[2Gkashmiri]

ive been wondering. if a new user is switching from windows, don't you think something like kde neon would have "less friction" UX wise ? i somewhat understand the appeal of pop os but gnome is wildly different from windows and i have seen people turn off.

[kitsunesoba]

KDE is certainly closer to Windows than GNOME is, but in my opinion only enough that longtime Windows users would likely find it sitting an uncanny valley of Windows-ness, at least with all the default configurations (which most new users would be using) I've seen.

In practice I've found that Cinnamon, XFCE, and MATE configured similarly to how they are by default on Linux Mint to operate more like Windows than KDE does.

[eitland]

Long time KDE fan here.

IIRC last time I tried Pop OS it seemed very usable and the only thing that stopped me from using it was some hardware issues on my rig (a faulty drive, not the fault of Pop OS).

I especially liked that they try to clean up keyboard shortcuts in a smart way.

(For reference my issues with Gnome 3 that they built (built?) on is the we-know-best attitude combined with what I perceive as agressive copying of certain Mac OS features and also not trusting its users.)

[fleaaaa]

From my experience, people who want to try linux is yearning for somewhat different UI, but not too different from familiar win/macos UI. Pop OS hits the sweet spot imo, refreshing but comfortable enough while usability is still there.

[Case81]

gnome is literally macOS with a few changes though

[fleaaaa]

That is the point I tried to make, sorry for the confusion.

[fosshogg]

I keep seeing this advice for windows users switching to Linux - that they "need" a DE that is incredibly similar to Windows in order to feel comfortable. However, I think that's really the wrong approach. You'll just end up making them go into that headspace where they expect/want linux to work exactly like windows. If they really wanted something that's just like windows, why would they even leave windows to begin with?

[azangru]

Neon may be a bit too bleeding edge for a new convert from Windows.

Kubuntu is probably just right.

[forgotpwd16]

Just install dash-to-panel and desktop icons extension. Now you've a very fine traditional interface.

[misterpopo]

Yes https://imgshare.io/image/poposwindows.pgDfc7