Welp… My mom is apparently done with windows (yay!) Anf wants me to move her laptop to Linux (oh nooo). I personally use Ubuntu studios but im not sure what to get for her. She is getting her masters in nursing online so it def needs to be able to accommodate that. Do y’all have any suggestions on where to start? TIA

  • MyNameIsRichard@lemmy.ml
    22·
    2 months ago

    She is getting her masters in nursing online so it def needs to be able to accommodate that

    Is there any specialist software she needs, or is it browser based?

  • anon5621@lemmy.ml
    21·
    2 months ago

    Depends from her hardware but generally Linux mint I install for everyone who is not familiar at all with linux.

  • Brickfrog@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    5·
    2 months ago

    My suggestion is to install Ubuntu with whatever desktop environment works for her. Since you’re using Ubuntu too, and you’re essentially going to be her tech support, it’ll just be easier all around to stay on the same distro at least for now.

    More importantly, how Windows-centric is she? Some people may prefer Gnome since using it is just a bit less complicated to use without needing to set a bunch of different settings. But if she’s expecting the Windows style start menus and such then maybe she’ll prefer KDE. Or there’s always installing Linux Mint’s Cinnamon on Ubuntu, Cinnamon would be easier than KDE for a ex-Windows user I suspect (https://ubuntucinnamon.org/ also exists apparently).

  • zemon@lemmy.ml
    4·
    2 months ago

    1, Find out whether she needs any specific piece of software that is hard to replace. 2, Regarding distro, you should install her what you use, so it is easier for you to help. Ubuntu is well hated for a reason though (Canonical doing big tech things). I’d recommend either Linux Mint or Debian (if you are not a beginner in Linux and comfortable in the termunal) for both of you, but I’d wait until she passes her exams and may consider setting up a dual-boot on a spare SSD first, so she is able to try Linux and go back to Windows when needed. 3, Desktop environment: GNOME is considered best for ones coming from Apple and KDE from Windows. Both are resource hungry in my opinion, so I use MATE, which looks like GNOME 2 out of the box and uses a bit more resources than Xfce, well configurable though. Note that Ubuntu MATE is its flagship edition, many options are there out of the box (like MATE tweak).

  • Tenderizer78@lemmy.mlEnglish
    4·
    2 months ago

    Though I’m disappointed at how ugly Cinnamon and all it’s themes are, Linux Mint (with Cinnamon).

    But as someone else said, probably ought to dual-boot or have a Windows VM just to be safe.

  • monovergent@lemmy.ml
    3·
    2 months ago

    Linux Mint, as many have suggested, but Fedora would also be a good choice if there’s any bleeding-edge hardware not supported otherwise.

  • dajoho@sh.itjust.works
    3·
    2 months ago

    Seconding and thirding the use of an immutable OS. I specifically like Bazzite Gnome. People know it for gaming, but many don’t know it has a fantastic desktop mode, suitable for children, mums and grandmas.

    Almost all the software a casual user needs is available from their Flatpak App Store, and it’s pretty as hell (looks very Apple-like and shiny). I have been using it for about a year and I am still impressed how fluid, polished and solid everything feels.