What is the best Linux Distro for my mom?
January 31, 2013 5:40 AM Subscribe
I just had to replace the hard drive in my mothers computer and reinstall Windows 7. She is open to using Linux so it seems like a good time to get her to switch.
She spends 90% of her time in Firefox and a text editor and Filezilla. Any thoughts on which distro would be best for her to try if she is coming from Windows. She is 60 years old and pretty savvy. Ubuntu seems to have gone off the rails with Unity. Are there any other distros that are close to performing like windows? I only deal with Ubuntu servers using SSH so I am not really sure what the desktop environment is like now.
She spends 90% of her time in Firefox and a text editor and Filezilla. Any thoughts on which distro would be best for her to try if she is coming from Windows. She is 60 years old and pretty savvy. Ubuntu seems to have gone off the rails with Unity. Are there any other distros that are close to performing like windows? I only deal with Ubuntu servers using SSH so I am not really sure what the desktop environment is like now.
I can only speak with my experience, but Ubuntu. You can ditch Unity (although I am 1-2 versions behind on my machines) and you can keep on trucking without any issues. If she's as switched on as you say, it'll take a week or so.
If she likes to get into command lines... eh. I figure the curve is steep for any distro.
I have heard good things from ex-Ubuntu-users for Mint Linux users. Haven't tried it but I am planning to.
posted by Mezentian at 6:03 AM on January 31, 2013
If she likes to get into command lines... eh. I figure the curve is steep for any distro.
I have heard good things from ex-Ubuntu-users for Mint Linux users. Haven't tried it but I am planning to.
posted by Mezentian at 6:03 AM on January 31, 2013
Lifehacker How to Find the Perfect Linux Distribution for You
posted by shothotbot at 6:12 AM on January 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by shothotbot at 6:12 AM on January 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
Personally, I really like Unity (as of 12.04) and don't totally understand the fuss. My 65-year-old dad has been using Ubuntu for about 5 years now and managed the switch to Unity okay -- I haven't heard any complaints.
However, if you think she'd have a problem with the way Unity looks and would prefer something more Windows-like, I'd recommend using Linux Mint because using a non-default desktop environment can be a pain and there's less support for it.
posted by oranger at 6:27 AM on January 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
However, if you think she'd have a problem with the way Unity looks and would prefer something more Windows-like, I'd recommend using Linux Mint because using a non-default desktop environment can be a pain and there's less support for it.
posted by oranger at 6:27 AM on January 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
Linux Mint and Zorin are my two distros of choice for easing new users from Windows to Linux. Zorin in particular has a distinct Windows feel to it. Both are very easy to get a handle on. From there, Ubuntu and Debian as both have huge communities backing them.
posted by samsara at 6:30 AM on January 31, 2013
posted by samsara at 6:30 AM on January 31, 2013
The XFCE version of Ubuntu, Xubuntu would be a pretty good choice. This lets you have all the convenience of Ubuntu without having to get used to Unity. I find XFCE to be very straightforward and logical (more than Unity and Windows for me), and i don't have to go hunting for hidden settings.
posted by Juso No Thankyou at 7:01 AM on January 31, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Juso No Thankyou at 7:01 AM on January 31, 2013 [3 favorites]
Ubuntu hasn't really gone off the rails with Unity. It's pissed off the usual cranky nerds but is pretty usable for ordinary users. I don't really mind it. I'd swicth my parents over if they were not dependent on some windows apps.
posted by srboisvert at 7:46 AM on January 31, 2013
posted by srboisvert at 7:46 AM on January 31, 2013
Linux Mint is fairly Windows-like, and is very popular, which is a plus when it comes to support. Is there a particular feature you are looking for? (Besides being like Windows -- because then, you would just stay with Windows). For example, is your mom's computer older/slower, so does she need an OS that is lightweight?
posted by bluefly at 8:29 AM on January 31, 2013
posted by bluefly at 8:29 AM on January 31, 2013
I'd also recommend the XFCE flavor of Ubuntu, which is pretty speedy and easy to use. I'm cranky, but I don't mind Unity all that much except that it is slower.
posted by Currer Belfry at 8:31 AM on January 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Currer Belfry at 8:31 AM on January 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
Xubuntu. Easy to install, easy to use. You can even download a stand alone installer that will automagically partition your drive so you can dual boot (if that's an issue).
posted by NYC-BB at 5:07 PM on January 31, 2013
posted by NYC-BB at 5:07 PM on January 31, 2013
I am running my old macbook on Linux Mint XFCE, it is really fast. And it works straight out of the box with all the office stuff and firefox already installed.
posted by kwes at 7:35 PM on January 31, 2013
posted by kwes at 7:35 PM on January 31, 2013
Response by poster: I ended up going with the normal Ubuntu. Mostly due to being lazy and I already had a DVD for that. She seems to get by in it. The computer does dual-boot into Windows but she tends to be in Ubuntu more and more every day.
But I do regret it. I installed Mint on another computer and I think she would have preferred it. But it seems too late to change it for her.
posted by johnpowell at 1:13 AM on February 15, 2013
But I do regret it. I installed Mint on another computer and I think she would have preferred it. But it seems too late to change it for her.
posted by johnpowell at 1:13 AM on February 15, 2013
Too late?
Just wait until the next Ubuntu upgrade when they change the user inferface around for no damn reason, and slip in Mint as "a new flavour".
posted by Mezentian at 1:31 AM on February 15, 2013
Just wait until the next Ubuntu upgrade when they change the user inferface around for no damn reason, and slip in Mint as "a new flavour".
posted by Mezentian at 1:31 AM on February 15, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by deezil at 6:01 AM on January 31, 2013 [2 favorites]