Say a friend is looking for a new system, and said person is not particularly savvy with technology, what system would you point them toward?
Macos > Ubuntu / Fedora
As I hate Apple, after years of experience I can say that macos is the simplest and the most stable os.
With linux I had different issues, starting from apps that are not supported, ending with issues with drivers…
Fedora, now it’s shockingly easy to use.
I silently replaced windows in the home PC and it took 2 months for the tech illiterate SO to say “WTF, why you put Apple on this PC, I thought you hated them” (put same username/password, same wallpaper, even Microsoft Edge)
At work I was shocked that I could login directly as
user@windows.domainwithout any extra configuration. Plain vanilla fresh install, typed my active directory account for laughs, it worked 😲Also at work I was shocked to see that I could just run the exe of the windows-only accounting software and everything works. I even installed LibreOffice in wine, lol (the accounting software needs
soffice.exefor generating spreadsheets). I could even install foxit reader for windows 😂 (sorry, all the Linux PDF readers completely suck when printing, I need previews and booklet and all the extra features)If you are mainly gaming, Bazzite. For everything else, Fedora.
Nice post to stir some shit, OP. 🍿
MacOS.
I hate Apple, and I do not like how they operate. But I cannot deny how user friendly their OS is, how affordable their machines are (Mac mini) and how even those who do not know how to use a PC, can pick them up and use them.
Linux Mint is my second choice
Only Linux which feels like a normal PC, and 99% of features can be installed via UI. There are holes, and I feel an immutable OS would fill this niche better, but for now this is my number 2.
Ya, I do like my Mac, the track pad is phenomenal as well.
But fuck everything about their prices, or at least the laptop prices…
If I didn’t need a mac for work (iOS development), I’d probably try a linux laptop next.
Linux. Hands down. Always.
New user? Try Kubuntu Linux
Power user? Eh, you can try anything but I’m still with Kubuntu because Ubuntu with KDE just works so damned nice
Idk if I’d even recommend anything anymore. Microsoft shit is easier but more likely to just nuke itself or destroy your data. MacOS is stable and user friendly but prohibitively expensive. Linux is generally great, but requires a level of teach savvy that most people are actively afraid of. I’m so tired.
Whatever Linux is being sold pre-installed on a machine within their budget.
Told my dad to buy a Dell laptop with Ubuntu preinstalled after his last Windows laptop died. He’s been fine with that for the last 5 years.
MacOS (less with each release). One of the Linux distros that aims to minimize the “Linux” experience for new users, like Mint. There are others that are also good for new users who don’t care what’s underneath. I’ll let others suggest them as I don’t keep track of them all.
Are they looking to become savvy? Linux. Are they looking to game? Steamdeck, or if they can wait a while, Steam Machine. Are they just wanting a device to check emails and watch *ahem* ‘internet videos?’ Android phone.
Any other option will be more money for less value.
Games run great in linux
Steam Deck / Machine is Linux.
Yeah, it just didn’t really answer the question, steam deck is gaming with PC capabilities as a side project at that form factor.
What do they want to do?
An iPad with a keyboard can serve the needs of a significant amount of users. I know people for whom it’s their only device apart from a phone.
A hardcore gamer will want Windows. Linux can play a lot better of games natively or fairly easily via Proton. macOS has some good ones natively but playing via Wine is more complicated. Some specialized industry workflows will require it. Windows-only games and applications are the only reason to recommend Windows.
Mac/macOS is great general purpose hardware and software. Good applications are available for art, science, engineering and productivity and it’s certified Unix. The ecosystem can be slick—Handoff from/to iPhone, unlock with Watch, TimeMachine backups, etc. Support people are usually native speakers from the same country. Some good native games and some through Wine are possible but Window and Linux have significantly more.
Linux can work for basic email, productivity and web browsing. Gaming choices are better than macOS but Windows is still better. They don’t have to worry about ads or the next interface fad being forced on them. They’ll likely need a bit more hand-holding and support down the road. They’ll need a Linux guy but they can be up and running on old/cheap hardware.
This is the first sane comment that understands OS is determined by use case. All the skids pushing mint are depressing.
Ask the person questions and find out what they want to do with the machine. This is very much the kind of question teenagers ask and confidently answer like what programming language is best.
Linux - if it’s on hardware that is sold specifically as fully compatible (like a Framework laptop or something like this)
Linux mint
I love mint, have you tried a KDE desktop though?
Yes, they’re terrible because you can’t navigate through their settings without a mouse. Tab only goes so far in KDE. I couldn’t stand it.
Mint is not run by professionals. It has been pwnd more than once. It’s pretty, slightly better run than manjaro and has no reason to exist when ubuntu, fedora and suse exist.
Please stop pointing to mint as a starting place. Every level user is going to get a more secure and reliable experience avoiding mint.
Ubuntu, fedora, suse and spins of those 3. I wouldn’t put a normal user on anything else without extenuating circumstances.
From what I can find, the Linux Mint website was breached once, in 2016, for a short duration and during that time the download link for the ISO referred to a site that was hosting a version that installed a backdoor.
Meaning it was short in scope, the dev team reacted to it, handled it, and then were open and transparent about it, and it only affected people who downloaded the ISO at that exact span in time and also installed that version instead of replacing it when the announcement came.
The harsh reality of IT security isn’t that it’s a question of if you get hacked, it’s a question of when, even for multi-billion dollar companies.
Stupid fucking answer.
I love Linux. I use it on multiple machines daily. It’s not for an average user.
Correct, I wrote a decent comment about the actual issues with Linux for the average user in this thread
iOS.
Linux only if they can follow directions.
Average user needs their computer mainly as a device to run a web browser. Mac does that the most reliably. This seems objectively true to me.
If they’re a nerd, then either Linux or Windows depending on what kind of nerd they are.
Windows for gaming.
