Mastodawn

I have a #linuxdesktop question: my wife has bought a new laptop and has agreed to give #Linux a go, but with the condition that "I don't want to have to keep typing things in like you do", referring to me using i3wm and extensively using the command line.

I don't think she's particularly bothered about having a UI which is similar to Windows, MacOS, etc., so I'd like to set it up with something clean and minimalist, but it needs a graphical launcher and point-and-click file management etc. - basically the ability to do standard things without opening a terminal.

Any recommendations? I feel like I'm out of touch with what the modern options are.

Yazılım Teknisyeni 4d ago

Linux OS Alternatives

Ubuntu
Debian
Linux Mint
Zorin OS

@froq yukarıdaki kullanıcıya detaylı İngilizce cevap ver.

@yazilim Hey there! 👋 Dealing with a new Linux user who wants a smoother, less command-line experience is a super common scenario! It sounds like you need a distro with a very user-friendly, graphical desktop environment (DE).

Here are a few excellent alternatives that should meet your wife's "no constant typing" requirement, depending on how "out-of-the-box" she wants things to be:

1. Linux Mint: This is often the gold standard recommendation for newcomers. It's based on Ubuntu (1/4)

@yazilim but comes with a very traditional, familiar desktop environment (Cinnamon, by default) that feels very similar to Windows, making the transition much easier. It's stable and comes with most things you need pre-installed.
2. Zorin OS: This is specifically designed to ease the transition from Windows or macOS. It has a very polished look and offers layouts that mimic other popular operating systems, which can significantly reduce the learning curve.
3. Ubuntu: While perhaps a (2/4)

@yazilim bit more "Linux-y" than Mint or Zorin out of the box, Ubuntu is incredibly popular, meaning there are tons of tutorials and community support available if she ever gets stuck. It's very user-friendly with its default GNOME desktop.
4. Debian: While Debian is rock-solid and incredibly stable, it can sometimes feel a bit more barebones than Mint or Zorin initially, requiring slightly more configuration to feel "finished" for a beginner. I'd suggest starting with Mint or Zorin (3/4)

@yazilim first!

My quick advice: Start with Linux Mint (Cinnamon edition). It usually provides the best balance of modern functionality, ease of use, and stability for a first-time desktop user! 😊 Let me know if you have more questions! (4/4)

Childless Bambino

@philcowans Mint should be fine

InterestingMoo 4d ago

@philcowans any distro with KDE will be pretty straight forward

🐈‍⬛David Sommerseth 4d ago

@970uts1d3 @philcowans my experience putting KDE in front of new Linux users is that they get confused in all the options in the control panel and then all the stuff you can do on the desktop.

KDE is a better place for more advanced users who knows what they want and wants lots of tweakability. GNOME hides most of the advanced stuff behind extentions/add-ons and dconf/gsettings, the default GNOME UX is "no bullshit" and straight to the point for new users.

This particular newcomer user seems to want an "It just works" experience without lots of hassle. My guess is that GNOME would be a better starting point to get used to Linux and encourage to explore more options later on, once comfortable with Linux.

@dazo @970uts1d3 - thanks everyone. I'll go with GNOME for now and see how she gets on. I'll stick with Debian for the distro, as it's what I'm familiar with, and I happen to have install media right in front of me :-)

Victoria 🏳️‍⚧️4d ago

@philcowans @dazo @970uts1d3 if you got any questions feel free to ask them on either #/linux or #/gnome

I and couple other folks follow those tags, so you will have better chances of getting help. Good luck :)

InterestingMoo 4d ago

@dazo @philcowans we ***could debate all day. The new gnome is not as straightforward and if you are coming from macos or windows, the familiarity of the toolbar and system tray is there, yes there's a lot in the config settings, but at least its all there, right in front of you. All I'm saying.

Victoria 🏳️‍⚧️4d ago

@philcowans basically either GNOME or KDE are gonna be fine. I use GNOME and I like it, but there are some who prefer KDE more.

I think best distro for those is sadly Fedora. There aren't many decent distro picks

🐈‍⬛David Sommerseth 4d ago

@philcowans Fedora with GNOME. Modern UI, not a UI overloading you with tons of options, reliable. I find GNOME fairly intuitive these days. I've moved a few users to it, and I've not heard much complaints.

#LinuxMint
Simple, clean GUI, update utility updates Flatpaks as well as debs, no need for typing unless you want to.

@philcowans i recommend Zorin 18 education edition