Which OS for an absolute noob?

General system Newbie
1

OK, I know this question sounds weird considering this is the EnOS forum…but hear me out. I love EnOS and it’s been my daily driver for a year. But the terminal-centric nature is not suited for absolute noobs.

I’ve been asked to wipe my daughters’ old laptop (HP x360 Envy, touchscreen and 360 deg hinge to convert between laptop/tablet) and set it up to donate to a couple who are starting a new business. They’ve been advised to use Xero accounting software (web based, no installed apps).

This couple are techno-phoebes and have never used a computer before (so no emotional OS-baggage, apps, or files). They DO use cellphones (no internet though), and currently conduct all of their business communications through voice. I know it sounds painful…it is.

They’ve arranged to get basic broadband internet in their house for this project.

I really do not want to put any flavor of Windows on there because I don’t want them to get sucked into the ecosystem I just escaped from. I want to get them started on the right track with a beginner-focused OS that will do everything they need and allow them to grow.

My initial thoughts were ZorinOS or Fedora. What would your recommendations be?

2

ZorinOS could be a good choice. Fedora might still be just beyond “total noob”, though.

I still think the obvious choice for a complete noob would be Linux Mint.

3

Bluefin (immutable Fedora spin), I like the way touchscreens work in Gnome better than in KDE and you won’t be hit by a train as a first time user.

But that’s my personal choice. I don’t see any advantages in Linux Mint, if a person never has been using a computer before. Cinnamon might be similar to windows, but who cares if you start from scratch.

4

I would probably suggest Linux Mint.

5

Yay, Linux Mint, simple, easy, solid.

6

Linux Mint

7

I did Linux Mint for my dad’s pc, put a Windows 11 wallpaper on it, doesn’t know any different. Smooth, sleek, secure. Fully GUI, no terminal needed for the end-user (having said that, you can run EOS without the terminal too).

Right tool for the right job/person, and Mint makes sense for your use case.

8

Linux Mint for the noob win!

PS. or LMDE, perhaps even better.

9

Mint.

10

Drivers can be an issue sometimes with LMDE as LMDE does not ship with the Mint driver manager.

11

Ubuntu Cinnamon might feel familiar too.

No difficult learning curves.

12

I would chose Pop! OS

13

I’ve been playing with Pop OS in a VM for months now and honestly I think it should still be labeled ‘beta’. It’s promising, but not ready for true noobs.

14

I had forgotten about LinuxMint. I used to run Mint a few years back on an old dual-boot laptop.
The only thing that has me hesitant about Mint is the VERY slow development cycle they’re on. But that could be a good thing too. Hmmm

15

Well, it’s not a rolling release, that’s for sure. But it’s probably more up-to-date than Debian (LMDE). And for a beginner/Linux noob, I think “development cycle” would probably be the last thing on their mind.

16

I have been recommending Aurora for this use case recently.

Self-updating, easy to use and difficult to break.

17

Aurora is a Universal Blue Immutable Fedora-based distro. Would Aurora (or any immutable distro, for that matter) really be a good choice for a Linux noob?

18

Ah, I was unfamiliar with that distro. I think immutable systems show promise.
Thanks! I’ll take a look.

19

That’s the KDE “Brother” of Bluefin, both Universal Blue. Both seem pretty solid.

20

I think so, yes. For any casual user really.

  • You don’t need to understand much to use it.
  • Software is easy to install and remove without risk.
  • The system updates itself with minimal risk(and the ability to rollback simply by booting the prior image from the boot menu)

My wife has been using it for a few months now without any issues.

Keep in mind, all the immutable distros are very different from each other. Even the Fedora Atomic distros which the Universal Blue distros are based on would not be suitable for a casual user in my opinion.

The thing is, if you have never used a computer of any kind, I think any OS is going to be a challenge. I mean, you wouldn’t even know how to use a mouse or a trackpad.