a good enough entry-point.
Elementary OS is very mac like. Thats the one I would go for. Nice thing is that you can install window managers along side each other, so you can have your parents try out different ones.
Debian or Fedora, with KDE or Gnome.
No atomic or immutable.
Keep it simple, keep it mainline, stick with large user-bases where help can be recieved.
Just curious, which distro has the best support for video card drivers, especially legacy Intel integrated and nVidia Quadro ones? I'm using Ubuntu 22.04 LTS but there are a lot of small issues.
Does Windows require an account? I've recently set up several windows machines and made them all offline, local-only accounts.
Also, I've seen it for Kali, but I'm guessing it exists for others - it's called Kali Undercover or something. It makes your GUI look a good bit like Windows.
They make it seem like it does, but tech savvy people and those who read the screen thoroughly can easily create an offline only account without ever connecting or creating an online Microsoft account.
Yeah, so while I support trying out Linux, it might be less change/headache if they just reinstall Windows with the offline account. Depends on how well they think their parent can learn Linux.
Offline accounts are going away: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/new-windows-11-build...
That article says there are other workarounds.
Mint is wonderful for most people, from non-experts to technical users.
Fedora, and maybe opt for the KDE-spin, it's a bit more Windows like.
1. KDE Neon 2. Ubuntu Mate 3. Chrome OS Flex
I am a big fan of Debian 12 with Cinnamon.
PopOS is nice
Manjaro
Fedora, Arch, or Debian, depending on taste. Arch wiki is very helpful and just about any problem you run into there will be a documented fix/workaround. Fedora is a good mix of up to date software and stability - you also don't need to worry about the command line, everything can be done via gui out of the box.
Arch is not a beginner's distro.