Phil4d ago

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.

Show threadInterestingMoo
@philcowans any distro with KDE will be pretty straight forward
Apr 11 at 5:57pmWeb
Show thread🐈‍⬛David Sommerseth4d 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.

Show threadPhil4d ago
@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 :-)
Show threadVictoria 🏳️‍⚧️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 :)

Show threadInterestingMoo4d 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.