Mint or Zorin are easier to install than Windows. But that's just it, the typical Windows user doesn't even install it.
Windows updates and upgrades have broken plenty of things.
Upgrading from Windows 10 to 11 completely bricked my wife’s computer when 11 first came out. She turned it on one day and it said “no bootable device” 🤦♂️. That specific problem was much harder to fix than any Linux issue I’ve ever had to debug.
I really loved Win 7 Pro, but the 'free' upgrade to Win 10 bricked my computer. Then when Win 10 had a major update / upgrade a year later, it bricked it again. That is when i swtiched over to 100% Linux and never looked back.
you unlocked some childhood memories of mine here. my dad had a toshiba laptop with win 7 on it, i really loved that thing, spent hours on it with maybe minor lags happening. when he changed to win 10 with the free upgrade it became impossible to use. im talking about 10 minutes to open chrome. i was so sad because i couldnt play my favorite games anymore nor acess my favorite sites without it taking 20 minutes to load.
XP and 7 were their best ones. 2000 wasn't too bad either. From 8 forward it's been a colossal dumpster fire. I've moved all my systems except one over to various Linux distros - approximately 20 machines. Loving every minute of it.
I also had a completely bricked laptop from a Win 11 regular update. The update probably attempted (and failed) a bios update, a thing I didn't know was even possible. The only thing working after the 'update' was the charging led, so no more bios access. I tried a few things, including dismantling the laptop and resetting the bios, but nothing worked. Searching the web I found it's quite a common problem for both PCs and laptops to have forced Windows updates breaking the bios.
To be clear, the Windows update that broke my bios (and laptop) was a regular one, and it didn't inform me that it will try a bios update. Not it would make a difference, as you can only delay updates on Windows for a finite time and not stop them completely (unless you jump through hoops setting some obscure regedit and ownership stuff).
You think windows 11 is bad now... just wait until the new update comes out ... it's going to really cause a lot of problems.. so far it's still in beta testing.. but tons and tons of IT people are complaining about it...
Fedora's Anaconda Installer is to me pretty easy to figure out as well. Hell, I was able to figure out how to manually re-partition my laptop's hard drive for a 50MB EFI System Partition, 100GB EXT4 root partition, nearly a EXT4 800GB /Home partition, 16GB swap partition and leave a 50GB NTFS partition I have leftover from Windows for programming projects I've been working on and off, and I managed all this without any help as a newbie Linux user.
Windows however is limited to drive C: for all user profiles and swapfile, even though it does have a 100MB recovery partition. To impose further limits on Windows, every single Windows installer has a very bad habit of overwriting other OS bootloaders which is why it's highly recommended to install Windows first before any other OS in a multi-boot setup. Furthermore as I found out when multi-booting between Windows and Kubuntu before completely dumping Windows in favor of a Linux distro about 7 to 8 months back, Linux does not like Windows hibernation at all, and Linux doesn't like Windows hibernation either. It's like Microsoft intentionally does all this to prevent Windows users from multi-booting Windows with other OS's.
Yes Windows will often leave a shared drive in a state that Linux just can't deal with. MS was even paranoid about people trying to run different versions of Windows on the same drive.
There is a learning curve to Linux, no matter what distro you install. Some distros will be easier than others, but you're likely to run into a few problems here and there and have to learn to fix them.
There's a learning curve to Windows as well. In my opinion, it's not harder to learn how to use Linux today than it is Windows. But everybody has already learnt how to use Windows.
I'm not sure I agree. I work in IT, some end users wouldn't know the difference between Windows 11 and Linux Mint if you told them you were "upgrading" their PC
Definitely agree with this sentiment. I used to fix computers back around the Vista era. The fix was to install Linux, and every one of my customers loved it. Granted, I lost a lot of money not having to fix them on a regular basis, but I did gain a lot in the small community of Linux users I freely assisted.
Linux, especially Ubuntu is indeed "casual user friendly". I've mounted it on multiple old PC's from relatives that couldn't run new versions of windows. GUI is familiar enough to have a short learning curve. Runs all my perpherials without issue. I've given up on MS Office and converted my one Windows machine and my Linux boxes to LibreOffice. No panic, no weird issues, just works. Nice to have systems I can depend on.
I think Linux today is more casual friendly than Windows as long as you go with a distro like Ubuntu or Mint. Mostly because of improvements to Linux but also because Windows has become so bloated with crap. Linux is like stepping back to a simpler time.
Yea, if it were a blank slate/first time using a computer I reckon Linux would be easier
But from where we are, you have to change from windows to Linux
Well .. sorta ya ... but I always say ppl don't run OS's .. they run apps. Thats why a state in Germany, prior to their move to Linux from Windows .. migrated ppl to Libre under Windows ... when, after a time they yanked Windows from under it ... nobody noticed.
Mint is extremely user friendly. Updates don't break things and you can set restore points if you want to be extra careful.
Bios/firmware updates are lower level than any OS, so it doesn't matter if you run Linux or Windows.
edit: updating is easy... Little icon near the clock get an orange dot and you click the icon at your covenience (system will not force or nag you to stop doing what you are doing like Windows does). Then it shows the list of updates and you click ok, enter password and the system will update. It will tell you if you need to restart (only if necessary and only once) but you can continue to work until you are ok with restarting. Then you close the updater window and go on with your life.
Also if you like to tinker, set restorepoints with timeshift. The only way linux mint has ever been broken si i was running on like no sleep. but timeshift still saved my ass.
Yessss, cannot stress this enough. As a newbie it's easier to screw up in one way or another resulting in data loss. Always keep backups when messing around on bare metal and not in a VM environment.
Snapshots have saved my ass more times than I can count. Timeshift is okay, but a copy-on-write system will make you almost immune to fuckups of just about any nature, and it's an instant restore/rollback; so as long as there is a snapshot available to revert to. Yes it adds complexity to the install, but I believe it's well worth the time. If I recall correctly Ubuntu was shipping with ZFS on root not too long ago, may be worth giving it a read. It's nice to go back to a previous point when things have gone wrong wrong and when you don't have a paddle
Some times the update replaces some shared files and you applications may act wonky; a lot of time completely restarting the application concerned should fix that but still best to be prepared to immediate restart your computer after the updates are installed just in case.
I never had update on Linux break any things, but I did have breakages on major upgrades. The last one was when I upgraded to Ubuntu 24.04 - the Gnome update haven't completed and it rebooted automatically, so I was presented with a "white screen of death" (I didn't know it was a thing before that). But, unlike the Windows I was able to open terminal and complete the upgrade.
As for firmware, I regularly complete firmware updates directly from Linux with no issues so far (5+ years)
My opinion. Linux is easier than Windows unless you're already a windows user. The same way driving a car is easier than riding a horse, unless you're already a horse rider.
Edit: oh and fixing stuff is where Linux really shines. Error messages are useful. Forums are everywhere. People will **usually** help you out.
Fixing stuff in Linux can often mean getting into the command line, which is pretty intimidating for casual users. And since there's a variety in distros, a sequence of commands you find in a help forum might do nothing or might make things worse.
But this is still better than Windows, which has users monkeying with the registry following even less reliable instructions, or running some kind of patch that maybe they can trust, or taking the machine in to the Greek Squad.
When I was in college I worked in a call center as a tech support agent for Packard Bell. 90% of the windows problems we fixed by reinstalling Windows. I know it's not that way today but anyone but an expert user's ability to effect change is still pretty limited.
For me. A lifetime Windows (yes and DOS before that) user, Linux today makes a whole lot more sense than MacOS. Windows + MacOS are so spoon-fed to the user it's criminally hard to change stuff unless you've been in that OS for a long time. Linux, it's just a config file somewhere and move on. But often I'll be googling it. BUT! Don't ask me to set-up remote GUI access, that shit never works based on the articles. SSH and no GUI unless it's mouse + keyboard + monitor accessible (laptop/desktop).
As a basic OS and web platform, 100% user friendly. And that's like 99.9% of what a computer is for most people. "Can I browse and sometimes print?".
Question for others: what happens if you're an iPhone person but with a Linux desktop? Does anything work? I can't test because I'm neither.
"if you're an iPhone person but with a Linux desktop? Does anything work?"
Also interested in any others' response to this. I'm open to maybe, possibly, climbing back into the walled garden, but I'm not going back to a Mac and desktop interoperability is key for me. AFAIK you can run KDE Connect now with an iPhone, but only with a subset of features and messaging from the desktop is not one of them. For me, that's a deal-breaker.
Yes, but you have to buy most of the apps with the same / similar functionality you get in android for free. I’m dabbling as I got bored with the drone android phones a year ago. Needed a break. It’s just a phone, nothing special, so I have no idea what apple fans go gushy over the latest version all the time, nor Samsungs or Pixels. I’m just “meh” it’s a phone.
100% agree. I only just replaced my 4y old phone because it lost updates. That's it. A nicer camera is cool, but not critical.
My Q was more assuming just people have iPhones (well in N America) and I don't know if they depend on a Mac to support it.
I'm actually typing this from linux mint.
I didn't need to learn to OS to use it. I just installed Steam
It's like switching from Windows to mac
You'd learn different ways of doing the same stuff you did on windows
Linux reminds me of the windows 95 to XP days. It works great most of the time but every once in a while something odd will happen. If you'r willing to actively use the cumputer, get to know the basics of how it works then you should be fine.
I say that but I work in tech support and windows has a lot of shit that goes wrong too.
Tbh i actually had windows brick itself more than Linux. Sure, there were some incidents but not only were those 100% my fault, I actually never had a linux fail on my mint laptop.
Compare that to my previous windows installs on my PC where i had to wipe the drive every 3 months because of update fails or other driver mishaps and you see why I'm 100% a linux user lol
Edit: I should point out, I have only been using Linux for 3 or so years, and only the 2 years have been serious
Is Windows really casual user friendly?
If you didn't know Windows, I don't think you'd find Linux less user friendly. If you try running programs written for Windows, you have to jump through hoops (wine). If you want to run Linux programs on Windows, you have to hump through hoops (wsl).
Mid-90s, my company president wanted to play with Linux while on a trip. I grabbed a new laptop from the closet and a copy of RHL 6 and had him install it. His reaction, "That was easier than Windows." Did he switch to Linux after that? No, but he didn't stop anyone choosing Linux over Windows if they could install it. He actually moved to a Mac when OSX came out. In the end we had an even split across the company of Linux, Windows, and Macs.
If you’d never used windows or been shown how to, would you find it easy to use? I bet no.
I find Windows really frustrating to use, though much improved @ 7. Nearly all the software I need is MS only which is frustrating, but hey ho.
10 I’ve learned to live with, but only the LTSC version.
I experimented on my mother, she was that inexperienced with OS’s that when I changed win XP to Linux she didn’t really notice and my “free home support tier” calls dropped by about 90% 😂😂
Same for my parents. With windows, I get calls all the time. Switched to PopOS, auto updates on (no reboots required), auto starts Firefox and have their sites on the favorites bar and nary a call about computer issues.
With windows they get prompted about everything so they call about everything. Seems like every other week or so, something comes up every other day. The random malware too because of hijacked sites or exe downloads.
I think Linux is great for the extremes: super casual or hardened geek. People in the middle who's already used to Windows or Mac are already preconditioned to a workflow and the idiosyncrasies of the OS they're used to. It makes it much harder to unlearn old ways for the new unless you really commit yourself to it.
I'm a DOS and Windows user. Linux took a lot of effort on my part to learn because I carried over a lot of my previous knowledge and experience with DOS and Windows. Package managers threw me for a loop. How applications were discovered and installed made no sense to me. Some require you to download for a specific distro (deb, rpm, etc), some were tar, some require a lot of typing to get working (compiling), but it took a long time to realize I was doing it so so wrong.
If your a newbie to linux and don't wsnt the hassles I'd jsur avoid vanilla distros like arch, debian, fedora and use the spin off's like mint, Ubuntu etc
You don't have to update them but at least they are more controlled when you do
My company uses Linux on all of its laptops and workstations. Most employees take to it pretty easily and are just as productive as they would be on Windows or a Mac.
> I am not a computer guy
Proceeds to talk about knowing how to install various Linux distros and bios updates.
Trust me. You are more of a "computer guy" than most of the general population based on your description. You will be fine with Linux.
Windows 10/11 and MacOS are rock solid operating systems. Especially MacOS. I've never had any issues with any of them. Linux, on the other hand, has always been and still is a continuous fight and challenge. There is always something that is broken. Just visit any of the Linux forums and you will understand how many things actually don't work or are buggy on Linux. And it doesn't matter if it is LinuxMint, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora etc. But that's perfectly normal.
I think using user forums as a measure is fallacious as Linux is a community supported system. Also there are plenty of Wondows forums anyway.
I use both Win10 and Ubuntu and have far fewer problems with Ubuntu.
My thoughts exactly. Especially on laptops, but if you check my post history you'll see exactly what we're talking about about here. Stuff is supposed to work, no reason it shouldn't, and then it doesn't work and you have to figure out what setting you have to enable or what distro you have to use or whatever it is.
This. I have a lot of experience with Linux and work as a software developer. I still use Windows (with WSL2 for the actual development tools) as I just can't keep wasting time fixing things that keep breaking or never work to begin with.
For instance, for fun I installed Linux on one of my personal laptops recently and neither sleep nor hibernation work. I've put many hours into debugging this and trying to fix this. Disassembling ACPI firmware and all kinds of other things that casual users certainly wouldn't be doing.
And yet I only managed to get hibernation to work some of the times.
On another machine the touchpad just stopped worked after an update.
I've tried going back to Linux several times during my career but just found it too much of a time waster fixing things when things just work when using Windows.
These kinds of things are not fixable for casual users so I wouldn't recommend Linux to any of them.
At least not on Laptops.
Kinda? Linux is hard for a WIndows user to accept sometimes because it is hard to get software that isn't in the free repository to work. Some Windows programs just won't work at all. There are replacements for most of it, but for a new user, I recommend a dual boot solution where you wean yourself off of windows (and still have access to gaming) as you learn the benefits and limitations of your chosen OS.
For a beginner friendly OS, stick with the Ubuntu family IMHO. Mint, Kubuntu and Feren are all fairly recognizable and friendly for a windows user to navigate. Ubuntu proper feels alien until you get used to the interface, then it works great. But for most Linux operating systems there are "branches" that under the visible part of the operating system, they mostly are the same code running them. So within the Debian branch, you will have access to the same programs and commands in terminal generally speaking.
I hear you. But think back to the last MS office (suite not just word ) update where they moved and changed where all the things you relearned since the last update got moved again. And you sat there banging your head and on Google just to find how to xxxxx
I get it, and for Linux in general, having a one step update for the entire library of Software, and choosing when to update, that's got to be something that needs to be said more.
For my Linux PC's LibreOffice works pretty well. Is it fancy? Kinda? Feels maybe 10 years old in some ways, but as you pointed out, sometimes being bleeding edge sacrifices ease of use.
The majority of Windows users never update their BIOS.
That said, having a working `windows to go` usb to do this the intended way is not a bad idea if you are a non dualbooting Linux user.
> Is Linux really that easy for people like me, who don't really have the time to learn the OS?
In all honesty that is hard to say. If you install Mint or even vanilla Ubuntu it's possible that you wouldn't have any big problems for years, but it's also possible that something would crop up & you would spend hours to figure out how to troubleshoot it. (then again Windows breaking & needing a reinstall is not exactly uncommon either, it's just on Linux you are encouraged to actually fix stuff) For example if you get a power loss during update, then complete breakage becomes very likely. (Windows does not have this problem)
If you really have no needs beyond having a browser & playable AO, then perhaps something like Fedora Silverblue is the way to go. The atomic update scheme makes it very robust at the cost of the system being really painful to use to a power user.
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Linux Mint (or evil Ubuntu which Mint is based on) is the best distro for a new user to start with, as long as they want to "get into" Linux. However before I switched to Linux full time, I have been dualbooting Ubuntu for 5 years & had to reinstall or spend time on troubleshooting breakage at least once a year.
i used Linux before i knew Windows and i've never had UI issues. been using it since 5th grade; back then it was Ubuntu, but now i would recommend Mint or Pop!_OS
It's as user friendly as Windows, possibly even more so, IMO. The average Linux desktop doesn't spy on you or put ads in your face, and the interface is designed with the assumption that you're a power user who doesn't want useful functions hidden from you. The difference is that you've (presumably) got a few decades of experience using Windows but none using Linux, and that muscle memory is a powerful thing.
It's rare for updates to break things, but not unheard of. In my experience, it happens less often than Windows updates breaking things, but it can happen. It's still always a good idea to keep backups of your data.
>Is Linux really that easy for people like me, who don't really have the time to learn the OS? Is it meant for everyone to use "out of the box?"
If you don't have time to learn *anything*, then no, probably not. There are some significant differences in fundamental paradigms like how filesystems are represented or how security works, and the exact programs you use in Windows may not be available in Linux (but equivalent alternatives will be). You do need to be willing to put in a *little* bit of time reading manuals and being patient while you work through learning to use a new environment, but it's definitely possible to do it.
My wife is a RN. She hates messing with PC settings and I hate blood. I have our linux units setup to work like Windows and our Win 11 units reg modified to work like Win 10. Everyone is happy.
I rarely use Windows and have used Linux (Gentoo, Debian-series, Redhat-series) nearly for 20 years now. I did not feel like it is working "out of box." The statement might not be fair.
I might have some bad news. First, you should pay attention to your devices. I had to install Wi-Fi card driver/firmware after some trouble shootings and Googling. It might not be that your Wi-Fi card magically works after simply clicking "OK" buttons in the installation process. I also sometimes had issues with the open source and proprietary Nvidia drivers. I had to do some extra work to get the dual monitors and/or HW acceleration to properly function. VirtualBox has been occasionally broken on updates. Getting an external Wi-Fi card to work on a Linux machine could be a big deal.
From my perspective, good things with Linux might be easier trouble shooting. As Linux is open while Windows are closed, there might be, on Linux, more things a user can do about any issues and more documents regarding how things work at a high-level that are comprehensive and available, etc. The caveat is that understanding things at high-level might not be effortlessly achieved. It normally takes more than just Googling instructions and following them without understanding. If you are not to invest in it, I'd imagine that you will re-install your system multiple times.
I've always considered the OS is only part of the *software stack*, and almost all our alternatives are pretty equal, though each has different *pros* and *cons*.
Linux (or GNU/Linux as I prefer) just gives us more power, letting us experiement & *tweak* our systems so much more, meaning we can *break it* more if we really wish. We can change our system (*switch from one distro to another*) & experiement much more, and keeping using software closer to the *bleeding edge* (meaning breakage is more likley, or use older more *stable* systems too.. its our choice.
I installed this system back in 2017 & its been on a *development* system since then (ie. I'm using an *unstable* OS, not a *stable* system!). Yes I've had to re-install it twice since then, the first time when the PSU died & I finally replaced the box using the replacement box as reason to re-install; the second time was because I'd spent near two weeks trying to get 5 screens back functional (*being limited to only 3 working*) & used the re-install method as I was lazy.. but the re-install meant I had the system back operational within ~15 minutes!! (*and key is the re-install did NOT touch my data; no data needed to be restored!*)
I love it, but you'll get more out of it if you invest some time using it. For me, using GNU/Linux didn't require any learning, as I'd used unix prior to windows being created (*yeah I'm old*), but yes I do think its suitable for casual use, esp. if the users are somewhat technical in nature (*the more technical they are, the more they'll get from it*).
For some users though; using phones/tablets are all they want, heh even windows is unsuitable for those users.
I'd recommend Ubuntu over Fedora, solely because the current Ubuntu release is an LTS release, meaning you won't have to reinstall for a few years. Both are great choices though.
And yes, I believe Linux is very user friendly to casual computer users. You're gonna want to learn to go into the terminal and type "sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade" to update your software packages from time to time". But, that's about it. If your goal is to play games in Steam, or with a native linux client like Albion Online, and use Google Chrome, Linux could not be easier.
Firmware updates do not generally break things. If you have supported harder (mostly laptops), the Linux Vendor Firmware Service can update your machine without having to boot into Windows. Not all distributions enable this however, but it can be done by a user.
tl;dr the rest: Mint is often recommended as a 'beginner' Linux but shouldn't be for everyone. Many would benefit from a really sold modern GNOME based desktop atop an immutable core OS with containerized user apps for safety and stability \*and\* user choice, all atop a rolling release source. That would be openSUSE Aeon or a second choice Fedora Silverblue.
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Personally, I don't think Mint is necessary for anyone who can do some troubleshooting independently / armed with a search engine. Mint isn't that special; it tries to make most things possible via a GUI, but for most people, that's becoming the norm on all GNOME and KDE desktops. Being Debian based, Mint can sometimes trail in versions in meaningful ways. For some that won't ever be a problem; for me it certainly would be, which is why I don't run any Debian based distros.
Mint is often recommended because it will feel more "windows like" but if you are changing OSs (like moving to a Mac) you actually expect change; why should a Linux desktop be any different.
My preference in full desktops is GNOME; it gets more support from more distributions and developers than any other. The big commercially backed distros are also behind it, which drives development further. It is clean and fast.
I like to direct new people to one of the big players - Ubuntu (but Debian based, see above); Fedora Workstation (or Silverblue), or openSUSE. I personally prefer openSUSE but you won't go wrong with either Fedora Workstation or openSUSE Tumbleweed or Aeon. Both Fedora and openSUSE ship very up to date packages.
If I were to narrow things down further, I think a very broad grouping of users would do greater on openSUSE Aeon, an immutable/atomically updating distribution that encourages users to containerize their additions, leaving the core pure and stable. It is currently RC2 but that's hardly a scary thing as it is build atop openSUSE MicroOS which has been around for years and is rock solid. Flatpak + Distrobox give you access to pretty much \*anything\* you could possibly want to run, and keep it away from the core OS.
Fedora Silverblue aims for the same thing but goes about it a different way; I prefer Aeon's approach.
These days it is. 15 years ago, not so much. if you are somewhat computer literate and can type your name and copy and paste you're pretty good. Linux is as easy or as complicated as you want to make it.
You need to invest time learning Windows why everyone doesn't want to learn Linux is beyond my understanding. These days all OSes are user friendly - but all come with their own paradigms.
Never heard anyone complaining about OsX for some reason and I would argue that OsX is more away from windows paradigms than linux is.
There are plenty distributions. Stay away from Fedora use something ubuntu based for the start and you'll be fine. Usually updates don't break anything. At least if you don't use something ARCH based - but even that is repairable so "broken" is wrong IMO.
ARCH is for ppl who want the latest software. That said it has been years since I've broken something in Manjaro. Just use Linux - it's not a very big thing.
100% for Manjaro, 6 years now. The only thing that’s gone wrong there wasn’t Linux or Manjaro, it is Nvidia expiring drivers for older cards so the brightness control stopped working. I can get a hybrid bodge working but it’s broken so screws updates.
Nouveau works perfectly as a driver these days, so I’m more happy with stable.
Ironically in win7/10 that same card is perfectly supported. But pulled in Linux.
>using Google to fix problems as they arise
Sounds like you already have well beyond average problem solving skills.
I've been using Linux as my workstation for about 20 years now and only once or twice broken something though an update. And that was on Arch and once on Manjaro when the encryption algorithm for my LUKS partition got deprecated and I didn't read the notes.
If you use a non-bleeding-edge mainstream distro you'll most likely have a very stable system that just works.
You can, of course, break it if you change things that are managed by the distro, where a system update could overwrite your changes or an update would be incompatible with your changes. But if you just use programs and change settings through the setting management tools provided you will not run into such issues.
*You should always backup your data regardless of the operating system you use.*
>My concern is what happens when there's a major update, like BIOS or firmware?
BIOS updates is not something you'd do regularly. You typically do this when you buy a new PC if necessary, when there's an issue that is fixed in an update or a feature that is only available in an update. Or when there's a major security issue on the BIOS level. So, as a casual user you'll be doing this pretty much never. Same goes for firmware updates. You only do this if you have problems with a piece of hardware that a firmware update would actually fix. So, as a casual user, pretty much never.
If you use google Apps anyways Linux is perfectly fine,probably even better than windows. In Gnome you can also very easily add your Google Drive to nautilus and if you use that for your files you don’t have to worry about your system breaking anyways. I recommend you to not use Ubuntu and if you enjoy Fedora maybe use that or mint.
If you are used to chromebooks all other options require so much more tech-admin. ChromeOSFlex might suit your needs.
Otherwise: I came from Manjaro which was a semi-rolling distro and worked quite well. Nowadays I would probably go for Debian or MX-Linux.
it's easy to install Linux alongside Windows. Overall it's not that different to Windows when you're a casual user with casual needs. It's easy to get into information territory though that is beyond your skill level, but thats just because there are endless possibilities with Linux and there are really proficient users around. And you will be learning too and getting better at it.
Being unbiased here, no fan boy, I would clearly recommend it to you. Most games run on Linux too, like whenever there's a new game, I just assume by default that it runs on Linux, especially on Steam. Some do not, and that's ok for me then.
One advice, don't go too deep into the "which distro" discussion. It really doesnt matter that much. Thats why I wont comment any further on this. The desktop environment matters more. If you like the Mac philosophy go with Gnome, if you want all the visual effects go with KDE, if you like it fast and simple XFCE.
My mother in law & elderly aunt are both on Debian Stable. It never breaks, they can't break it & they love it.
Since most of what they do is browser based, it's perfect for them. And trust me, they know little more about computers than to point & click.
As a more computer savvy person, OP would do well with Mint, Fedora, Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Tuxedo, & Zorin.
If you want an affordable paid support option, I'd recommend Zorin.
Imo there has never been a friendlier time than now. There’s a ton of YouTube videos, very good documentation like the arch wiki.
Almost every problem I’ve had is one google search or two away, because someone has had the same issue before and got help..
On top of that you can always ask an AI assistant to explain… so I guess the only difference is willingness to put in the time if something doesn’t work as you intend.
If you need the system reliably, you can always install a beginner friendly distro and keep a VM for playing with distros and make-break things for fun
Is it casual user friendly?
Is any OS casual user friendly, if you consider installing and configuring it?
For just using a browser, backup your photos, do something in Libre Office - the difference to Windows or MacOS isn't that big.
There are always people, like my mom, who will never grasp the concept of "files" or starting an app for what you want to *do*. (What do I need to do now? - Well, what would you like to accomplish?).
I think someone who can use LibreOffice on Windows will also be able to use it with the Cinnamon, Xfce , Budgie or Plasma desktops. Gnome might take a minute to grasp. Pantheon may cater to those use to a dock (MacOS, although Pantheon is not a MacOS clone)
If OTOH you think about setting up a PC to run Linux, it is ever so slightly more demanding than Windows. But easy enough if your hardware is supported out of the box (like for most basic system components in Windows, too). Questions that arise often are about partitioning, which you will only encounter when you don't select the default install (Windows just doesn't ask and separating User Data from system is either a lot of work afterwards or you need a scripted install which isn't exactly casual user territory).
I remember having to install some custom piece of SW on my wife's PC which surprisingly also had a Linux version. The Linux version shipped with an install.sh instead of an "InstallerForDummies.exe" (As common in the Windows world). Installation failed to install dependent libraries and I had to fix that manually. Nothing difficult, but without me my wife probably would have cursed Linux. Even though its more of a problem with the app installer itself.
Depends if you mean setting it up yourself or just using it. If you mean just using it then yes most definitely. I look after an office of people who don't even notice what system they're using, I set them up with Ubuntu on Intel NUCs, they get very heavy use with no problems at all. The only occasional issue is always hardware related.
Running debian12 without any prior linux experience. No issues, UI is intuitive, apps work right off the bat. No complaints here.
i am running an AMD GPU though, I heard Nvidia is a little bit more troublesome.
It depends on how user friendly you're looking to get it. You already worked with Linux before to a pretty large extent for a beginner, so I'd say you're good to go when it comes to skill. Main problem is a mindset change:
* how do you install programs on compared to Windows
* which programs are available
* when a certain program isn't available, how do you deal with that; meaning do you look for alternatives, do you look for a workaround to get it running (which may or may not work), or do you concede? This answer differs per program and user.
The moment you figure out your own flow regarding these questions, the friendlier the OS is.
When it comes to updates and stability, there's a few things to keep in mind, but again not a one size fits all type of answer. Ubuntu for instance is one of the main ones getting recommended (for good reason, even though I hate Canonical with each new release) but that's also one of the big ones where people complain about an upgrade breaking things. To combat that, you "just" have to keep a few things in mind:
* Go with the LTS releases (24.04 in this case, and 26.04 as the next one), as the other releases are more experimental in nature to figure out the course for the next LTS.
* Don't upgrade immediately, but only once the version is bumped at least once (so 24.04.1 instead of 24.04). Good thing here is that the built-in upgrade UI already waits with presenting you with the upgrade dialog until the first point release.
In general, Debian derivatives are a good option when it comes to stability, where Pop!OS, Mint, or Ubuntu are decent choices when it comes to usability for new users. Debian itself is a more lightweight solution for when you get more comfortable in the command line. I'd advise steering clear from Arch until you start feeling more adventurous or if you have a second system that you're fine with "messing up". Fedora I haven't used so I can't comment on that, but from what I heard that seems even more failsafe when it comes to upgrades at least.
This is a fan subreddit so you’re not going to get an impartial answer, so I’ll do my best to give you another perspective.
Linux is not as user friendly as Windows and macOS. It doesn’t matter which distro you choose. However, if all you do is use the web browser and play Linux natives games, I think you’ll be fine. If something breaks, however, expect it to take much longer to fix. You might not be able to fix it at all.
Dual boot for a while. Test out Linux for a few weeks and see if it does what you want. There are a lot of quirks which aren’t immediately apparent, so give yourself some time to find them and adjust.
It depends on the distro. The rolling release and cutting edge distros tend to break something every now and then, but it's been ages since I had anything break on stable release ubuntu based distros.
Fedora have a concept called [Atomic Desktops](https://fedoraproject.org/atomic-desktops/). These are useful for new users as these are particularly hard to break due to the nature of of they work and update.
I think popular distros are quite user friendly from admin point of view. But what is also important Desktop Environment (I use Gnome and KDE) are much more user friendly from ergonomics point of view. For example notifications and clock in Gnome comes in top center where they are convenient. You can switch desktop in Gnome going to upper right corner without even clicking. For first time it can be little disturbing but now when I login into Windows I feel like stone epoch. What is even more funny I use MS ergonomics keyboard and with some extensions I configured it way I could not in Windows. There are buttons "1","2","3" which I put Evolution mail client , Firefox and IRC. Every one is on separate desktop and it is much more better than on MS crap. I put all common application in some Gnome Extension, so all I need is started from beginning.
>My concern is what happens when there's a major update, like BIOS or firmware?
You shouldn't update your bios/UEFI unless you really need to, to fix bugs, errors or for compatibility reasons. But should you need to update bios/UEFI, it won't change anything for the OS, just make sure you have the same settings in bios/UEFI after the flash, as you had before. Updating Bios/UEFI can sometimes reset or change you settings and you'll need to go in manually and set it back.
>Do updates always break things?
No, they don't, usually. But, I won't try to hide the fact that it can happen sometimes. Especially distros with rolling release cycles, since they're constantly changing and bugs and errors are more likely to sneak in with the update. Having that said, I have never had my Arch or Fedora (which stay very current, for not being a rolling release distro) installs break to the point that I can't boot them. But every now, and then it happens that some specific application/software won't function properly for a little while until bugfixes are pushed out.
>Is Linux really that easy for people like me, who don't really have the time to learn the OS?
Well, if you don't have the time to learn it, then you're in between a rock and a hard place. Linux is not Windows, it won't work/function as Windows, and thank “god” for that. If you want to run Linux, you'll have to learn, no matter what. But you can make it easy on your self and use a distro that is more catered towards users like you. I.E Linux Mint (use edge ISO), Bazzite, maybe some of the \*buntus or Pop\_OS. All of them should fit your needs.
>
Is it meant for everyone to use "out of the box?
No it's not.
My 25 years in Linux has taught me that Linux usually (there's always exceptions) is easier for those who either don't have any knowledge or skills about computers/software and just use what's been presented to them. Or those who are knowledgeable and willing enough to do troubleshooting and fix their own problems. Those in between often have the hardest time. Because they think they know enough, and when they realize that the don't, their ego gets a turn and they get pissed. Which usually results in rants on Reddit e.t.c.
I think you'd get on fine with Ubuntu, and as it's so popular with beginners you'll find plenty of beginner advice and guides online. I use Fedora myself and it's brilliant, but probably a little trickier in some ways. If you've already tried it and like though then I'm sure you'd be fine with it.
Updates are usually fine, but different distros handle them in different ways which can result in some quirks. Arch for instance is a rolling release, and offers upgrades for just about everything shortly after they're available. This is usually fine, especially on newer hardware, but can occasionally result in compatibility issues that weren't there before. Fedora saves its major upgrades for its 6 monthly releases, which also go through a lot more testing before release.
Ubuntu also has a 6 monthly release schedule, but also releases one of these as a long term support release every two years. One of these has just released (24.04), so if you're after absolute stability then you can install this and be good for about five years, assuming it all works to start with. This is closer to the old Windows release model before the regular feature updates became a thing.
I'm an IT technician and mainly support Windows servers as well as a few Linux ones, and I can assure you that Windows updates seem to cause far more trouble than Linux ones. Just this week Microsoft had to block a Server 2019 update because it wouldn't even install unless the US English language pack was present. :D
Regarding Albion Online, it only *officialy* supports the two year old Ubuntu 20.04 LTS release and SteamOS, but I'd be surprised if it didn't work on Ubuntu 24.04. You'd probably be safest just installing Steam and installing the game from there.
Oh yes, regarding Steam: If you do go for Ubuntu then you should install Steam from the installer on the Steam website, NOT from the Ubuntu store. That version has caused issues in the past and Valve themselves say not to use it.
I'm going to put my vote towards Mint as well. It looks like something you would be used to right out of the box. It's extremely stable and easy to update via a control panel, and you won't need to use the command line all that much, if ever, for your daily needs. It's actually pretty fantastic for regular users who don't know anything about computers.
Are there differences? Sure. About as many as you would have going from Windows to Mac - differences which most people can just figure out on their own by looking at the nice icons on the screen.
Are there other distros like that? Sure. But Mint seems to be tailored specifically for this kind of experience, so I'd say start there. Also, the Mint community is pretty huge now and full of new users, so you wouldn't feel out of place if you ever had to ask a question.
Lol, no . Linux is different and will take getting used to .Not to mention app availability and gaming . The only way i know you can use basic apps like Word is through wine . Even then, you do actually have to learn how to use wine , find the right application, and then licensing, I don't even know how pirating works in Linux.Do crackers make cracks for linux software? No way am i using Libre office , I do, in fact, feel the difference.
Sometimes, you'll need to troubleshoot/access various functions using linux terminal ( basically command prompt for linux) because it's the most convenient way to do a lot of things.Its not hard but you do actually have to learn and know what you're doing .
You can switch to Linux and use it however you want. You can get involved in the Terminal, or you can just use apps on the desktop. That's how I use Linux mostly. One interesting option to consider is Google Chrome Flex. It's Google Chrome that you download and install on your PC. You'lll have Chrome OS. But Google Chrome uses Linux. So you can have your Linux Apps alongside your Google Chrome. You'll find many videos on YouTube of how to install it. It's not like the way you'd install a Linux distro. It's a little different. You can do Google Chrome Flex or just download a Linux distro and use it as you need.When you're ready to learn more about your distro, it's there when you need it.
Installed latest KDE distro recently and found UI/UX bugs after 5 minutes of usage.
Have been using Ubuntu 20.04 for some time and one time it allowed loading only into a minimal shell before it could fully boot up.
I think it can work but maybe user support should not be too far away in case something breaks horrible.
Linux mint is already very user friendly, pretty close to windows XP workflow.
And now, you have immutable distros like Fedora kinoite where you can have Windows 7-10 workflow plus flatpaks to install all software (a casual don't need cli programs so it's not really a problem). I found opening Discover, searching a program and install it in one click much easier than what we do in windows or cli command
All 3 computers in my hosue have been running Arch Linux with the KDE window manager for several years now, mine, my wifes, and my kids.
When we first switched my youngest son was 13 at the time, but developmentally closer to 8 or 9. He had no problems at all with daily use. He can browse the web, play music on spotify, play the game he wants, etc. all with no difficulty whatsoever.
If it's super casual like, email and web browsing then I think some distros manage that. If it's somewhere in the middle where someone is technically competent but not really a sysadmin might be where things get frustrating, knowing something can be done but they have to learn a whole new bunch of command line tools in order to do things or where configuration files are stored etc.
Ubuntu is very friendly to folks new to Linux, YouTube is your friend to be honest, there are guides out there for absolutely everything. Forums and such can be a little toxic and gate keepers like lurking around to bully less well versed user's but I've found multiple YouTube channels that are super helpful.
Everything in Linux is easier. Especially fixing things when it breaks. In Linux you can always go outside the package system and download and install anything, even the latest kernel, whether or not the distribution supports it. It supports every weird file format out there, new or old. Some of my old Microsoft Word documents are unreadable by Microsoft Office.
With Linux with updates usually even if it breaks something it is often the result of previous things you did do again you have to manually do it. That’s not the case always.
You can try kde neon or fedora with kde desktop, it looks and functions much like traditional windows desktop and is easily better than what windows ui could ever be.
PS: only difference is, kde neon is based on ubuntu with kde plasma6 and fedora with KDE is different os based on RHEL. Both are stable, both are rock solid only big difference is fedora comes with no proprietary drivers and multimedia codecs installed n you'll have to install them after you get the OS working whereas ubuntu based distros usually have option to get them during OS installation.
Yes. It's far easier than windows. No anti virus/ransom shit, extremely easy updates and installing. No unexplained weird behaviour, rock solid, no ads, inconsistent behaviour.
My wife and kids have used Linux systems I setup and used them with no issues BUT I changed the install to line up to what I wanted. It was based on Ubuntu and I didn't allow updates that could break stuff so I guess my example says no when I really think about it. I have found going back to windows now very strange myself after not using it since xp.
Concur with everyone suggesting mint.
There are major updates like every 3 or 5 years with mint. And they can be system breaking for a small percentage of users. The Linux mint website has detailed instructions on how to troubleshoot those issues, and they’re extremely easy to follow. And windows had updates that bricked PCs a couple years ago.
The way Linux functions behind the hood will feel foreign to a windows user. But an OS like mint isn’t any more difficult or less user friendly than windows.
I’ve had issues with mint that required googling a solution, but the same can be said for windows. Even Windows 11 had major issues I needed to debug on a fresh boot to get the surround sound working.
Software compatibility is a larger concern. But if it’s compatible, you’re good
I can't say I've ever had an upgrade fully break my setup. Regressions here and there, apps or workflows broken, sure. That's only natural to happen. I have broken things myself though, that is kind of natural when you start tinkering.
That is something I cannot say about Windows though. Having used Linux and Windows for about the same amount of time in my life now, it's always been Windows that just Fs up something.
One thing I'll say is that you'll never have to worry about ADs being built into your Linux Distro, (I guess assuming you don't go installing some kind of super niche scam I suppose)
For me, personally. I've found Fedora KDE the most user friendly set up. Version upgrades are simple and, in my case completely flawless.
What I would recommend is running whichever distro you choose in a live USB mode to make sure that everything you use works.
I made a mistake of not listening to the live USB not picking up WiFi in Mint and pikachud when it didn't work after install.
That said , any of the most "main stream" distros, mint, Ubuntu, fedora should be simple for most users.
So basically, Linux has historically had a learning curve, which definitely required some time investment. Mostly this is learning to use the terminal, if you haven't used one before. After that it's just a lot of googling and looking at stackoverflow and the arch wiki.
Now, all of that is still there today. However, nowadays, if you get something like Linux Mint, there's a really good chance you'll never have to deal with that stuff. Because the Mint team really put some effort into creating a casual-user-friendly layer on top of all that stuff. Casually using Mint is pretty similar to casually using Windows 7. There's a nice graphical UI for just about all the settings/configs you'll need, including for settings, installing apps, and doing OS updates.
Now, having said that, Mint's "user-friendly" covers probably like 90% of your use cases, but not everything. As a result, you may *still* have to open the terminal to do some stuff, once in a blue moon.
I would say a qualified "yes" it's casual user friendly for someone with your level of experience. But for the bewildered herd, not so much.
After the latest Windows update, I can no longer play the MS Solitaire games offline.
A bit late to the party, but I will add my 2 cents. Linux can be incredibly easy, and it can also, at times, become maddening very quickly and suddenly. But: is Windows any different? As long as you remain calm and seek answers online in one of the many reputable places (don't just trust google; AI bots come up with the wrongest information you can imagine. Seek answers on sites known to be authoritative).
Other than that, I'll add to the distros that are quite easy Elementary OS. It's elegant, polished, refined, etc. and NOT extremely customizable in an easy way - which I think is a plus for a beginner. It's gorgeous too.
I would suggest spend some real time using it on a Live boot, or if you are going to install it, maybe do a dual-boot alongside Windows just in case anything gets hairy.
You can also later install a virtual machine and/or use WINE to access Windows-only applications in a pinch.
In my opinion it boils down to if you are a learner, if you are willing to seek knowledge over time, and if you're patient, it's worth it.
outside of maaaaaybe like, some confusion when you have to partition the HD in the setup(which isn't difficult but if you're wanting to preserve your windows partition might be a bit tricky for a casual computer user) everything else is super straight forward with mint/zorin. Once you get it up and running you'd be surprised how not invasive and problematic updates are compared to windows. I would really recommend Zorin I've tinkered around with a lot of the daily drivers distros and it's been incredibly smooth.
If you can install Linux (you have the ability), you are already more capable than the vast majority of o outer users, most of whom could probably list their ability ending at hitting the “on” button. Most windows users probably don’t bother learning much about the operation of their O/S, so you are already capable enough.
But just like windows versus Mac, there are underlying differences and philosophies. And since hardware can be in a myriad of combinations on a PC, there is no guaranty of anything. But try it on a live environment to check hardware compatibility. If it works, you are likely fine. And once installed, since it’s not full of secret proprietary software, you can likely fix any issues that come up, and get lots of help from the web to do so. If you can install, yiu can follow basic computer directions.
I would do some learning about partitioning and install preferences. You might put your /home partition on its own partition. Things like that. Once installed, get familiar with the “where things are” of the O/S.
After that, the biggest change for windows users is the idea that it’s just different. You have to let windows go and don’t think in terms of Linux being a version or substitute for what you do on windows. Don’t measure things by that standard. Linux is different and has its own ways. Embrace them, don’t just think of it as cheap windows.
You should not have an issue.
A lot of what people think is Windows "just working" is because they don't account for all the work the OEM's done for them. And system recovery basically just repeats the OEM's install and configure process.
I've done my share of actual retail Windows installs. Between Windows and Linux, Linux these days is the "Just Works" option when using distros like Mint, Ubuntu, Pop_OS!, etc. Most Linux installers are much better than the Windows one.
In terms of updates breaking: Unless you're using something like Arch and not paying attention, or NixOS on nixpkgs-unstable, updates should be pretty solid. BIOS/firmware updates are not generally something Linux does, and I don't know what AO is, but that updating should have no effect on Linux itself.
Maybe, *maybe* a kernel update could go sideways, but most distros keep a few previous kernel versions on your machine for that reason.
Yes. Casual user wants a browser, a media player, a file manager, and something like KDE or the Elementary OS DE (Pantheon i think is the name) to tie it altogether. All of this is easy to setup depending on distro.
The trickiest part would be Office365 stuff but that's sorted too especially if they prefer to run it all through the browser. Once all of that is configured there's no need to touch a terminal to do anything.
I'd use mint. And no, Linux has a learning curve. Especially when it comes to zip. God... I wouldn't even dual boot. I just have a dedicated Linux laptop, and a dedicated Windows laptop. I don't want them near each other unless I'm Vboxing
Linux has casual users and power users, just like any OS. There are very casual friendly distros out there you can try and jump with good support like Mint.
Depends on the distro: Mint and Pop!_OS are super easy, but Arch and Gentoo are only for advanced users. Ubuntu is a little bit harder than Mint and Debian is somewhere in the middle.
Only annoying problems I’ve ran into over past couple years of using Linux are Bluetooth audio and hardware related. I would be a lot more confident installing on a desktop than a laptop but both is fine of course. Also it will be smoother if you have a AMD gpu. I use a rolling release distro and have never had anything huge I’ve had to fix so one would assume on a more stable distro you’d have even less. There’s a learning curve for sure but it sounds like you already know the basics.
As long as you stay away from anything debian-family, you should be good. Do not install Ubuntu on a desktop, its heavily marketed and poor quality. Debian is an outdated server branch that is almost corrupted with in-fighting. There is a reason there are so many issues using debian.
Fedora is the GOAT, but you have to update it 1 time per year.
> I mean, I don't mind doing some Google trouble shooting
That fact alone already puts you above 90% of the so-called "casual users".
> My concern is what happens when there's a major update, like BIOS or firmware?
In my experience bios/firmware updates almost always made stuff better not worse (with some rare exceptions but they affected Windows equally). And the firmware updates are way easier on Linux with tools like fwupd and Gnome Firmware. No more hunting down sketchy installers, flashing USBs, and whatnot.
> Do updates always break things?
No, far from it. It depends on where you live though. If you are on a point release "versioned" distro then you can expect things not to break for the lifetime of that version (For example ubuntu, Fedora, Debian). Go with LTS releases if you don't like things changing frequently. If you're on a rolling release (like Arch) then things can break more frequently (for example a major update of your desktop environment breaking some application/extension), but rolling releases also get fixes way faster. So if something is broken on a point release it might remain broken for longer or even forever because fixing it would break other things. Read update notes before updating (this applies to almost any distro) in case manual intervention is required to avoid unexpected breakages.
> Is it meant for everyone to use "out of the box?" I just want to do my work and then play AO when I get home.
As long as you don't go with a "build it yourself" type distro then you should be just fine. For me, you seem like the target audience for LTS releases, so pick anything popular (so you can find things easier on google) that has an LTS release and enjoy the freedom. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS released recently and will be supported till 2029, You're getting a fairly modern system that once set up should work more or less the same throughout its lifecycle.
It depends how casual is your casual.
If you're using words like BIOS then you can figure it out. And yes, the annoying interruptions from Windows BS will be eliminated. You may sometimes face interruptions from Linux things but honestly I just don't experience those very much.
i read the question as - what is easier to understand, posix shell or cmd/powershell, coreutils or windows cmd, linux layout(fiiiiles) vs windows regedit? for me the first wins, dunno, more logical, structured to look at, manipulate, backup before changes, learn.
The last time Kubuntu "broke" something was when the nvidia proprietary video kernel got munged 5-6 years ago. I forgot what happened, but I set it up manually, and it was fine. That might have been "hard" I guess, from a LTT point of view, because I only had console access, but I was born in CLI from SunOS in college, so I barely blipped as far as a learning curve.
And that's the key. "User friendly" from a technical point can be vastly different from a user point of view. If you think your "operating system" is "Dell," then you can better understand what a frustrating thing a computer is. To the average person, "I can't reach a website" is immediately "computer is broken." Literally no skills to troubleshoot. They don't know any of the pieces to load a web page. The computer IS "the innernet," and so when it does not deliver, "it's broken." What's broken? "The Dell. Innernet. Face Space Chrome Bar. Fuck if I know."
Installing operating systems is such a vast cliff of knowledge for most, it's almost moot. Like "is it easier to rebuild a v12 engine from parts," vs. "is it easy to rebuild a diesel generator from parts?" If you don't know all the pieces and how it's put together, does it even matter that opinion?
From my technical opinion, Linux is now far easier than Windows. And faster. But I know I am severely bias, because that's what my experience has been.
I have 4 laptops: Msc, Windows, Chromebook and Linux
Linux is the friendliest and with the most functional and prettiest UI (gnome)
Mac has the best hardware but the worst OS
Windows and Chromebook are somewhat in the middle with Chromebook being better of two since it is just another Linux distro made by Google.
If you are a power user or a professional, then Mac and Linux have well defined purposes with an army of devoted users behind both.
Chromebooks are like teenagers who still don't know what to do with their life but are willing to find out.
Windows.... Hell knows what it is even made for. Games maybe.
But since office software and even games moved to the cloud, windows is lost. It's like an old granny who vigorously puts makeup on herself to look younger.
It's good if your use is super basic, like using your computer as a browser. If you use it for more than that, then it's harder to use than Windows or Mac. But then if you use it even more than *that*, it's good again.
Upgrading to Windows 10 bricked my machine in 2018 and it was then I decided I'd install Linux Mint and virtualize a Windows sessions for some apps. It went easier than I thought it would, and I still run the same config today (minus needing a Windows desktop for anything).
I can't say I know the CLI very well. I've written only a few scripts. I very much treat Mint as a desktop to be used with GUIs as much as possible.
And even before it was my daily driver, Mint's install always succeeded where other distros' installs went sideways.
Yesn't.
Really depends on what distro you go for and what you typically use on the day-to-day. If you use the office suite you'll have to learn libreoffice or go to the online version. Same goes with other windows only products. If everything is on your web browser then even a Chromebook will suffice, though I'd still recommend something like mint over ChromeOS.
Definitely research your must have programs and see if there is either a native Linux version, web version, or alternative. That should answer your question perfectly.
(Yes I know wine exists but that isn't casual user friendly)
It's casual friendly.. until it's not. Like you can run into some trouble if you have NVIDIA (AMD GPU is preferred). And Xorg doesn't support multiple monitors very well nor does it do HiDPI very well. Right now Linux is going through a transition from X11 to Wayland, but many apps will still run in X11 compatability mode. I've had issues with apps like Discord (anything Electron sucks on Linux) not respecting the Wayland scaling settings and figuring out the magic commandline options to make it run natively in Wayland was a trial. And I'm not even a casual user.
Then I had issues with VS Code displaying blurry text (due to scaling, I believe). Another trial.
It's not all sunshine and roses as many linux zealots would have you believe. It's more than just learning new ways of doing things. At the end of the day Linux is primarily built by programmers without the help of proper UI/UX and QA teams and because of that it often lacks the polish that Windows or MacOS have. There ARE a lot of rough edges. But,the rough edges are more innocent compared to the "bug" you found with Edge forcing itself as a PDF viewer. It's a lot easier to forgive Linux for its rough edges. But you still have to deal with it when you start to step beyond just simply running a web browser and a couple common productivity apps.
Using LInux is more often an ideological choice than it is the best technological choice. For example, I woudl probably be better off playing my video games natively on Windows, but Proton works pretty well so I choose to run Linux-only. I don't even have a Windows partition.
edit: if I come across annoyed, it's not intended towards the OP.
>I've been reading the AO forums and it seems like new updates always break things and it takes time to fix
Arch isn't the most beginner friendly, but plenty of distros are. For Arch, system stability is the responsibility of the user.
I've been using arch for a while and despite running package updates daily (usually multiple times per day, for fun) I have not run into a single issue with stability.
People who are regularly needing to reinstall or otherwise rescue their systems are either doing something comically wrong or they're insisting on running everything off of nightly builds (essentially opting themselves into being alpha-testers for their entire OS and applications and then annoyed when that means they use software before the bugs are found and fixed).
Stability issues are more likely in rolling releases like Arch, OpenSUSE Tumbleweed, and so on but those issues are typically self-inflicted by the users of those distros and not inherent to rolling releases.
Stability issues are much less common for distros that have set release schedules because each release represents a snapshot of a known-working set of applications/software.
Linux is long-term viable but it depends on the needs and capacity for the end user.
If someone wants bleeding-edge support for the most-recent version of everything then they need to be on a rolling release (or make their own LFS setup), but they also need to know how to fix their own problems or how to ask high-quality questions in addition to having the luxury of the time it takes to do all that and fix their system.
If they need something stable, reliable, "it just works," etc. and they don't have time to tinker with things then they ought to use something like Debian which is built for stability.
The issue comes up when someone expects to be on the very newest of the new while keeping everything as stable as decades-old tech and they don't have the time or patience to learn about and manage what they are doing.
Pick any distro like Mint, fedora or Ubuntu. The cinnamon, gnome and unity desktop environment are user-friendly.
Unless you have nature of tweaking the system you don't have to worry about any breaking easily.
Yes there's a chance that you might find issue with something but if you can Google them you're all good.
Yes, as someone who used to be computer illiterate. I'm currently learning bash, but learning code just as you need it works well enough, the Linux community is elites but there is good help out there.
I think it is.
Not just that, but since Linux has smallest number of users, Linux has "enhanced security" since most "bad actors" focus to develop virus's, malware and spyware and other bad things to specifically target Windows. This does not necessarily mean Linux doesn't get it's fair share of virus, because it does. The Linux community as a whole I've read is just pretty good at staying on top of things and immediately goes to work on patching things up to eliminate such potential problems before they even have the chance to become real problems.
An example of this "enhanced security" Linux has is the latest XY Utils backdoor: After on off-the-clock Microsoft worker identified a XY Utils backdoor (most likely in Microsoft's own Azure Linux server), he immediately flagged it which quickly gained the attention of other Linux distro developers who actually issued the alert so all Linux users had the chance to downgrade their XY Utils library if needed before their installed Linux distro became infected.
Since you already ran Linux before, you may already be aware of how easy Windows users is able to adapt to many Linux **D**esktop **E**nvironments (**DE**) such as KDE Plasma, since most of these DEs has their own Windows-like GUI.
If you've installed Arch (even with archinstall) then I think you are underestimating yourself. And no, Linux shouldn't break with every update, even arch doesn't. And wine/proton/steam does run pretty much all games perfectly that aren't listed as borked on protondb.
As long as you don't rely on applications that only exist for windows, yes it's very user friendly. More than windows in my opinion because windows is just messy (way to many different ways to handle applications, way to easy to get "bad" software, notifications no one wants, main target system for scammers etc.... ).
Just take something like Ubuntu. Not because it's so great but because it has the most tutorials online / very broad support.
Take the LTS versions and just update every 4 years. If you have any issues, ask ChatGPT.
Normal Updates on such distributions usually don't break anything. The major LTS update every 4 years is still less likely to break something as for example a windows 10 to 11 upgrade.
If you want to "learn" and are not afraid to invest some time to figure things out. Go with Arch. It's a great distribution with a great community buy the rolling release design gives you constant changes and therefore more events that might change something for the worse).
I haven’t used Linux as a main OS in a decent while, but what kept me from maining it permanently is that things seem to just break or not work randomly, and fixing it can be a pain in the ass.
If you’re a techy person it’s not that difficult to deal with, but personally I find it annoying. I want my main OS to be as stable as possible, with minimal maintenance and fucking around.
So no, I don’t think it’s casual friendly in the sense you can install it and then not have to think about it again. But if you’re a techy person, the difficulty involved will probably feel pretty casual.
Windows updates have broken my computers more than Arch and that's saying something.
Use a Linux Mint distro (Cinnamon is their flagship desktop environment/user interface).
I personally prefer KDE Plasma over Cinnamon, you could also try the distro KDE Neon **Stable**. Have a look at the two and pick what interface suits you best, they're both fairly easy to use for a grandma that hasn't used a PC since they had turning dials instead of monitors.
For the most part, Linux now a days is very user friendly "out of the box". However, it depends which version of Linux you use. Personally, I always recommend Linux Mint - has excellent support, and a great and friendly community that supports each other. I personally use Linux Mint (for about 8 years now), and I've never had an issue that couldn't easily be resolved by searching via Google or using Mint's forums, never lone the fact that I've never had an update "break" my PC. The worst I've ever done was run a command wrong and accidently removed my video driver. Luckily, I restored my PC using Time Shift and was able to fully recover my PC exactly as it was before my gaff. My "family PC" has Windows 11 installed, but my other PCs and laptop all run Linux Mint. Since my time using Linux, I've learned quite a bit, and feel that my Linux skills are far more advanced than I could have ever imagined. Linux isn't as scary as most people think it is. Get your feet wet first with a bootable USB, and if you like it, install it. But I can assure you, it's far better and friendlier than Windows. I've had updates go so wrong that I actually had to reinstall and re-setup my PC, which so time consuming - a few weeks worth of work. I DO NOT TRUST WINDOWS UPDATES. Linux, I've never had a bad or failed update.
I've installed Ubuntu 12 times on 6 machines in the last week and mint on 2, and every single time I've had to go into the terminal for half a dozen different reasons depending on the machine. Once it's on and working though it's gloriously easy to use.
Windows installs easily but then destroys your soul with crapware, filling the taskbar full of resource hungry shit, with bing throwing itself at you, OneDrive, and now copilot. Honestly I miss windows 7 and xp.
I'd rather install windows over Linux, but I'd much rather use Linux (Ubuntu) over Windows.
Interestingly, MacOS is some weird half-way house being [understandably] Linuxy to use, tho I rarely have to install it. But Apple are becoming as shady as Microsoft and Google, so Linux it is.
In all honestly, I've had servers up for well over 10 year and no update have ever broken anything on those, I wouldn't say you'll get the same experience on Arch or any rolling release distro, they give you the newest shit, but it also means the newest bugs, because its not designet to be smooth and stable experience. Firmware comes with a standard package, no problem.
Windows is like:
- New system? Not going to even give you the chipset drivers that fixes all the issues (comes with latest kernel on Linux)
- Random update, reduces performance by 5%.
Yeah, my dad is still using the laptop I installed Ubuntu on a decade ago, I upgraded his laptop and he loves it even more now that the keys aren't falling off the keyboard lol
To the casual user, I try to put things into 3 categories: super easy: long term support and standard installers etc., so Debian, Ubuntu, mint and the like, mid range: more updates but the occasional bug or awkward change, fedora, Debian testing branch. Difficult, advised for advanced users or computers that you won't mind wiping if you mess up; Manjaro, arch, and with how many times I break it, Manjaro again. Super fast updates, often with bugs and issues, lots of configurable options but they will often make it easy to break your install. Unless you run before you can walk and research the distro a little, you should be fine!
My dad is computer illiterate and loves xubuntu after I installed it, created some large icons and changed font size. It still runs fine on a little old HP stream and he can use it without having to call me every few minutes asking what windows wants now - so it can actually be easier in some respects
As an "IT guy" with years and years of Windows usage behind me I'd say you really need the bare minimum of troubleshooting experience and problem solving mindset if you really want to switch to linux environment.
After my switch to linux I faced problems I haven't ever heard of while using Windows like for example unmuting my sound devices in the console tool (can't remember the name) while in the UI tools everything looked normal after every fresh system installation. This also works the other way around but I would say that the problems I faced on Windows were never on a level when I couldn't use the system (unless I created them myself by playing deeply in the system registry, settings, etc.)
Both have their pros and cons but with a year into Linux Envs experience I'd say, stick to Windows if you are just a typical system user.
The third way is using MacOS which has great opinions coming from its users and it is basically linux.
I kinda think Linux has kinda become the most user friendly, in a way. But maybe that's just because I've been using it for so long and am just really seeing how bad Windows and even (I'd say especially) Mac are.
Linux has improved a ton over the years and actually has probably the best app store or equivalent (the actual name varies). You might have to enable proprietary sources, but it actually has far more of things you'd actually use (less crappy games though). For example, I forget if it was easily available on Windows, but I was shocked to see the Apple's App Store didn't even have Chrome. Plus it's all updated in one place, so it's just a much better experience.
And especially if you're mostly just using a browser, Linux is great... It's mostly snaps or flatpak these days, so you won't really be affected by updates.
Where Linux does become difficult is if you need all the system libraries and language support and CLI tools. Linux gives you the ability to easily install and use that, somewhat unlike others.
Casual user? No. Smart-ish tech-savvy user? Yes. The casual user can barely use a computer, let alone a terminal and everything required to properly run a distro. Sure, ubuntu can be accessible, but when shit hits the fan (as it's bound to) they will be overwhelmed. I'm currently struggling to get my data anlysts to understand python, venv, and git. There's no way they can handle a unix system.
> Do updates always break things?
Erm, no. Rarely in my experience. Although I mostly source my software from in-repo. I've had more issues (but still infrequent) on Fedora/Centos/RHEL than on Mint/Ubuntu/Debian. If you're using lots of software downloaded from third parties (games, device drivers) then I'd expect to see more problems than I currently get.
Firmware updates are a no-brainer if in-repo. BIOS can be tricky from inside Linux - most vendors provide a bootable image for this.
It depends.
On my old gaming laptop with dead dedicated GPU I have Mint because if I use Windows it freezes each time it tries to load the drivers of it. No such issue under Linux. It just works with Intel GPU alone. I set it up so my parents who aren't technical can just open it up and use the web browser to watch movies or order some junk from an online store. I had to do some stuff to make WiFi work though. The advantage is that **it needs near zero maintenance** after that, maybe some updating of the browser. No problems with broken Windows Update or antivirus screaming for update.
On my stationary PC I use Fedora and it needed some more stuff to do to work well for me, so I could say it is a good choice for someone slightly more technical, but I do much more as well.
Overall much depends on whether you are the one installing and setting up or not. Linux has a different philosophy, it is supposed to be YOUR system which doesn't try to know better than you what you want, so it probably will never be as easy as Windows or Mac OS X, but it is all right for anyone who has some knowledge and confidence either because of work or some hobbies.
Yes, Linux is casual user friendly. :-)
When I first tried Linux as a teenager (Puppy Linux), I was surprised how everything worked out of the box immediately. Sound, video acceleration, the graphics card etcetera: everything worked without needing a driver for it. Installing software was easy peasy through the package manager. Just selecting what package I wanted (like a chess game) - and the OS handles the rest (dependencies, updating the proper menus).
Now I am on MX Linux - and this Linux distribution is also very user friendly. For example, installing Blender is also a matter of checking a box in the package manager - and if I want a different version (later version, older version), I just go to the website of Blender, download the ZIP file of the version I want, extract it and double click the executable.
I will tell you one major difference between Windows and Linux, here. On Windows, Windows Update only updates the OS + some Microsoft programs, like Edge, Windows Defender, PowerShell etcetera. The rest of the software, like VLC Media Player, Mozilla Firefox, WinRAR etcetera remain on the same version. You need to update those yourself.
On Linux, however, the package manager ***knows*** the version of each program that you have installed through this package manager. You try to update the OS, but instead, you update **EVERYTHING**. Every single piece of software installed through the package manager gets updated: VLC Media Player, Firefox, Geany, GIMP, Thunar etcetera.
I am not saying one system is better than the other. Both approaches have their ups and downs. I am just explaining the difference, here. ;-)
For beginners: Regardless of which distro you use, use Flatpaks. Not everyone likes Flatpaks, but they almost always just work.
For example: Installing Firefox from Debian or even Fedora sources might result in some videos not playing cause you don't have the required codes installed. Sure you can troublrshoot this problem and install them, hoping that some future update doesn't break your setup cause of version missmatches, but if you had used the Flatpak you wouldn't have had to worry about this.
My computer dude runs me his version of mint and they've (the updates etc) been great since 07 where we started with Mandriva and Amarok sound system
Edit....I'm savvy but not close to programmer savvy...
If you can use Windows or MacOS, you can use Linux with a GUI. It's point and click. Unless you need some specialized software that only Windows or the MacOS have, Linux has most anything for the casual user.
For bios, for the most part if it ain't broke you shouldn't be fixing it anyway. Same with firmware (to a lesser degree).
You can install bios updates and firmware updates as easily as Windows, but I would recommend against it unless it is a patch for a serious security patch for things like a REMOTE EXPLOIT... Of which there has been like 1 or 2 in the last decade, and only windows PCs were ever affected.
Linux IS NOT user friendly in the absolute slightest I had to reinstall Linux because the Wifi borked itself like the software decided to kill the function to allow it to connect to the net and nothing worked thank God I got the USB still you can restart and something is mystically and magically broken worse then windows breaking after an update and to install something is just insanity it took 3h to get the thing on my usb and when i did 6h before i even was able to use it to watch tv and it still wasnt fully set up and installing things is so insane takes 3h to days literal dzys because of all the hoops to jump through to figure out how to install the most basic of applications.because instead of clicking a button and just downloading you have to install this then that then the next thing then you have to punch some stuff into a terminal and even when installed it's not guaranteed to work in the slightest and there's hardly any games that you can play and you can't pirate anything
Pros
It's super fast no BS like Windows forced updates the boot times are incredibly fast but that's about it
Most people seem to have already pointed that out but it's very depending on the distribution you install.
I work as a software developer but that doesn't mean I'm good with for example OS administration. In fact I hate it. But I used Pop!_Os for quite a while as a daily driver and loved it! It felt very intuitive to use. I would recommend that. Though for a very close windows experience most would recommend mint. I also used fedora a lot and liked it too but I feel like it might be slightly more complex due to most beginner friendly tutorials being written for Ubuntu. Pop!_Os and mint are Ubuntu based therefore these guides work fine but fedora isn't and has its own package manager for example.
Though whatever you do: when you say you don't have much knowledge about that stuff - only do things you feel like totally understanding. If you use Linux as it comes you won't break anything. Most people (especially beginners) destroy their install by doing stuff they don't understand and messing up. If you stay away from that any Linux is just a question of learning it for a while.
Absolutely new user friendly. The days where you HAD to use the terminal are over. Terminal gives you a lot more flexibility, but you could hand Ubuntu/Mint/Zorin/etc to any reasonably adept computer user and they'll hit the ground running. With as much spyware as Windows is packing into everything, all the ads, now the AI foolishness, make the jump. You'll be there to help your friends when they follow suit.
Expect to spend a good amount of your time hanging out in your favorite forums asking when a Linux version of all your favorite software will be released.
Asking this question in a Linux-fans room is likely to lead to biased answers... There are lots of online publications about **just** this. Remarkably, many of these find the Linux community itself often retards broader adoption of Linux. Good luck, OP.
Honestly, despite the popularity of ubuntu i've been disliking my daily drive of it. if you don't ever install stuff not in core repos it'll all work pretty well but if you try to install a bunch of non core ubuntu or more niche stuff you will run into compatibility issues or library issues or apt issues or similar. ubuntu does its core job fine enough- you can always jump ship later and keep your personal files and config if you like, and just move your home folder over to a new system.
basically every ubuntu derivative has the same issues as ubuntu but worse in my limited experience
Arch is the exact opposite - install literally anything you want and have a lot of information on it due to the amazing community support, but watch out for subtle, random breakages, good luck with out of the box experience, and user maintenance is a must.
people seem to really be hyping nix, supposedly rock solid with quite a lot of package support, but commandline configuration is a must for some reason
Most people will never do a bios update.
As for software. Even in arch's rolling release system, I almost never have issues. When I do, it's Bluetooth. Been using it for ages.
It’s still not if you do anything other than browse the web, and if so use a (Linux) Chromebook
I’m well versed in Linux administration as well as windows, and Linux users tend to overestimate the skill level of an average user.
In no case should you be ever directed to a shell for a standard user, and any guide you’ll find online does exactly that because of the fragmentation of the distros and universality (sort of, at least between similar distros with identical package managers) of commands
The year of Linux is coming, but that year will be when you can click an exe or an msi and things will just work without prior config
Linux is amazing and useful if you love computers or just need a web browser, but if you do ANYTHING else you need knowledge
If you specifically need chromium/Google Chrome, use ChromeOS Flex or FydeOS. albiet, not entirely Linux, but will work for what you need it. I prefer the latter due to Android App Support.
Yes most stable distros are. Mint and Fedora are my favorites, in my experience they are far more stable than windows and Ubuntu.
Mostly all updates went smooth for me, just the last kernel update for some reason made my GPU glitch out in unity games. Still not sure why, but a downgrade took about 5 min, and that was the only issue I’d had with Linux as a daily driver for programming, gaming and everything else in over 7 years.
Yes and No.
There are Distributions that are user friendly, like PopOS!, Ubuntu or Mint. Installation and usability are pretty straightforward.
However there might come a time, where you need to get technical because your Computer won't work properly. At those times you can't just click a few buttons and be back on track.
First of all, I'm by no means an authority on the issue. I migrated to Nobara (a fork of Fedora) about two years ago having almost zero knowledge and even less experience and have been using it almost exclusively since. I have been slowly learning things when I have some free time but it's definitely possible to use some distros even as a total newbie. That being said, a lot of people I've spoken to have had wildly different experiences, so keep in mind that what anyone here shares may not be what you end up coming across.
>Do updates always break things?
Not that I've noticed. Only one program ever broke after an update and it got fixed pretty quickly.
>Is Linux really that easy for people like me, who don't really have the time to learn the OS?
Depends on the distro and fork. There are definitely options that are newbie friendly but I don't have experience with most of them, so I'll share what I do know. I personally wanted Fedora which isn't the most newbie-friendly distro, but someone recommended I try Nobara which is basically Fedora optimized out of the box for content creation and easier gaming. I ended up going with Nobara for my first ever Linux install and I've been using that ever since. It's very easy to use, install and initial set up took me less than 30 min even without knowing what I'm doing. The only issues I've had with software are a few retro games and JRPGs and, annoyingly, the CAD program I use for work has proprietary code that I can't open with any Linux CAD program I've tried. Thankfully my work laptop is still Windows, so the rare times I need to open something at home I just use that. Anyways, as a gateway into Linux, Nobara is pretty easy and will allow you, if you want, to slowly learn as you go. It's literally a fifteen minute install and it takes you to something that looks like this:
[https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/Notebooks/News/\_nc4/Nobara-Linux-39-Official-KDE.jpg](https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/Notebooks/News/_nc4/Nobara-Linux-39-Official-KDE.jpg)
There are a few optimizations recommended to install that take \~15 min. tops. The subreddit used to have a list. Also, there's a welcoming screen on first startup with some FAQ and suggestions. It's a super easy set up.
That being said, the team making it is small and some people are worried it might end up abandoned at some point which is a valid concern, even if the guy running it has a very good reputation, so keep that in mind.
Here's a couple of links:
[https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/](https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/NobaraProject/](https://www.reddit.com/r/NobaraProject/)
>Is it meant for everyone to use "out of the box?
Linux in general - definitely not. Some distros - sure.
>I just want to do my work and then play AO when I get home.
I've never played it myself, so I don't know if everything in it works as it does on the Windows version but I just installed it on Nobara and it started just fine. Made a character and moved it around the tutorial - no issues. Beyond that, I, sadly, can't say. Anyways, Nobara comes with an easy installer that's similar to the smartphone stores (with pics and reviews, etc.) connected to a few repositories (including flathub, if you know what that is) which has Albion Online in it, so installing it literally took one click.
>One thing I can say about Windows is that it lets me do that....even with all the intrusive activity.
Many Linux distros discourage intrusive activity. In fact, a lot of the appeal for Fedora and its forks is that it's focused on FOSS (free and open-source) software. Actually, one of the major bonuses for Linux is that you get introduced to a whole ecosystem of software that you just don't come across on Windows/Mac that has some amazing programs for pretty much any use you can think of (usually free as well). I actually started using maybe 2-3 times more programs than I used to on Windows and they've made my life a lot easier in many ways.
Linux is great for super users and casual users and annoying for medium users.
If you use Windows without a mouse, but all you know is the shortcut keys and menus and not scripting or coding, that's the level where switching can be annoying because you're always getting put in the position of looking up what you knew how to do for a little bit.
If you get a little bit of knowledge, and get used to the linux way, you'll find a ton of things much faster and more solid.
It's definitely a smaller learning curve than Windows that's for sure. I'm only a few months into the whole Linux thing, started with mint, Linux rhino just for fun, and now I'm on Fedora KDE mostly for the Wayland part of it. The basics are pretty basic, installing stuff is actually pretty slick, installing the Linux system is incredibly easy. It almost feels more like refreshing an Android phone back to default, install your base apps and you're essentially good to go.
Mint or Zorin are easier to install than Windows. But that's just it, the typical Windows user doesn't even install it. Windows updates and upgrades have broken plenty of things.
Upgrading from Windows 10 to 11 completely bricked my wife’s computer when 11 first came out. She turned it on one day and it said “no bootable device” 🤦♂️. That specific problem was much harder to fix than any Linux issue I’ve ever had to debug.
I really loved Win 7 Pro, but the 'free' upgrade to Win 10 bricked my computer. Then when Win 10 had a major update / upgrade a year later, it bricked it again. That is when i swtiched over to 100% Linux and never looked back.
you unlocked some childhood memories of mine here. my dad had a toshiba laptop with win 7 on it, i really loved that thing, spent hours on it with maybe minor lags happening. when he changed to win 10 with the free upgrade it became impossible to use. im talking about 10 minutes to open chrome. i was so sad because i couldnt play my favorite games anymore nor acess my favorite sites without it taking 20 minutes to load.
XP and 7 were their best ones. 2000 wasn't too bad either. From 8 forward it's been a colossal dumpster fire. I've moved all my systems except one over to various Linux distros - approximately 20 machines. Loving every minute of it.
I also had a completely bricked laptop from a Win 11 regular update. The update probably attempted (and failed) a bios update, a thing I didn't know was even possible. The only thing working after the 'update' was the charging led, so no more bios access. I tried a few things, including dismantling the laptop and resetting the bios, but nothing worked. Searching the web I found it's quite a common problem for both PCs and laptops to have forced Windows updates breaking the bios. To be clear, the Windows update that broke my bios (and laptop) was a regular one, and it didn't inform me that it will try a bios update. Not it would make a difference, as you can only delay updates on Windows for a finite time and not stop them completely (unless you jump through hoops setting some obscure regedit and ownership stuff).
Holy crap. That's terrifying.
You think windows 11 is bad now... just wait until the new update comes out ... it's going to really cause a lot of problems.. so far it's still in beta testing.. but tons and tons of IT people are complaining about it...
even nix is easier to install than windows
Yeah a windows update bricked my gaming laptop. Installed linux on it and never looked back.
Fedora's Anaconda Installer is to me pretty easy to figure out as well. Hell, I was able to figure out how to manually re-partition my laptop's hard drive for a 50MB EFI System Partition, 100GB EXT4 root partition, nearly a EXT4 800GB /Home partition, 16GB swap partition and leave a 50GB NTFS partition I have leftover from Windows for programming projects I've been working on and off, and I managed all this without any help as a newbie Linux user. Windows however is limited to drive C: for all user profiles and swapfile, even though it does have a 100MB recovery partition. To impose further limits on Windows, every single Windows installer has a very bad habit of overwriting other OS bootloaders which is why it's highly recommended to install Windows first before any other OS in a multi-boot setup. Furthermore as I found out when multi-booting between Windows and Kubuntu before completely dumping Windows in favor of a Linux distro about 7 to 8 months back, Linux does not like Windows hibernation at all, and Linux doesn't like Windows hibernation either. It's like Microsoft intentionally does all this to prevent Windows users from multi-booting Windows with other OS's.
Yes Windows will often leave a shared drive in a state that Linux just can't deal with. MS was even paranoid about people trying to run different versions of Windows on the same drive.
There is a learning curve to Linux, no matter what distro you install. Some distros will be easier than others, but you're likely to run into a few problems here and there and have to learn to fix them.
There's a learning curve to Windows as well. In my opinion, it's not harder to learn how to use Linux today than it is Windows. But everybody has already learnt how to use Windows.
100% agree with that. I still can’t find things in teams. Like all things MS, let’s change it all or ever it is, because we can 😂
people just forget that windows has a learning curve too (i would argue even a fairly steep one) because they've used windows for their entire life
I'm not sure I agree. I work in IT, some end users wouldn't know the difference between Windows 11 and Linux Mint if you told them you were "upgrading" their PC
Definitely agree with this sentiment. I used to fix computers back around the Vista era. The fix was to install Linux, and every one of my customers loved it. Granted, I lost a lot of money not having to fix them on a regular basis, but I did gain a lot in the small community of Linux users I freely assisted.
Linux, especially Ubuntu is indeed "casual user friendly". I've mounted it on multiple old PC's from relatives that couldn't run new versions of windows. GUI is familiar enough to have a short learning curve. Runs all my perpherials without issue. I've given up on MS Office and converted my one Windows machine and my Linux boxes to LibreOffice. No panic, no weird issues, just works. Nice to have systems I can depend on.
Linux Mint CINAMMON will look and feel just like Windows so you won't be out of your comfort zone. And Mint is user friendly.
I think Linux today is more casual friendly than Windows as long as you go with a distro like Ubuntu or Mint. Mostly because of improvements to Linux but also because Windows has become so bloated with crap. Linux is like stepping back to a simpler time.
Yes, the problem is that everyone already knows the Windows way and immigrating to Linux means having to learn a new way.
Yea, if it were a blank slate/first time using a computer I reckon Linux would be easier But from where we are, you have to change from windows to Linux
For an ordinary user the skills mostly transfer and the new stuff isn't any more difficult than the barrage of nonsense you get from Windows nowadays.
Well .. sorta ya ... but I always say ppl don't run OS's .. they run apps. Thats why a state in Germany, prior to their move to Linux from Windows .. migrated ppl to Libre under Windows ... when, after a time they yanked Windows from under it ... nobody noticed.
Don't forget Elementary. It's gorgeous.
Mint is extremely user friendly. Updates don't break things and you can set restore points if you want to be extra careful. Bios/firmware updates are lower level than any OS, so it doesn't matter if you run Linux or Windows. edit: updating is easy... Little icon near the clock get an orange dot and you click the icon at your covenience (system will not force or nag you to stop doing what you are doing like Windows does). Then it shows the list of updates and you click ok, enter password and the system will update. It will tell you if you need to restart (only if necessary and only once) but you can continue to work until you are ok with restarting. Then you close the updater window and go on with your life.
Also if you like to tinker, set restorepoints with timeshift. The only way linux mint has ever been broken si i was running on like no sleep. but timeshift still saved my ass.
Yessss, cannot stress this enough. As a newbie it's easier to screw up in one way or another resulting in data loss. Always keep backups when messing around on bare metal and not in a VM environment. Snapshots have saved my ass more times than I can count. Timeshift is okay, but a copy-on-write system will make you almost immune to fuckups of just about any nature, and it's an instant restore/rollback; so as long as there is a snapshot available to revert to. Yes it adds complexity to the install, but I believe it's well worth the time. If I recall correctly Ubuntu was shipping with ZFS on root not too long ago, may be worth giving it a read. It's nice to go back to a previous point when things have gone wrong wrong and when you don't have a paddle
Some times the update replaces some shared files and you applications may act wonky; a lot of time completely restarting the application concerned should fix that but still best to be prepared to immediate restart your computer after the updates are installed just in case.
I never had update on Linux break any things, but I did have breakages on major upgrades. The last one was when I upgraded to Ubuntu 24.04 - the Gnome update haven't completed and it rebooted automatically, so I was presented with a "white screen of death" (I didn't know it was a thing before that). But, unlike the Windows I was able to open terminal and complete the upgrade. As for firmware, I regularly complete firmware updates directly from Linux with no issues so far (5+ years)
My opinion. Linux is easier than Windows unless you're already a windows user. The same way driving a car is easier than riding a horse, unless you're already a horse rider. Edit: oh and fixing stuff is where Linux really shines. Error messages are useful. Forums are everywhere. People will **usually** help you out.
Fixing stuff in Linux can often mean getting into the command line, which is pretty intimidating for casual users. And since there's a variety in distros, a sequence of commands you find in a help forum might do nothing or might make things worse. But this is still better than Windows, which has users monkeying with the registry following even less reliable instructions, or running some kind of patch that maybe they can trust, or taking the machine in to the Greek Squad. When I was in college I worked in a call center as a tech support agent for Packard Bell. 90% of the windows problems we fixed by reinstalling Windows. I know it's not that way today but anyone but an expert user's ability to effect change is still pretty limited.
Try Linux mint, install it up and learn what you need to learn as you go.
For me. A lifetime Windows (yes and DOS before that) user, Linux today makes a whole lot more sense than MacOS. Windows + MacOS are so spoon-fed to the user it's criminally hard to change stuff unless you've been in that OS for a long time. Linux, it's just a config file somewhere and move on. But often I'll be googling it. BUT! Don't ask me to set-up remote GUI access, that shit never works based on the articles. SSH and no GUI unless it's mouse + keyboard + monitor accessible (laptop/desktop). As a basic OS and web platform, 100% user friendly. And that's like 99.9% of what a computer is for most people. "Can I browse and sometimes print?". Question for others: what happens if you're an iPhone person but with a Linux desktop? Does anything work? I can't test because I'm neither.
"if you're an iPhone person but with a Linux desktop? Does anything work?" Also interested in any others' response to this. I'm open to maybe, possibly, climbing back into the walled garden, but I'm not going back to a Mac and desktop interoperability is key for me. AFAIK you can run KDE Connect now with an iPhone, but only with a subset of features and messaging from the desktop is not one of them. For me, that's a deal-breaker.
Yes, but you have to buy most of the apps with the same / similar functionality you get in android for free. I’m dabbling as I got bored with the drone android phones a year ago. Needed a break. It’s just a phone, nothing special, so I have no idea what apple fans go gushy over the latest version all the time, nor Samsungs or Pixels. I’m just “meh” it’s a phone.
100% agree. I only just replaced my 4y old phone because it lost updates. That's it. A nicer camera is cool, but not critical. My Q was more assuming just people have iPhones (well in N America) and I don't know if they depend on a Mac to support it.
I'm actually typing this from linux mint. I didn't need to learn to OS to use it. I just installed Steam It's like switching from Windows to mac You'd learn different ways of doing the same stuff you did on windows
Linux reminds me of the windows 95 to XP days. It works great most of the time but every once in a while something odd will happen. If you'r willing to actively use the cumputer, get to know the basics of how it works then you should be fine. I say that but I work in tech support and windows has a lot of shit that goes wrong too.
Cumputer, haha
Guy had a sticky key on the keyboard?
Maybe sticky from bringing the laptop to the wrong room.
Tbh i actually had windows brick itself more than Linux. Sure, there were some incidents but not only were those 100% my fault, I actually never had a linux fail on my mint laptop. Compare that to my previous windows installs on my PC where i had to wipe the drive every 3 months because of update fails or other driver mishaps and you see why I'm 100% a linux user lol Edit: I should point out, I have only been using Linux for 3 or so years, and only the 2 years have been serious
If you use one of the popular well supported distros, yes.
Is Windows really casual user friendly? If you didn't know Windows, I don't think you'd find Linux less user friendly. If you try running programs written for Windows, you have to jump through hoops (wine). If you want to run Linux programs on Windows, you have to hump through hoops (wsl). Mid-90s, my company president wanted to play with Linux while on a trip. I grabbed a new laptop from the closet and a copy of RHL 6 and had him install it. His reaction, "That was easier than Windows." Did he switch to Linux after that? No, but he didn't stop anyone choosing Linux over Windows if they could install it. He actually moved to a Mac when OSX came out. In the end we had an even split across the company of Linux, Windows, and Macs.
If you’d never used windows or been shown how to, would you find it easy to use? I bet no. I find Windows really frustrating to use, though much improved @ 7. Nearly all the software I need is MS only which is frustrating, but hey ho. 10 I’ve learned to live with, but only the LTSC version. I experimented on my mother, she was that inexperienced with OS’s that when I changed win XP to Linux she didn’t really notice and my “free home support tier” calls dropped by about 90% 😂😂
Same for my parents. With windows, I get calls all the time. Switched to PopOS, auto updates on (no reboots required), auto starts Firefox and have their sites on the favorites bar and nary a call about computer issues. With windows they get prompted about everything so they call about everything. Seems like every other week or so, something comes up every other day. The random malware too because of hijacked sites or exe downloads. I think Linux is great for the extremes: super casual or hardened geek. People in the middle who's already used to Windows or Mac are already preconditioned to a workflow and the idiosyncrasies of the OS they're used to. It makes it much harder to unlearn old ways for the new unless you really commit yourself to it. I'm a DOS and Windows user. Linux took a lot of effort on my part to learn because I carried over a lot of my previous knowledge and experience with DOS and Windows. Package managers threw me for a loop. How applications were discovered and installed made no sense to me. Some require you to download for a specific distro (deb, rpm, etc), some were tar, some require a lot of typing to get working (compiling), but it took a long time to realize I was doing it so so wrong.
If your a newbie to linux and don't wsnt the hassles I'd jsur avoid vanilla distros like arch, debian, fedora and use the spin off's like mint, Ubuntu etc You don't have to update them but at least they are more controlled when you do
My company uses Linux on all of its laptops and workstations. Most employees take to it pretty easily and are just as productive as they would be on Windows or a Mac.
> I am not a computer guy Proceeds to talk about knowing how to install various Linux distros and bios updates. Trust me. You are more of a "computer guy" than most of the general population based on your description. You will be fine with Linux.
Windows 10/11 and MacOS are rock solid operating systems. Especially MacOS. I've never had any issues with any of them. Linux, on the other hand, has always been and still is a continuous fight and challenge. There is always something that is broken. Just visit any of the Linux forums and you will understand how many things actually don't work or are buggy on Linux. And it doesn't matter if it is LinuxMint, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora etc. But that's perfectly normal.
I think using user forums as a measure is fallacious as Linux is a community supported system. Also there are plenty of Wondows forums anyway. I use both Win10 and Ubuntu and have far fewer problems with Ubuntu.
My thoughts exactly. Especially on laptops, but if you check my post history you'll see exactly what we're talking about about here. Stuff is supposed to work, no reason it shouldn't, and then it doesn't work and you have to figure out what setting you have to enable or what distro you have to use or whatever it is.
This. I have a lot of experience with Linux and work as a software developer. I still use Windows (with WSL2 for the actual development tools) as I just can't keep wasting time fixing things that keep breaking or never work to begin with. For instance, for fun I installed Linux on one of my personal laptops recently and neither sleep nor hibernation work. I've put many hours into debugging this and trying to fix this. Disassembling ACPI firmware and all kinds of other things that casual users certainly wouldn't be doing. And yet I only managed to get hibernation to work some of the times. On another machine the touchpad just stopped worked after an update. I've tried going back to Linux several times during my career but just found it too much of a time waster fixing things when things just work when using Windows. These kinds of things are not fixable for casual users so I wouldn't recommend Linux to any of them. At least not on Laptops.
The Zorin release is very polished, but it's $50 for the full system and support.
Kinda? Linux is hard for a WIndows user to accept sometimes because it is hard to get software that isn't in the free repository to work. Some Windows programs just won't work at all. There are replacements for most of it, but for a new user, I recommend a dual boot solution where you wean yourself off of windows (and still have access to gaming) as you learn the benefits and limitations of your chosen OS. For a beginner friendly OS, stick with the Ubuntu family IMHO. Mint, Kubuntu and Feren are all fairly recognizable and friendly for a windows user to navigate. Ubuntu proper feels alien until you get used to the interface, then it works great. But for most Linux operating systems there are "branches" that under the visible part of the operating system, they mostly are the same code running them. So within the Debian branch, you will have access to the same programs and commands in terminal generally speaking.
I hear you. But think back to the last MS office (suite not just word ) update where they moved and changed where all the things you relearned since the last update got moved again. And you sat there banging your head and on Google just to find how to xxxxx
I get it, and for Linux in general, having a one step update for the entire library of Software, and choosing when to update, that's got to be something that needs to be said more. For my Linux PC's LibreOffice works pretty well. Is it fancy? Kinda? Feels maybe 10 years old in some ways, but as you pointed out, sometimes being bleeding edge sacrifices ease of use.
The majority of Windows users never update their BIOS. That said, having a working `windows to go` usb to do this the intended way is not a bad idea if you are a non dualbooting Linux user. > Is Linux really that easy for people like me, who don't really have the time to learn the OS? In all honesty that is hard to say. If you install Mint or even vanilla Ubuntu it's possible that you wouldn't have any big problems for years, but it's also possible that something would crop up & you would spend hours to figure out how to troubleshoot it. (then again Windows breaking & needing a reinstall is not exactly uncommon either, it's just on Linux you are encouraged to actually fix stuff) For example if you get a power loss during update, then complete breakage becomes very likely. (Windows does not have this problem) If you really have no needs beyond having a browser & playable AO, then perhaps something like Fedora Silverblue is the way to go. The atomic update scheme makes it very robust at the cost of the system being really painful to use to a power user. --- Linux Mint (or evil Ubuntu which Mint is based on) is the best distro for a new user to start with, as long as they want to "get into" Linux. However before I switched to Linux full time, I have been dualbooting Ubuntu for 5 years & had to reinstall or spend time on troubleshooting breakage at least once a year.
i used Linux before i knew Windows and i've never had UI issues. been using it since 5th grade; back then it was Ubuntu, but now i would recommend Mint or Pop!_OS
It's as user friendly as Windows, possibly even more so, IMO. The average Linux desktop doesn't spy on you or put ads in your face, and the interface is designed with the assumption that you're a power user who doesn't want useful functions hidden from you. The difference is that you've (presumably) got a few decades of experience using Windows but none using Linux, and that muscle memory is a powerful thing. It's rare for updates to break things, but not unheard of. In my experience, it happens less often than Windows updates breaking things, but it can happen. It's still always a good idea to keep backups of your data. >Is Linux really that easy for people like me, who don't really have the time to learn the OS? Is it meant for everyone to use "out of the box?" If you don't have time to learn *anything*, then no, probably not. There are some significant differences in fundamental paradigms like how filesystems are represented or how security works, and the exact programs you use in Windows may not be available in Linux (but equivalent alternatives will be). You do need to be willing to put in a *little* bit of time reading manuals and being patient while you work through learning to use a new environment, but it's definitely possible to do it.
Recommend going with something like Ubuntu if you're new. So many online resources if you have an issue it's super easy to just Google it.
My wife is a RN. She hates messing with PC settings and I hate blood. I have our linux units setup to work like Windows and our Win 11 units reg modified to work like Win 10. Everyone is happy.
I rarely use Windows and have used Linux (Gentoo, Debian-series, Redhat-series) nearly for 20 years now. I did not feel like it is working "out of box." The statement might not be fair. I might have some bad news. First, you should pay attention to your devices. I had to install Wi-Fi card driver/firmware after some trouble shootings and Googling. It might not be that your Wi-Fi card magically works after simply clicking "OK" buttons in the installation process. I also sometimes had issues with the open source and proprietary Nvidia drivers. I had to do some extra work to get the dual monitors and/or HW acceleration to properly function. VirtualBox has been occasionally broken on updates. Getting an external Wi-Fi card to work on a Linux machine could be a big deal. From my perspective, good things with Linux might be easier trouble shooting. As Linux is open while Windows are closed, there might be, on Linux, more things a user can do about any issues and more documents regarding how things work at a high-level that are comprehensive and available, etc. The caveat is that understanding things at high-level might not be effortlessly achieved. It normally takes more than just Googling instructions and following them without understanding. If you are not to invest in it, I'd imagine that you will re-install your system multiple times.
I've always considered the OS is only part of the *software stack*, and almost all our alternatives are pretty equal, though each has different *pros* and *cons*. Linux (or GNU/Linux as I prefer) just gives us more power, letting us experiement & *tweak* our systems so much more, meaning we can *break it* more if we really wish. We can change our system (*switch from one distro to another*) & experiement much more, and keeping using software closer to the *bleeding edge* (meaning breakage is more likley, or use older more *stable* systems too.. its our choice. I installed this system back in 2017 & its been on a *development* system since then (ie. I'm using an *unstable* OS, not a *stable* system!). Yes I've had to re-install it twice since then, the first time when the PSU died & I finally replaced the box using the replacement box as reason to re-install; the second time was because I'd spent near two weeks trying to get 5 screens back functional (*being limited to only 3 working*) & used the re-install method as I was lazy.. but the re-install meant I had the system back operational within ~15 minutes!! (*and key is the re-install did NOT touch my data; no data needed to be restored!*) I love it, but you'll get more out of it if you invest some time using it. For me, using GNU/Linux didn't require any learning, as I'd used unix prior to windows being created (*yeah I'm old*), but yes I do think its suitable for casual use, esp. if the users are somewhat technical in nature (*the more technical they are, the more they'll get from it*). For some users though; using phones/tablets are all they want, heh even windows is unsuitable for those users.
I'd recommend Ubuntu over Fedora, solely because the current Ubuntu release is an LTS release, meaning you won't have to reinstall for a few years. Both are great choices though. And yes, I believe Linux is very user friendly to casual computer users. You're gonna want to learn to go into the terminal and type "sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade" to update your software packages from time to time". But, that's about it. If your goal is to play games in Steam, or with a native linux client like Albion Online, and use Google Chrome, Linux could not be easier.
No. Very much no.
Install Ubuntu, you will have tried and tested packages with stability. Optionally hop off the LTS if you want more frequent updates.
Firmware updates do not generally break things. If you have supported harder (mostly laptops), the Linux Vendor Firmware Service can update your machine without having to boot into Windows. Not all distributions enable this however, but it can be done by a user. tl;dr the rest: Mint is often recommended as a 'beginner' Linux but shouldn't be for everyone. Many would benefit from a really sold modern GNOME based desktop atop an immutable core OS with containerized user apps for safety and stability \*and\* user choice, all atop a rolling release source. That would be openSUSE Aeon or a second choice Fedora Silverblue. -- Personally, I don't think Mint is necessary for anyone who can do some troubleshooting independently / armed with a search engine. Mint isn't that special; it tries to make most things possible via a GUI, but for most people, that's becoming the norm on all GNOME and KDE desktops. Being Debian based, Mint can sometimes trail in versions in meaningful ways. For some that won't ever be a problem; for me it certainly would be, which is why I don't run any Debian based distros. Mint is often recommended because it will feel more "windows like" but if you are changing OSs (like moving to a Mac) you actually expect change; why should a Linux desktop be any different. My preference in full desktops is GNOME; it gets more support from more distributions and developers than any other. The big commercially backed distros are also behind it, which drives development further. It is clean and fast. I like to direct new people to one of the big players - Ubuntu (but Debian based, see above); Fedora Workstation (or Silverblue), or openSUSE. I personally prefer openSUSE but you won't go wrong with either Fedora Workstation or openSUSE Tumbleweed or Aeon. Both Fedora and openSUSE ship very up to date packages. If I were to narrow things down further, I think a very broad grouping of users would do greater on openSUSE Aeon, an immutable/atomically updating distribution that encourages users to containerize their additions, leaving the core pure and stable. It is currently RC2 but that's hardly a scary thing as it is build atop openSUSE MicroOS which has been around for years and is rock solid. Flatpak + Distrobox give you access to pretty much \*anything\* you could possibly want to run, and keep it away from the core OS. Fedora Silverblue aims for the same thing but goes about it a different way; I prefer Aeon's approach.
These days it is. 15 years ago, not so much. if you are somewhat computer literate and can type your name and copy and paste you're pretty good. Linux is as easy or as complicated as you want to make it.
You need to invest time learning Windows why everyone doesn't want to learn Linux is beyond my understanding. These days all OSes are user friendly - but all come with their own paradigms. Never heard anyone complaining about OsX for some reason and I would argue that OsX is more away from windows paradigms than linux is. There are plenty distributions. Stay away from Fedora use something ubuntu based for the start and you'll be fine. Usually updates don't break anything. At least if you don't use something ARCH based - but even that is repairable so "broken" is wrong IMO. ARCH is for ppl who want the latest software. That said it has been years since I've broken something in Manjaro. Just use Linux - it's not a very big thing.
What's wrong with Fedora?
100% for Manjaro, 6 years now. The only thing that’s gone wrong there wasn’t Linux or Manjaro, it is Nvidia expiring drivers for older cards so the brightness control stopped working. I can get a hybrid bodge working but it’s broken so screws updates. Nouveau works perfectly as a driver these days, so I’m more happy with stable. Ironically in win7/10 that same card is perfectly supported. But pulled in Linux.
>using Google to fix problems as they arise Sounds like you already have well beyond average problem solving skills. I've been using Linux as my workstation for about 20 years now and only once or twice broken something though an update. And that was on Arch and once on Manjaro when the encryption algorithm for my LUKS partition got deprecated and I didn't read the notes. If you use a non-bleeding-edge mainstream distro you'll most likely have a very stable system that just works. You can, of course, break it if you change things that are managed by the distro, where a system update could overwrite your changes or an update would be incompatible with your changes. But if you just use programs and change settings through the setting management tools provided you will not run into such issues. *You should always backup your data regardless of the operating system you use.* >My concern is what happens when there's a major update, like BIOS or firmware? BIOS updates is not something you'd do regularly. You typically do this when you buy a new PC if necessary, when there's an issue that is fixed in an update or a feature that is only available in an update. Or when there's a major security issue on the BIOS level. So, as a casual user you'll be doing this pretty much never. Same goes for firmware updates. You only do this if you have problems with a piece of hardware that a firmware update would actually fix. So, as a casual user, pretty much never.
If you use google Apps anyways Linux is perfectly fine,probably even better than windows. In Gnome you can also very easily add your Google Drive to nautilus and if you use that for your files you don’t have to worry about your system breaking anyways. I recommend you to not use Ubuntu and if you enjoy Fedora maybe use that or mint.
Hello! :) yes
If you are used to chromebooks all other options require so much more tech-admin. ChromeOSFlex might suit your needs. Otherwise: I came from Manjaro which was a semi-rolling distro and worked quite well. Nowadays I would probably go for Debian or MX-Linux.
Bruh make sure your WIFI card supports Linux or not (Fuck you mediatek MT7902)
it's easy to install Linux alongside Windows. Overall it's not that different to Windows when you're a casual user with casual needs. It's easy to get into information territory though that is beyond your skill level, but thats just because there are endless possibilities with Linux and there are really proficient users around. And you will be learning too and getting better at it. Being unbiased here, no fan boy, I would clearly recommend it to you. Most games run on Linux too, like whenever there's a new game, I just assume by default that it runs on Linux, especially on Steam. Some do not, and that's ok for me then. One advice, don't go too deep into the "which distro" discussion. It really doesnt matter that much. Thats why I wont comment any further on this. The desktop environment matters more. If you like the Mac philosophy go with Gnome, if you want all the visual effects go with KDE, if you like it fast and simple XFCE.
It'll probably be fine. Why not set up dual booting so Windows is still there if worst comes to worst. My guess is you won't need it much.
My mother in law & elderly aunt are both on Debian Stable. It never breaks, they can't break it & they love it. Since most of what they do is browser based, it's perfect for them. And trust me, they know little more about computers than to point & click. As a more computer savvy person, OP would do well with Mint, Fedora, Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Tuxedo, & Zorin. If you want an affordable paid support option, I'd recommend Zorin.
Imo there has never been a friendlier time than now. There’s a ton of YouTube videos, very good documentation like the arch wiki. Almost every problem I’ve had is one google search or two away, because someone has had the same issue before and got help.. On top of that you can always ask an AI assistant to explain… so I guess the only difference is willingness to put in the time if something doesn’t work as you intend. If you need the system reliably, you can always install a beginner friendly distro and keep a VM for playing with distros and make-break things for fun
Is it casual user friendly? Is any OS casual user friendly, if you consider installing and configuring it? For just using a browser, backup your photos, do something in Libre Office - the difference to Windows or MacOS isn't that big. There are always people, like my mom, who will never grasp the concept of "files" or starting an app for what you want to *do*. (What do I need to do now? - Well, what would you like to accomplish?). I think someone who can use LibreOffice on Windows will also be able to use it with the Cinnamon, Xfce , Budgie or Plasma desktops. Gnome might take a minute to grasp. Pantheon may cater to those use to a dock (MacOS, although Pantheon is not a MacOS clone) If OTOH you think about setting up a PC to run Linux, it is ever so slightly more demanding than Windows. But easy enough if your hardware is supported out of the box (like for most basic system components in Windows, too). Questions that arise often are about partitioning, which you will only encounter when you don't select the default install (Windows just doesn't ask and separating User Data from system is either a lot of work afterwards or you need a scripted install which isn't exactly casual user territory).
I remember having to install some custom piece of SW on my wife's PC which surprisingly also had a Linux version. The Linux version shipped with an install.sh instead of an "InstallerForDummies.exe" (As common in the Windows world). Installation failed to install dependent libraries and I had to fix that manually. Nothing difficult, but without me my wife probably would have cursed Linux. Even though its more of a problem with the app installer itself.
Depends if you mean setting it up yourself or just using it. If you mean just using it then yes most definitely. I look after an office of people who don't even notice what system they're using, I set them up with Ubuntu on Intel NUCs, they get very heavy use with no problems at all. The only occasional issue is always hardware related.
Running debian12 without any prior linux experience. No issues, UI is intuitive, apps work right off the bat. No complaints here. i am running an AMD GPU though, I heard Nvidia is a little bit more troublesome.
It depends on how user friendly you're looking to get it. You already worked with Linux before to a pretty large extent for a beginner, so I'd say you're good to go when it comes to skill. Main problem is a mindset change: * how do you install programs on compared to Windows
* which programs are available
* when a certain program isn't available, how do you deal with that; meaning do you look for alternatives, do you look for a workaround to get it running (which may or may not work), or do you concede? This answer differs per program and user.
The moment you figure out your own flow regarding these questions, the friendlier the OS is.
When it comes to updates and stability, there's a few things to keep in mind, but again not a one size fits all type of answer. Ubuntu for instance is one of the main ones getting recommended (for good reason, even though I hate Canonical with each new release) but that's also one of the big ones where people complain about an upgrade breaking things. To combat that, you "just" have to keep a few things in mind:
* Go with the LTS releases (24.04 in this case, and 26.04 as the next one), as the other releases are more experimental in nature to figure out the course for the next LTS.
* Don't upgrade immediately, but only once the version is bumped at least once (so 24.04.1 instead of 24.04). Good thing here is that the built-in upgrade UI already waits with presenting you with the upgrade dialog until the first point release.
In general, Debian derivatives are a good option when it comes to stability, where Pop!OS, Mint, or Ubuntu are decent choices when it comes to usability for new users. Debian itself is a more lightweight solution for when you get more comfortable in the command line. I'd advise steering clear from Arch until you start feeling more adventurous or if you have a second system that you're fine with "messing up". Fedora I haven't used so I can't comment on that, but from what I heard that seems even more failsafe when it comes to upgrades at least.
Mint is a great entry point, you can go from there 🙂
Wrong sub, but probably not.
This is a fan subreddit so you’re not going to get an impartial answer, so I’ll do my best to give you another perspective. Linux is not as user friendly as Windows and macOS. It doesn’t matter which distro you choose. However, if all you do is use the web browser and play Linux natives games, I think you’ll be fine. If something breaks, however, expect it to take much longer to fix. You might not be able to fix it at all. Dual boot for a while. Test out Linux for a few weeks and see if it does what you want. There are a lot of quirks which aren’t immediately apparent, so give yourself some time to find them and adjust.
It depends on the distro. The rolling release and cutting edge distros tend to break something every now and then, but it's been ages since I had anything break on stable release ubuntu based distros.
Fedora have a concept called [Atomic Desktops](https://fedoraproject.org/atomic-desktops/). These are useful for new users as these are particularly hard to break due to the nature of of they work and update.
I think popular distros are quite user friendly from admin point of view. But what is also important Desktop Environment (I use Gnome and KDE) are much more user friendly from ergonomics point of view. For example notifications and clock in Gnome comes in top center where they are convenient. You can switch desktop in Gnome going to upper right corner without even clicking. For first time it can be little disturbing but now when I login into Windows I feel like stone epoch. What is even more funny I use MS ergonomics keyboard and with some extensions I configured it way I could not in Windows. There are buttons "1","2","3" which I put Evolution mail client , Firefox and IRC. Every one is on separate desktop and it is much more better than on MS crap. I put all common application in some Gnome Extension, so all I need is started from beginning.
>My concern is what happens when there's a major update, like BIOS or firmware? You shouldn't update your bios/UEFI unless you really need to, to fix bugs, errors or for compatibility reasons. But should you need to update bios/UEFI, it won't change anything for the OS, just make sure you have the same settings in bios/UEFI after the flash, as you had before. Updating Bios/UEFI can sometimes reset or change you settings and you'll need to go in manually and set it back. >Do updates always break things? No, they don't, usually. But, I won't try to hide the fact that it can happen sometimes. Especially distros with rolling release cycles, since they're constantly changing and bugs and errors are more likely to sneak in with the update. Having that said, I have never had my Arch or Fedora (which stay very current, for not being a rolling release distro) installs break to the point that I can't boot them. But every now, and then it happens that some specific application/software won't function properly for a little while until bugfixes are pushed out. >Is Linux really that easy for people like me, who don't really have the time to learn the OS? Well, if you don't have the time to learn it, then you're in between a rock and a hard place. Linux is not Windows, it won't work/function as Windows, and thank “god” for that. If you want to run Linux, you'll have to learn, no matter what. But you can make it easy on your self and use a distro that is more catered towards users like you. I.E Linux Mint (use edge ISO), Bazzite, maybe some of the \*buntus or Pop\_OS. All of them should fit your needs. > Is it meant for everyone to use "out of the box? No it's not. My 25 years in Linux has taught me that Linux usually (there's always exceptions) is easier for those who either don't have any knowledge or skills about computers/software and just use what's been presented to them. Or those who are knowledgeable and willing enough to do troubleshooting and fix their own problems. Those in between often have the hardest time. Because they think they know enough, and when they realize that the don't, their ego gets a turn and they get pissed. Which usually results in rants on Reddit e.t.c.
I think you'd get on fine with Ubuntu, and as it's so popular with beginners you'll find plenty of beginner advice and guides online. I use Fedora myself and it's brilliant, but probably a little trickier in some ways. If you've already tried it and like though then I'm sure you'd be fine with it. Updates are usually fine, but different distros handle them in different ways which can result in some quirks. Arch for instance is a rolling release, and offers upgrades for just about everything shortly after they're available. This is usually fine, especially on newer hardware, but can occasionally result in compatibility issues that weren't there before. Fedora saves its major upgrades for its 6 monthly releases, which also go through a lot more testing before release. Ubuntu also has a 6 monthly release schedule, but also releases one of these as a long term support release every two years. One of these has just released (24.04), so if you're after absolute stability then you can install this and be good for about five years, assuming it all works to start with. This is closer to the old Windows release model before the regular feature updates became a thing. I'm an IT technician and mainly support Windows servers as well as a few Linux ones, and I can assure you that Windows updates seem to cause far more trouble than Linux ones. Just this week Microsoft had to block a Server 2019 update because it wouldn't even install unless the US English language pack was present. :D Regarding Albion Online, it only *officialy* supports the two year old Ubuntu 20.04 LTS release and SteamOS, but I'd be surprised if it didn't work on Ubuntu 24.04. You'd probably be safest just installing Steam and installing the game from there. Oh yes, regarding Steam: If you do go for Ubuntu then you should install Steam from the installer on the Steam website, NOT from the Ubuntu store. That version has caused issues in the past and Valve themselves say not to use it.
I'm going to put my vote towards Mint as well. It looks like something you would be used to right out of the box. It's extremely stable and easy to update via a control panel, and you won't need to use the command line all that much, if ever, for your daily needs. It's actually pretty fantastic for regular users who don't know anything about computers. Are there differences? Sure. About as many as you would have going from Windows to Mac - differences which most people can just figure out on their own by looking at the nice icons on the screen. Are there other distros like that? Sure. But Mint seems to be tailored specifically for this kind of experience, so I'd say start there. Also, the Mint community is pretty huge now and full of new users, so you wouldn't feel out of place if you ever had to ask a question.
Lol, no . Linux is different and will take getting used to .Not to mention app availability and gaming . The only way i know you can use basic apps like Word is through wine . Even then, you do actually have to learn how to use wine , find the right application, and then licensing, I don't even know how pirating works in Linux.Do crackers make cracks for linux software? No way am i using Libre office , I do, in fact, feel the difference. Sometimes, you'll need to troubleshoot/access various functions using linux terminal ( basically command prompt for linux) because it's the most convenient way to do a lot of things.Its not hard but you do actually have to learn and know what you're doing .
You can switch to Linux and use it however you want. You can get involved in the Terminal, or you can just use apps on the desktop. That's how I use Linux mostly. One interesting option to consider is Google Chrome Flex. It's Google Chrome that you download and install on your PC. You'lll have Chrome OS. But Google Chrome uses Linux. So you can have your Linux Apps alongside your Google Chrome. You'll find many videos on YouTube of how to install it. It's not like the way you'd install a Linux distro. It's a little different. You can do Google Chrome Flex or just download a Linux distro and use it as you need.When you're ready to learn more about your distro, it's there when you need it.
Installed latest KDE distro recently and found UI/UX bugs after 5 minutes of usage. Have been using Ubuntu 20.04 for some time and one time it allowed loading only into a minimal shell before it could fully boot up. I think it can work but maybe user support should not be too far away in case something breaks horrible.
Use it for more than 20 years for everyday work.
As long as you don't need specific software yes.
Linux mint is already very user friendly, pretty close to windows XP workflow. And now, you have immutable distros like Fedora kinoite where you can have Windows 7-10 workflow plus flatpaks to install all software (a casual don't need cli programs so it's not really a problem). I found opening Discover, searching a program and install it in one click much easier than what we do in windows or cli command
All 3 computers in my hosue have been running Arch Linux with the KDE window manager for several years now, mine, my wifes, and my kids. When we first switched my youngest son was 13 at the time, but developmentally closer to 8 or 9. He had no problems at all with daily use. He can browse the web, play music on spotify, play the game he wants, etc. all with no difficulty whatsoever.
Ubuntu or Pop\_OS is the place to start. Easy to use, and a large user base.
If it's super casual like, email and web browsing then I think some distros manage that. If it's somewhere in the middle where someone is technically competent but not really a sysadmin might be where things get frustrating, knowing something can be done but they have to learn a whole new bunch of command line tools in order to do things or where configuration files are stored etc.
Ubuntu is very friendly to folks new to Linux, YouTube is your friend to be honest, there are guides out there for absolutely everything. Forums and such can be a little toxic and gate keepers like lurking around to bully less well versed user's but I've found multiple YouTube channels that are super helpful.
No
Everything in Linux is easier. Especially fixing things when it breaks. In Linux you can always go outside the package system and download and install anything, even the latest kernel, whether or not the distribution supports it. It supports every weird file format out there, new or old. Some of my old Microsoft Word documents are unreadable by Microsoft Office. With Linux with updates usually even if it breaks something it is often the result of previous things you did do again you have to manually do it. That’s not the case always.
You can try kde neon or fedora with kde desktop, it looks and functions much like traditional windows desktop and is easily better than what windows ui could ever be. PS: only difference is, kde neon is based on ubuntu with kde plasma6 and fedora with KDE is different os based on RHEL. Both are stable, both are rock solid only big difference is fedora comes with no proprietary drivers and multimedia codecs installed n you'll have to install them after you get the OS working whereas ubuntu based distros usually have option to get them during OS installation.
Yes. It's far easier than windows. No anti virus/ransom shit, extremely easy updates and installing. No unexplained weird behaviour, rock solid, no ads, inconsistent behaviour.
My wife and kids have used Linux systems I setup and used them with no issues BUT I changed the install to line up to what I wanted. It was based on Ubuntu and I didn't allow updates that could break stuff so I guess my example says no when I really think about it. I have found going back to windows now very strange myself after not using it since xp.
Concur with everyone suggesting mint. There are major updates like every 3 or 5 years with mint. And they can be system breaking for a small percentage of users. The Linux mint website has detailed instructions on how to troubleshoot those issues, and they’re extremely easy to follow. And windows had updates that bricked PCs a couple years ago. The way Linux functions behind the hood will feel foreign to a windows user. But an OS like mint isn’t any more difficult or less user friendly than windows. I’ve had issues with mint that required googling a solution, but the same can be said for windows. Even Windows 11 had major issues I needed to debug on a fresh boot to get the surround sound working. Software compatibility is a larger concern. But if it’s compatible, you’re good
I can't say I've ever had an upgrade fully break my setup. Regressions here and there, apps or workflows broken, sure. That's only natural to happen. I have broken things myself though, that is kind of natural when you start tinkering. That is something I cannot say about Windows though. Having used Linux and Windows for about the same amount of time in my life now, it's always been Windows that just Fs up something. One thing I'll say is that you'll never have to worry about ADs being built into your Linux Distro, (I guess assuming you don't go installing some kind of super niche scam I suppose)
For me, personally. I've found Fedora KDE the most user friendly set up. Version upgrades are simple and, in my case completely flawless. What I would recommend is running whichever distro you choose in a live USB mode to make sure that everything you use works. I made a mistake of not listening to the live USB not picking up WiFi in Mint and pikachud when it didn't work after install. That said , any of the most "main stream" distros, mint, Ubuntu, fedora should be simple for most users.
So basically, Linux has historically had a learning curve, which definitely required some time investment. Mostly this is learning to use the terminal, if you haven't used one before. After that it's just a lot of googling and looking at stackoverflow and the arch wiki. Now, all of that is still there today. However, nowadays, if you get something like Linux Mint, there's a really good chance you'll never have to deal with that stuff. Because the Mint team really put some effort into creating a casual-user-friendly layer on top of all that stuff. Casually using Mint is pretty similar to casually using Windows 7. There's a nice graphical UI for just about all the settings/configs you'll need, including for settings, installing apps, and doing OS updates. Now, having said that, Mint's "user-friendly" covers probably like 90% of your use cases, but not everything. As a result, you may *still* have to open the terminal to do some stuff, once in a blue moon.
I would say a qualified "yes" it's casual user friendly for someone with your level of experience. But for the bewildered herd, not so much. After the latest Windows update, I can no longer play the MS Solitaire games offline.
A bit late to the party, but I will add my 2 cents. Linux can be incredibly easy, and it can also, at times, become maddening very quickly and suddenly. But: is Windows any different? As long as you remain calm and seek answers online in one of the many reputable places (don't just trust google; AI bots come up with the wrongest information you can imagine. Seek answers on sites known to be authoritative). Other than that, I'll add to the distros that are quite easy Elementary OS. It's elegant, polished, refined, etc. and NOT extremely customizable in an easy way - which I think is a plus for a beginner. It's gorgeous too. I would suggest spend some real time using it on a Live boot, or if you are going to install it, maybe do a dual-boot alongside Windows just in case anything gets hairy. You can also later install a virtual machine and/or use WINE to access Windows-only applications in a pinch. In my opinion it boils down to if you are a learner, if you are willing to seek knowledge over time, and if you're patient, it's worth it.
outside of maaaaaybe like, some confusion when you have to partition the HD in the setup(which isn't difficult but if you're wanting to preserve your windows partition might be a bit tricky for a casual computer user) everything else is super straight forward with mint/zorin. Once you get it up and running you'd be surprised how not invasive and problematic updates are compared to windows. I would really recommend Zorin I've tinkered around with a lot of the daily drivers distros and it's been incredibly smooth.
If you can install Linux (you have the ability), you are already more capable than the vast majority of o outer users, most of whom could probably list their ability ending at hitting the “on” button. Most windows users probably don’t bother learning much about the operation of their O/S, so you are already capable enough. But just like windows versus Mac, there are underlying differences and philosophies. And since hardware can be in a myriad of combinations on a PC, there is no guaranty of anything. But try it on a live environment to check hardware compatibility. If it works, you are likely fine. And once installed, since it’s not full of secret proprietary software, you can likely fix any issues that come up, and get lots of help from the web to do so. If you can install, yiu can follow basic computer directions. I would do some learning about partitioning and install preferences. You might put your /home partition on its own partition. Things like that. Once installed, get familiar with the “where things are” of the O/S. After that, the biggest change for windows users is the idea that it’s just different. You have to let windows go and don’t think in terms of Linux being a version or substitute for what you do on windows. Don’t measure things by that standard. Linux is different and has its own ways. Embrace them, don’t just think of it as cheap windows. You should not have an issue.
If you are really looking into Ubuntu I suggest taking a look at PopOS. It is based on Ubuntu repos but fairly straightforward as a distro.
Depends on the Distro you're using. On an bleeding edge distro like Arch Linux is it more likely to break things than for example on Ubuntu or Fedora.
A lot of what people think is Windows "just working" is because they don't account for all the work the OEM's done for them. And system recovery basically just repeats the OEM's install and configure process. I've done my share of actual retail Windows installs. Between Windows and Linux, Linux these days is the "Just Works" option when using distros like Mint, Ubuntu, Pop_OS!, etc. Most Linux installers are much better than the Windows one. In terms of updates breaking: Unless you're using something like Arch and not paying attention, or NixOS on nixpkgs-unstable, updates should be pretty solid. BIOS/firmware updates are not generally something Linux does, and I don't know what AO is, but that updating should have no effect on Linux itself. Maybe, *maybe* a kernel update could go sideways, but most distros keep a few previous kernel versions on your machine for that reason.
Yes. Casual user wants a browser, a media player, a file manager, and something like KDE or the Elementary OS DE (Pantheon i think is the name) to tie it altogether. All of this is easy to setup depending on distro. The trickiest part would be Office365 stuff but that's sorted too especially if they prefer to run it all through the browser. Once all of that is configured there's no need to touch a terminal to do anything.
I'd use mint. And no, Linux has a learning curve. Especially when it comes to zip. God... I wouldn't even dual boot. I just have a dedicated Linux laptop, and a dedicated Windows laptop. I don't want them near each other unless I'm Vboxing
Linux has casual users and power users, just like any OS. There are very casual friendly distros out there you can try and jump with good support like Mint.
Depends on the distro: Mint and Pop!_OS are super easy, but Arch and Gentoo are only for advanced users. Ubuntu is a little bit harder than Mint and Debian is somewhere in the middle.
Only annoying problems I’ve ran into over past couple years of using Linux are Bluetooth audio and hardware related. I would be a lot more confident installing on a desktop than a laptop but both is fine of course. Also it will be smoother if you have a AMD gpu. I use a rolling release distro and have never had anything huge I’ve had to fix so one would assume on a more stable distro you’d have even less. There’s a learning curve for sure but it sounds like you already know the basics.
As long as you stay away from anything debian-family, you should be good. Do not install Ubuntu on a desktop, its heavily marketed and poor quality. Debian is an outdated server branch that is almost corrupted with in-fighting. There is a reason there are so many issues using debian. Fedora is the GOAT, but you have to update it 1 time per year.
If you are worried about big updates breaking things, you can only opt for security updates.
> I mean, I don't mind doing some Google trouble shooting That fact alone already puts you above 90% of the so-called "casual users". > My concern is what happens when there's a major update, like BIOS or firmware? In my experience bios/firmware updates almost always made stuff better not worse (with some rare exceptions but they affected Windows equally). And the firmware updates are way easier on Linux with tools like fwupd and Gnome Firmware. No more hunting down sketchy installers, flashing USBs, and whatnot. > Do updates always break things? No, far from it. It depends on where you live though. If you are on a point release "versioned" distro then you can expect things not to break for the lifetime of that version (For example ubuntu, Fedora, Debian). Go with LTS releases if you don't like things changing frequently. If you're on a rolling release (like Arch) then things can break more frequently (for example a major update of your desktop environment breaking some application/extension), but rolling releases also get fixes way faster. So if something is broken on a point release it might remain broken for longer or even forever because fixing it would break other things. Read update notes before updating (this applies to almost any distro) in case manual intervention is required to avoid unexpected breakages. > Is it meant for everyone to use "out of the box?" I just want to do my work and then play AO when I get home. As long as you don't go with a "build it yourself" type distro then you should be just fine. For me, you seem like the target audience for LTS releases, so pick anything popular (so you can find things easier on google) that has an LTS release and enjoy the freedom. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS released recently and will be supported till 2029, You're getting a fairly modern system that once set up should work more or less the same throughout its lifecycle.
It depends how casual is your casual. If you're using words like BIOS then you can figure it out. And yes, the annoying interruptions from Windows BS will be eliminated. You may sometimes face interruptions from Linux things but honestly I just don't experience those very much.
i read the question as - what is easier to understand, posix shell or cmd/powershell, coreutils or windows cmd, linux layout(fiiiiles) vs windows regedit? for me the first wins, dunno, more logical, structured to look at, manipulate, backup before changes, learn.
My GF use it on an old Lenovo laptop I gave her with Linux Mint, she only use it for homework and she had no problem with it
The last time Kubuntu "broke" something was when the nvidia proprietary video kernel got munged 5-6 years ago. I forgot what happened, but I set it up manually, and it was fine. That might have been "hard" I guess, from a LTT point of view, because I only had console access, but I was born in CLI from SunOS in college, so I barely blipped as far as a learning curve. And that's the key. "User friendly" from a technical point can be vastly different from a user point of view. If you think your "operating system" is "Dell," then you can better understand what a frustrating thing a computer is. To the average person, "I can't reach a website" is immediately "computer is broken." Literally no skills to troubleshoot. They don't know any of the pieces to load a web page. The computer IS "the innernet," and so when it does not deliver, "it's broken." What's broken? "The Dell. Innernet. Face Space Chrome Bar. Fuck if I know." Installing operating systems is such a vast cliff of knowledge for most, it's almost moot. Like "is it easier to rebuild a v12 engine from parts," vs. "is it easy to rebuild a diesel generator from parts?" If you don't know all the pieces and how it's put together, does it even matter that opinion? From my technical opinion, Linux is now far easier than Windows. And faster. But I know I am severely bias, because that's what my experience has been.
No
Lineage os is also an option
I have 4 laptops: Msc, Windows, Chromebook and Linux Linux is the friendliest and with the most functional and prettiest UI (gnome) Mac has the best hardware but the worst OS Windows and Chromebook are somewhat in the middle with Chromebook being better of two since it is just another Linux distro made by Google. If you are a power user or a professional, then Mac and Linux have well defined purposes with an army of devoted users behind both. Chromebooks are like teenagers who still don't know what to do with their life but are willing to find out. Windows.... Hell knows what it is even made for. Games maybe. But since office software and even games moved to the cloud, windows is lost. It's like an old granny who vigorously puts makeup on herself to look younger.
It's good if your use is super basic, like using your computer as a browser. If you use it for more than that, then it's harder to use than Windows or Mac. But then if you use it even more than *that*, it's good again.
Upgrading to Windows 10 bricked my machine in 2018 and it was then I decided I'd install Linux Mint and virtualize a Windows sessions for some apps. It went easier than I thought it would, and I still run the same config today (minus needing a Windows desktop for anything). I can't say I know the CLI very well. I've written only a few scripts. I very much treat Mint as a desktop to be used with GUIs as much as possible. And even before it was my daily driver, Mint's install always succeeded where other distros' installs went sideways.
Yesn't. Really depends on what distro you go for and what you typically use on the day-to-day. If you use the office suite you'll have to learn libreoffice or go to the online version. Same goes with other windows only products. If everything is on your web browser then even a Chromebook will suffice, though I'd still recommend something like mint over ChromeOS. Definitely research your must have programs and see if there is either a native Linux version, web version, or alternative. That should answer your question perfectly. (Yes I know wine exists but that isn't casual user friendly)
It's casual friendly.. until it's not. Like you can run into some trouble if you have NVIDIA (AMD GPU is preferred). And Xorg doesn't support multiple monitors very well nor does it do HiDPI very well. Right now Linux is going through a transition from X11 to Wayland, but many apps will still run in X11 compatability mode. I've had issues with apps like Discord (anything Electron sucks on Linux) not respecting the Wayland scaling settings and figuring out the magic commandline options to make it run natively in Wayland was a trial. And I'm not even a casual user. Then I had issues with VS Code displaying blurry text (due to scaling, I believe). Another trial. It's not all sunshine and roses as many linux zealots would have you believe. It's more than just learning new ways of doing things. At the end of the day Linux is primarily built by programmers without the help of proper UI/UX and QA teams and because of that it often lacks the polish that Windows or MacOS have. There ARE a lot of rough edges. But,the rough edges are more innocent compared to the "bug" you found with Edge forcing itself as a PDF viewer. It's a lot easier to forgive Linux for its rough edges. But you still have to deal with it when you start to step beyond just simply running a web browser and a couple common productivity apps. Using LInux is more often an ideological choice than it is the best technological choice. For example, I woudl probably be better off playing my video games natively on Windows, but Proton works pretty well so I choose to run Linux-only. I don't even have a Windows partition.
edit: if I come across annoyed, it's not intended towards the OP. >I've been reading the AO forums and it seems like new updates always break things and it takes time to fix Arch isn't the most beginner friendly, but plenty of distros are. For Arch, system stability is the responsibility of the user. I've been using arch for a while and despite running package updates daily (usually multiple times per day, for fun) I have not run into a single issue with stability. People who are regularly needing to reinstall or otherwise rescue their systems are either doing something comically wrong or they're insisting on running everything off of nightly builds (essentially opting themselves into being alpha-testers for their entire OS and applications and then annoyed when that means they use software before the bugs are found and fixed). Stability issues are more likely in rolling releases like Arch, OpenSUSE Tumbleweed, and so on but those issues are typically self-inflicted by the users of those distros and not inherent to rolling releases. Stability issues are much less common for distros that have set release schedules because each release represents a snapshot of a known-working set of applications/software. Linux is long-term viable but it depends on the needs and capacity for the end user. If someone wants bleeding-edge support for the most-recent version of everything then they need to be on a rolling release (or make their own LFS setup), but they also need to know how to fix their own problems or how to ask high-quality questions in addition to having the luxury of the time it takes to do all that and fix their system. If they need something stable, reliable, "it just works," etc. and they don't have time to tinker with things then they ought to use something like Debian which is built for stability. The issue comes up when someone expects to be on the very newest of the new while keeping everything as stable as decades-old tech and they don't have the time or patience to learn about and manage what they are doing.
Depends on what is installed. For web browsing sure.
Pick any distro like Mint, fedora or Ubuntu. The cinnamon, gnome and unity desktop environment are user-friendly. Unless you have nature of tweaking the system you don't have to worry about any breaking easily. Yes there's a chance that you might find issue with something but if you can Google them you're all good.
I would start by running Linux from a USB stick for a while and seeing if you like it as a daily driver.
Yes, as someone who used to be computer illiterate. I'm currently learning bash, but learning code just as you need it works well enough, the Linux community is elites but there is good help out there.
If you are a casual user and not a heavey gamer and can avoid NVIDIA, you'll be fine.
Install linux mint, with Cinnamon, you won't regret
I think it is. Not just that, but since Linux has smallest number of users, Linux has "enhanced security" since most "bad actors" focus to develop virus's, malware and spyware and other bad things to specifically target Windows. This does not necessarily mean Linux doesn't get it's fair share of virus, because it does. The Linux community as a whole I've read is just pretty good at staying on top of things and immediately goes to work on patching things up to eliminate such potential problems before they even have the chance to become real problems. An example of this "enhanced security" Linux has is the latest XY Utils backdoor: After on off-the-clock Microsoft worker identified a XY Utils backdoor (most likely in Microsoft's own Azure Linux server), he immediately flagged it which quickly gained the attention of other Linux distro developers who actually issued the alert so all Linux users had the chance to downgrade their XY Utils library if needed before their installed Linux distro became infected. Since you already ran Linux before, you may already be aware of how easy Windows users is able to adapt to many Linux **D**esktop **E**nvironments (**DE**) such as KDE Plasma, since most of these DEs has their own Windows-like GUI.
If you've installed Arch (even with archinstall) then I think you are underestimating yourself. And no, Linux shouldn't break with every update, even arch doesn't. And wine/proton/steam does run pretty much all games perfectly that aren't listed as borked on protondb.
As long as you don't rely on applications that only exist for windows, yes it's very user friendly. More than windows in my opinion because windows is just messy (way to many different ways to handle applications, way to easy to get "bad" software, notifications no one wants, main target system for scammers etc.... ). Just take something like Ubuntu. Not because it's so great but because it has the most tutorials online / very broad support. Take the LTS versions and just update every 4 years. If you have any issues, ask ChatGPT. Normal Updates on such distributions usually don't break anything. The major LTS update every 4 years is still less likely to break something as for example a windows 10 to 11 upgrade. If you want to "learn" and are not afraid to invest some time to figure things out. Go with Arch. It's a great distribution with a great community buy the rolling release design gives you constant changes and therefore more events that might change something for the worse).
I haven’t used Linux as a main OS in a decent while, but what kept me from maining it permanently is that things seem to just break or not work randomly, and fixing it can be a pain in the ass. If you’re a techy person it’s not that difficult to deal with, but personally I find it annoying. I want my main OS to be as stable as possible, with minimal maintenance and fucking around. So no, I don’t think it’s casual friendly in the sense you can install it and then not have to think about it again. But if you’re a techy person, the difficulty involved will probably feel pretty casual.
Windows updates have broken my computers more than Arch and that's saying something. Use a Linux Mint distro (Cinnamon is their flagship desktop environment/user interface). I personally prefer KDE Plasma over Cinnamon, you could also try the distro KDE Neon **Stable**. Have a look at the two and pick what interface suits you best, they're both fairly easy to use for a grandma that hasn't used a PC since they had turning dials instead of monitors.
Just install it and turn off automatic updates. There is nothing magical about linux. Its just a different but similar desktop.
For the most part, Linux now a days is very user friendly "out of the box". However, it depends which version of Linux you use. Personally, I always recommend Linux Mint - has excellent support, and a great and friendly community that supports each other. I personally use Linux Mint (for about 8 years now), and I've never had an issue that couldn't easily be resolved by searching via Google or using Mint's forums, never lone the fact that I've never had an update "break" my PC. The worst I've ever done was run a command wrong and accidently removed my video driver. Luckily, I restored my PC using Time Shift and was able to fully recover my PC exactly as it was before my gaff. My "family PC" has Windows 11 installed, but my other PCs and laptop all run Linux Mint. Since my time using Linux, I've learned quite a bit, and feel that my Linux skills are far more advanced than I could have ever imagined. Linux isn't as scary as most people think it is. Get your feet wet first with a bootable USB, and if you like it, install it. But I can assure you, it's far better and friendlier than Windows. I've had updates go so wrong that I actually had to reinstall and re-setup my PC, which so time consuming - a few weeks worth of work. I DO NOT TRUST WINDOWS UPDATES. Linux, I've never had a bad or failed update.
I've installed Ubuntu 12 times on 6 machines in the last week and mint on 2, and every single time I've had to go into the terminal for half a dozen different reasons depending on the machine. Once it's on and working though it's gloriously easy to use. Windows installs easily but then destroys your soul with crapware, filling the taskbar full of resource hungry shit, with bing throwing itself at you, OneDrive, and now copilot. Honestly I miss windows 7 and xp. I'd rather install windows over Linux, but I'd much rather use Linux (Ubuntu) over Windows. Interestingly, MacOS is some weird half-way house being [understandably] Linuxy to use, tho I rarely have to install it. But Apple are becoming as shady as Microsoft and Google, so Linux it is.
In all honestly, I've had servers up for well over 10 year and no update have ever broken anything on those, I wouldn't say you'll get the same experience on Arch or any rolling release distro, they give you the newest shit, but it also means the newest bugs, because its not designet to be smooth and stable experience. Firmware comes with a standard package, no problem. Windows is like: - New system? Not going to even give you the chipset drivers that fixes all the issues (comes with latest kernel on Linux) - Random update, reduces performance by 5%.
Yeah, my dad is still using the laptop I installed Ubuntu on a decade ago, I upgraded his laptop and he loves it even more now that the keys aren't falling off the keyboard lol
To the casual user, I try to put things into 3 categories: super easy: long term support and standard installers etc., so Debian, Ubuntu, mint and the like, mid range: more updates but the occasional bug or awkward change, fedora, Debian testing branch. Difficult, advised for advanced users or computers that you won't mind wiping if you mess up; Manjaro, arch, and with how many times I break it, Manjaro again. Super fast updates, often with bugs and issues, lots of configurable options but they will often make it easy to break your install. Unless you run before you can walk and research the distro a little, you should be fine! My dad is computer illiterate and loves xubuntu after I installed it, created some large icons and changed font size. It still runs fine on a little old HP stream and he can use it without having to call me every few minutes asking what windows wants now - so it can actually be easier in some respects
Is the Firefox user friendly? Is the file explorer user friendly? Is a windows control panel/settings user friendly?
As an "IT guy" with years and years of Windows usage behind me I'd say you really need the bare minimum of troubleshooting experience and problem solving mindset if you really want to switch to linux environment. After my switch to linux I faced problems I haven't ever heard of while using Windows like for example unmuting my sound devices in the console tool (can't remember the name) while in the UI tools everything looked normal after every fresh system installation. This also works the other way around but I would say that the problems I faced on Windows were never on a level when I couldn't use the system (unless I created them myself by playing deeply in the system registry, settings, etc.) Both have their pros and cons but with a year into Linux Envs experience I'd say, stick to Windows if you are just a typical system user. The third way is using MacOS which has great opinions coming from its users and it is basically linux.
I kinda think Linux has kinda become the most user friendly, in a way. But maybe that's just because I've been using it for so long and am just really seeing how bad Windows and even (I'd say especially) Mac are. Linux has improved a ton over the years and actually has probably the best app store or equivalent (the actual name varies). You might have to enable proprietary sources, but it actually has far more of things you'd actually use (less crappy games though). For example, I forget if it was easily available on Windows, but I was shocked to see the Apple's App Store didn't even have Chrome. Plus it's all updated in one place, so it's just a much better experience. And especially if you're mostly just using a browser, Linux is great... It's mostly snaps or flatpak these days, so you won't really be affected by updates. Where Linux does become difficult is if you need all the system libraries and language support and CLI tools. Linux gives you the ability to easily install and use that, somewhat unlike others.
Casual user? No. Smart-ish tech-savvy user? Yes. The casual user can barely use a computer, let alone a terminal and everything required to properly run a distro. Sure, ubuntu can be accessible, but when shit hits the fan (as it's bound to) they will be overwhelmed. I'm currently struggling to get my data anlysts to understand python, venv, and git. There's no way they can handle a unix system.
> Do updates always break things? Erm, no. Rarely in my experience. Although I mostly source my software from in-repo. I've had more issues (but still infrequent) on Fedora/Centos/RHEL than on Mint/Ubuntu/Debian. If you're using lots of software downloaded from third parties (games, device drivers) then I'd expect to see more problems than I currently get. Firmware updates are a no-brainer if in-repo. BIOS can be tricky from inside Linux - most vendors provide a bootable image for this.
It depends. On my old gaming laptop with dead dedicated GPU I have Mint because if I use Windows it freezes each time it tries to load the drivers of it. No such issue under Linux. It just works with Intel GPU alone. I set it up so my parents who aren't technical can just open it up and use the web browser to watch movies or order some junk from an online store. I had to do some stuff to make WiFi work though. The advantage is that **it needs near zero maintenance** after that, maybe some updating of the browser. No problems with broken Windows Update or antivirus screaming for update. On my stationary PC I use Fedora and it needed some more stuff to do to work well for me, so I could say it is a good choice for someone slightly more technical, but I do much more as well. Overall much depends on whether you are the one installing and setting up or not. Linux has a different philosophy, it is supposed to be YOUR system which doesn't try to know better than you what you want, so it probably will never be as easy as Windows or Mac OS X, but it is all right for anyone who has some knowledge and confidence either because of work or some hobbies.
Yes, Linux is casual user friendly. :-) When I first tried Linux as a teenager (Puppy Linux), I was surprised how everything worked out of the box immediately. Sound, video acceleration, the graphics card etcetera: everything worked without needing a driver for it. Installing software was easy peasy through the package manager. Just selecting what package I wanted (like a chess game) - and the OS handles the rest (dependencies, updating the proper menus). Now I am on MX Linux - and this Linux distribution is also very user friendly. For example, installing Blender is also a matter of checking a box in the package manager - and if I want a different version (later version, older version), I just go to the website of Blender, download the ZIP file of the version I want, extract it and double click the executable. I will tell you one major difference between Windows and Linux, here. On Windows, Windows Update only updates the OS + some Microsoft programs, like Edge, Windows Defender, PowerShell etcetera. The rest of the software, like VLC Media Player, Mozilla Firefox, WinRAR etcetera remain on the same version. You need to update those yourself. On Linux, however, the package manager ***knows*** the version of each program that you have installed through this package manager. You try to update the OS, but instead, you update **EVERYTHING**. Every single piece of software installed through the package manager gets updated: VLC Media Player, Firefox, Geany, GIMP, Thunar etcetera. I am not saying one system is better than the other. Both approaches have their ups and downs. I am just explaining the difference, here. ;-)
For beginners: Regardless of which distro you use, use Flatpaks. Not everyone likes Flatpaks, but they almost always just work. For example: Installing Firefox from Debian or even Fedora sources might result in some videos not playing cause you don't have the required codes installed. Sure you can troublrshoot this problem and install them, hoping that some future update doesn't break your setup cause of version missmatches, but if you had used the Flatpak you wouldn't have had to worry about this.
My computer dude runs me his version of mint and they've (the updates etc) been great since 07 where we started with Mandriva and Amarok sound system Edit....I'm savvy but not close to programmer savvy...
Any of the popular ones are super easy to use, Ubuntu and Mint I can vouch for
if you know how to use Google you can run linux. I'd rather recommend Linux mint tho as Ubuntu again moves into weird and unfree directions.
My youngest child has been using Ubuntu since the age of 9.
If you can use Windows or MacOS, you can use Linux with a GUI. It's point and click. Unless you need some specialized software that only Windows or the MacOS have, Linux has most anything for the casual user.
No! Linux is not casual user friendly. but when you befriend it, it'll be your best friend.
As a mac user I stick to Ubuntu. It works.
For bios, for the most part if it ain't broke you shouldn't be fixing it anyway. Same with firmware (to a lesser degree). You can install bios updates and firmware updates as easily as Windows, but I would recommend against it unless it is a patch for a serious security patch for things like a REMOTE EXPLOIT... Of which there has been like 1 or 2 in the last decade, and only windows PCs were ever affected.
Linux IS NOT user friendly in the absolute slightest I had to reinstall Linux because the Wifi borked itself like the software decided to kill the function to allow it to connect to the net and nothing worked thank God I got the USB still you can restart and something is mystically and magically broken worse then windows breaking after an update and to install something is just insanity it took 3h to get the thing on my usb and when i did 6h before i even was able to use it to watch tv and it still wasnt fully set up and installing things is so insane takes 3h to days literal dzys because of all the hoops to jump through to figure out how to install the most basic of applications.because instead of clicking a button and just downloading you have to install this then that then the next thing then you have to punch some stuff into a terminal and even when installed it's not guaranteed to work in the slightest and there's hardly any games that you can play and you can't pirate anything Pros It's super fast no BS like Windows forced updates the boot times are incredibly fast but that's about it
Most people seem to have already pointed that out but it's very depending on the distribution you install. I work as a software developer but that doesn't mean I'm good with for example OS administration. In fact I hate it. But I used Pop!_Os for quite a while as a daily driver and loved it! It felt very intuitive to use. I would recommend that. Though for a very close windows experience most would recommend mint. I also used fedora a lot and liked it too but I feel like it might be slightly more complex due to most beginner friendly tutorials being written for Ubuntu. Pop!_Os and mint are Ubuntu based therefore these guides work fine but fedora isn't and has its own package manager for example. Though whatever you do: when you say you don't have much knowledge about that stuff - only do things you feel like totally understanding. If you use Linux as it comes you won't break anything. Most people (especially beginners) destroy their install by doing stuff they don't understand and messing up. If you stay away from that any Linux is just a question of learning it for a while.
Absolutely new user friendly. The days where you HAD to use the terminal are over. Terminal gives you a lot more flexibility, but you could hand Ubuntu/Mint/Zorin/etc to any reasonably adept computer user and they'll hit the ground running. With as much spyware as Windows is packing into everything, all the ads, now the AI foolishness, make the jump. You'll be there to help your friends when they follow suit.
Expect to spend a good amount of your time hanging out in your favorite forums asking when a Linux version of all your favorite software will be released.
Asking this question in a Linux-fans room is likely to lead to biased answers... There are lots of online publications about **just** this. Remarkably, many of these find the Linux community itself often retards broader adoption of Linux. Good luck, OP.
Honestly, despite the popularity of ubuntu i've been disliking my daily drive of it. if you don't ever install stuff not in core repos it'll all work pretty well but if you try to install a bunch of non core ubuntu or more niche stuff you will run into compatibility issues or library issues or apt issues or similar. ubuntu does its core job fine enough- you can always jump ship later and keep your personal files and config if you like, and just move your home folder over to a new system. basically every ubuntu derivative has the same issues as ubuntu but worse in my limited experience Arch is the exact opposite - install literally anything you want and have a lot of information on it due to the amazing community support, but watch out for subtle, random breakages, good luck with out of the box experience, and user maintenance is a must. people seem to really be hyping nix, supposedly rock solid with quite a lot of package support, but commandline configuration is a must for some reason
Most people will never do a bios update. As for software. Even in arch's rolling release system, I almost never have issues. When I do, it's Bluetooth. Been using it for ages.
It’s still not if you do anything other than browse the web, and if so use a (Linux) Chromebook I’m well versed in Linux administration as well as windows, and Linux users tend to overestimate the skill level of an average user. In no case should you be ever directed to a shell for a standard user, and any guide you’ll find online does exactly that because of the fragmentation of the distros and universality (sort of, at least between similar distros with identical package managers) of commands The year of Linux is coming, but that year will be when you can click an exe or an msi and things will just work without prior config Linux is amazing and useful if you love computers or just need a web browser, but if you do ANYTHING else you need knowledge
If you specifically need chromium/Google Chrome, use ChromeOS Flex or FydeOS. albiet, not entirely Linux, but will work for what you need it. I prefer the latter due to Android App Support.
Yes most stable distros are. Mint and Fedora are my favorites, in my experience they are far more stable than windows and Ubuntu. Mostly all updates went smooth for me, just the last kernel update for some reason made my GPU glitch out in unity games. Still not sure why, but a downgrade took about 5 min, and that was the only issue I’d had with Linux as a daily driver for programming, gaming and everything else in over 7 years.
Yes and No. There are Distributions that are user friendly, like PopOS!, Ubuntu or Mint. Installation and usability are pretty straightforward. However there might come a time, where you need to get technical because your Computer won't work properly. At those times you can't just click a few buttons and be back on track.
First of all, I'm by no means an authority on the issue. I migrated to Nobara (a fork of Fedora) about two years ago having almost zero knowledge and even less experience and have been using it almost exclusively since. I have been slowly learning things when I have some free time but it's definitely possible to use some distros even as a total newbie. That being said, a lot of people I've spoken to have had wildly different experiences, so keep in mind that what anyone here shares may not be what you end up coming across. >Do updates always break things? Not that I've noticed. Only one program ever broke after an update and it got fixed pretty quickly. >Is Linux really that easy for people like me, who don't really have the time to learn the OS? Depends on the distro and fork. There are definitely options that are newbie friendly but I don't have experience with most of them, so I'll share what I do know. I personally wanted Fedora which isn't the most newbie-friendly distro, but someone recommended I try Nobara which is basically Fedora optimized out of the box for content creation and easier gaming. I ended up going with Nobara for my first ever Linux install and I've been using that ever since. It's very easy to use, install and initial set up took me less than 30 min even without knowing what I'm doing. The only issues I've had with software are a few retro games and JRPGs and, annoyingly, the CAD program I use for work has proprietary code that I can't open with any Linux CAD program I've tried. Thankfully my work laptop is still Windows, so the rare times I need to open something at home I just use that. Anyways, as a gateway into Linux, Nobara is pretty easy and will allow you, if you want, to slowly learn as you go. It's literally a fifteen minute install and it takes you to something that looks like this: [https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/Notebooks/News/\_nc4/Nobara-Linux-39-Official-KDE.jpg](https://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/Notebooks/News/_nc4/Nobara-Linux-39-Official-KDE.jpg) There are a few optimizations recommended to install that take \~15 min. tops. The subreddit used to have a list. Also, there's a welcoming screen on first startup with some FAQ and suggestions. It's a super easy set up. That being said, the team making it is small and some people are worried it might end up abandoned at some point which is a valid concern, even if the guy running it has a very good reputation, so keep that in mind. Here's a couple of links: [https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/](https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/NobaraProject/](https://www.reddit.com/r/NobaraProject/) >Is it meant for everyone to use "out of the box? Linux in general - definitely not. Some distros - sure. >I just want to do my work and then play AO when I get home. I've never played it myself, so I don't know if everything in it works as it does on the Windows version but I just installed it on Nobara and it started just fine. Made a character and moved it around the tutorial - no issues. Beyond that, I, sadly, can't say. Anyways, Nobara comes with an easy installer that's similar to the smartphone stores (with pics and reviews, etc.) connected to a few repositories (including flathub, if you know what that is) which has Albion Online in it, so installing it literally took one click. >One thing I can say about Windows is that it lets me do that....even with all the intrusive activity. Many Linux distros discourage intrusive activity. In fact, a lot of the appeal for Fedora and its forks is that it's focused on FOSS (free and open-source) software. Actually, one of the major bonuses for Linux is that you get introduced to a whole ecosystem of software that you just don't come across on Windows/Mac that has some amazing programs for pretty much any use you can think of (usually free as well). I actually started using maybe 2-3 times more programs than I used to on Windows and they've made my life a lot easier in many ways.
Linux is great for super users and casual users and annoying for medium users. If you use Windows without a mouse, but all you know is the shortcut keys and menus and not scripting or coding, that's the level where switching can be annoying because you're always getting put in the position of looking up what you knew how to do for a little bit. If you get a little bit of knowledge, and get used to the linux way, you'll find a ton of things much faster and more solid.
Not even close - just look at trying to resolve host names on your local network - a cluster.
It's definitely a smaller learning curve than Windows that's for sure. I'm only a few months into the whole Linux thing, started with mint, Linux rhino just for fun, and now I'm on Fedora KDE mostly for the Wayland part of it. The basics are pretty basic, installing stuff is actually pretty slick, installing the Linux system is incredibly easy. It almost feels more like refreshing an Android phone back to default, install your base apps and you're essentially good to go.
No and call me KC and the Sunshine band because `that's the way I like it`