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Is Linux (dumb)user friendly yet?

So I’m building a new computer before the end of the year and lemmy is obviously pushing me towards Linux.

I am not computer savvy, I have a family member that will help me set up my PC, but I do not want to be calling/messaging them every day when I want to open a program.

Basically my question comes down to: can I operate a Linux PC these days without needing to troubleshoot or type code.

I use my computer about once a week for a few hours I would say, so any time spent troubleshooting is time wasted.

Thanks!

EDIT: since a lot of people are asking what programs I typically use, I’ll just list my most used programs.

Word, Excel, ect(I’m fine with alternatives)

Spotify

Gimp (would have been a make or break, so I’m glad it’s supported)

Brave browser (browser is a browser)

Steam

Discord

I would say that while I could figure out how the kernels work, I’m at a point with computers these days where I don’t have the time. My priorities fall with a seamless daily experience. If I have the time to figure something out I can, but ideally my day to day usage being unbotherd is what I’m after.

A lot of the comments so far have been helpful! I’m definitely going to give Linux a fair shot with my new build, probably start with Mint.

D_Air1 ,
@D_Air1@lemmy.ml avatar

I don’t think any Operating System is (dumb)user friendly yet.

ArcaneSlime ,

Honestly if you figured out lemmy you can figure out linux at least enough not to be a 95yo about it.

Use a distro that is both popular and good for beginners, like Fedora or it’s KDE spin, or Mint. There will be learning, there probably will be troubleshooting, you’re switching from something you’ve always been familiar with to a new thing, it is unavoidable. It’s like moving to Mexico, you’ll need to pick up at least a little Spanish. It’s really not as hard as people make it seem, most questions will be solved by searching the problem and pasting in a terminal command, but it’s good to learn what those commands do over time. It might benefit you to use the computer more often while learning if possible.

Do it, you’ll be fine!

mastod0n ,

My dad is a complete tech noob. I took his laptop, installed Ubuntu, configured everything and showed him where he could find the applications he uses. Done.

WolvenSpectre ,
@WolvenSpectre@lemmy.ca avatar

I find that people who come from the old days of linux will often respond “you have to use terminal”, or “learn the operating system”, or even balk at people saying you can just use the GUI Interface/Desktop Environments. And then when you get help from expirienced users you get allot of terminal commands, which makes people think “I can’t use Linux without learning the terminal first”. In actuality it is just easier to show a person a command and ask for the results than it is to walk a person through getting the same info otherwise.

“OK, which Desktop Environment are you using?”.

“Desktop what?”.

“Which version of OS did you download and install?”.

“Cinnamon.”.

“X or Wayland?”.

“What’s a Wayland?”.

“OK, X. Is your system up to date and which kernel are you running?”.

…and so on. It is faster to just help working in the terminal. The Desktop Environments are fairly far along and most that I have worked with you could get by completely in the Desktop and not touch the terminal.

I would suggest Linux Mint, but for now I would stick to the non latest version of 21.3 as they bit off ALLOT in 22 and while it works for allot of people there are driver bugs they inherited from Ubuntu and have not implemented the fix for yet and allot of other pains in the toukus so if you want a version with the minimum of troubleshooting and stable Desktop Environments I would stick to 21.3 (If I had any sense I would be switching back to it from 22 myself).

If you want another option it would be Ubuntu and its Different Desktop ‘Spins’ to see which you like the most. Some people prefer to start off on Fedora and I am told it has a good DE, or some people recommend PopOS which had its own spin on a DE but they have let development lag on it as they developed their Cosmic Desktop for the Wayland project (the project that is superseding the X.org project for making windows).

Which ever you choose, good luck. I am in the same boat and I am trying to learn what I can before it is too late.

bizdelnick ,

There’s one case when you can’t avoid using command line. If you ask someone on Internet to help you, he will say you to type some commands. No window clicking, no screenshots will help. All GUIs are different, but CLI is (almost) always the same, and its output is well searchable. That’s why you see numerous command line listings in each topic discussing problems and could decide it’s impossible to use Linux without coding.

bizdelnick ,

In depends on how dumb the user is. If you want to see drive C: and don’t want to learn why there’s no such a thing, forget about Linux (and any other OS except the only one you are familiar with). If you are ready to learn new concepts and just don’t want to remember numerous commands, that’s OK, just pick up a distro with advanced DE and graphical admin tools.

SandbagTiara2816 ,

What do you typically use your computer for? That’s going to have a major impact. If it’s pretty basic stuff (web browsing, text editing, etc) you shouldn’t have any issue. If it’s something that’s more complicated or unusual, then sometimes it’s easy to do and sometimes not, depending on what you want to do. In general, a little bit of comfort searching the web and working in the command line helps a lot with troubleshooting Linux

cabbage ,
@cabbage@piefed.social avatar

A test could be to start by using Libre software on Windows.

Switch to LibbreOffice or some other alternative instead of Word. Gimp, Inkscape, and Krita for graphical stuff. Whatever proprietary software you use, check if it exists for Linux; if not, see if you can find an alternative you're happy with.

For the people I know, Word is the biggest deal breaker.

pr06lefs ,

No more tricky than windows these days. Nice thing is there’s a lack of commercial BS - spyware, ads, unwanted apps etc. And pretty much no matter how old your computer gets, you can still run brand new linux on it.

Telorand ,

Yes. If you want something easy, look at:

  • Pop!_OS (Ubuntu-based, great for newbies)
  • Linux Mint (Ubuntu-based, great for newbies)
  • Spiral Linux (Debian, easy to set up, rock solid)
  • Aurora (Fedora Atomic based, hard to break, automatic updates)
theshatterstone54 ,

Never heard of Spiral, and I’ve heard of a lot of distros, so I’d steer clear of projects like it, that are new and/or niche, as there will be lower reliability and support available. Aurora is also pretty new, but it (and Fedora Atomic, and uBlue in general) has a strong community, so I’m more likely to trust them.

PopOS and Linux Mint get a thumbs up from me.

Telorand ,

Spiral is to Debian as Endeavor is to Arch. It’s a painless way to get Debian (bookworm) set up.

bstix ,

Yes. Linux Mint works “straight out of the box”.

It comes with a preinstalled browser (Firefox), so if you only use your computer for online stuff, then you dont need to do anything at all. Just use it.

The only technical thing you might want to do is to enter the WiFi password and find the software manager to install any additional apps you need.If you can install apps on your phone, then you can also install apps on Linux Mint.

I actually found that it was a lot easier to install Mint than setting up a new Windows pc. The most difficult part was using a windows pc to download it and making a bootable USB stick. Your friend can help you with that or you can follow a guide.

I have had zero issues and I have never written a single command line. It just works.

spittingimage ,
@spittingimage@lemmy.world avatar

If you pick a new user-friendly distro, nine times out of ten it’ll run like a dream out of the box.

If you want to change something minor like a desktop background, you might need to search through menus for the settings or ask for advice.

If you want to install new hardware, like swapping in a new video card, you’ll definitely need some assistance.

dhhyfddehhfyy4673 ,

Linux Mint w/ Cinnamon is a pretty painless transition.

vzq ,

Most operating systems these days are just micro-kernels to run the actual operating system, your browser. Most users will be perfectly happy using whatever in most cases as long as you can get one of the major browsers on it.

If they have special requirements, then you need to figure them out first.

wazzupdog ,

I had a friend who was about as computer illiterate as they come, they had a crappy gateway laptop(netbook maybe) that had kubuntu on it they preferred it to when they had win vista(yes this was forever ago, i replaced vista with kubuntu because it was lighter than gnome at the time) they loved the kde interface and most of what they did was Myspace Tumblr and Facebook, but even they managed to figure out play on Linux and wine after a few months

PoorlyWrittenPapyrus , (edited )

It could not be simpler.

My grandfather in law kept getting scammed and installing viruses while on Windows. I installed Linux Mint on his desktop last year, setup automatic updates, created a non admin account for him, changed a few easy configurations to hide the technical stuff that appears when you turn the computer on, and he fucking loves it.

Keep in mind getting this man to login to Netflix on his TV is a minimum 30 minute long phone call. One time, we had to send people to check on him because his phone was off for 3 days straight; he put it on airplane mode and couldn’t figure out how to turn it off.

He has had 0, yes, exactly 0, problems with his computer since I installed Linux Mint. It’s faster, to point where he noticed and commented on it, and he finds it easier to use than Windows, which has been on every computer he has ever owned.

He brags to anyone who will give him the time of day how much he loves it.

I promise you, it’s really that easy.

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