This is an interesting question.

My daughters have grown up with Ubuntu as their main typing and work computer, with windows being what they game on. They are just as able to use one as the other. They don’t break stuff in Ubuntu, and I find myself troubleshooting their windows game pc more than their Ubuntu installs. They don’t touch the command line in either OS.

I use Debian as my main ride, and don’t do any troubleshooting with that either, unless I’m just tinkering around and even then it’s not like I’m borking the whole OS.

I think most Debian distributions could be installed and used with no issue, and unless you are gaming or doing 3D modeling or CAD, could be daily driven. I don’t believe you need any more ability to use Linux than you do windows. I believe you have just as much chance blowing your windows OS away as you do any Linux distribution. Just practice 3-2-1 backups, which you should do with any OS, and take it one step at a time.

I'd say so, too. I've seen at least 3 tech illiterate people (who gave it a chance) be really happy with Linux. You will probably face some annoyance at some point, as it is with everything. But I think Linux is a good choice. Get help installing it if you know someone who can. It's not that difficult but that would speed up the process. The most important thing is to save your data so you don't accidentally overwrite it.

I think it is , you had to learn how to use windows and you can learn how to use a Linux distro, I recommend Ubuntu or fedora with KDE, most of the concepts for your day to day should be similar with small subtle changes.

Your browser will still function the same . you will have a home directory with subdirectories for all your files. Kind of like my computer on windows.

The main thing is to mentally understand that it is not windows , just like iOS is not android.

If you can't find a replacement or Linux version of a program there is a windows compatibility layer called WINE that can be used but that is a topic for another day.

There are things call live CDs or live USBs that let you try the OS without installing it. It runs off a USB or CD.

There are always people willing to land a hand online if you do have an issue.

If you do end up using it for a long time you will learn more about computers just from your day to day use of Linux as it doesnt hide stuff from you.

Anyway best of luck to you whatever you decide to do.

• old laptop
• windows 11
• tech illiterate

Something doesn't add up, or only 2/3 are true.

Your biggest tech challenge will likely be in installing linux. So take your time and work through a tutorial.

Linux is a fundamentally different OS from Windows. Some desktop environments resemble various Windows versions, while others are very different: they might be more Mac like, or more mobile like, or completely unfamiliar.

Installing programs is generally easier on linux because the default is to use the package manager (basically an app store) rather than downloading sketchy programs off websites that all want to update on their own schedule and all want to start when you boot the OS. Just search them, set updates to pop up weekly or whatever your preferred schedule is, and your package manager will do the rest.

Troubleshooting is harder for new users but easier for experienced users: it typically requires more work that can be daunting for casual users, but it lets you get much deeper into the OS to fix problems, where on Windows you might just be stuck waiting for a patch.

Compatibility is usually the biggest frustration, since many programs do not release a linux version, so you need to find alternatives or run them in a compatibility layer. Both of these solutions can sometimes cause problems getting the exact functionality you need, whereas if you’re using the natively supporting OS it may be smoother.

I'd say so - since you're coming in relatively cold you're probably not so used to Windows that you'd get frustrated with how Linux works compared to it, and if you're just using it for regular, everyday stuff like web browsing there's practically no difference.

Not really, to be honest.

I think Linux has come a long, long way. But unfortunately, "tech illiterate" has become much, much more illiterate.

It feels like Linux will forever be stuck in this 'just behind' mentality because companies like Apple and even Microsoft can funnel so many resources into making sure their distribution ;) is user-friendly.

That said, I think Microsoft sees the writing on the wall and is ducking out. Apple has no reason to. Their designers, unfortunately, are on point.

Linux and Windows are very similar, but they have some very important differences. My recommendation to you would be to install a VM and try to use Linux, if your computer can't handle a VM or you want a closer experience at running Linux, you can create a Live USB with a program called Rufus, it should even allow you to set some permanence so you don't have to redo everything every time you boot it. Running Linux from the USB will let you use the system without altering anything, and you'll have an install button that will have a graphical interface to install Linux on your system should you want to.

That depends. You could go the same path ChromeOS & SteamOS does and setup an immutable distribution.