[hot_gril]

Would've never thought of having a non-tech-understanding person use GNU/Linux before, but nowadays I think Windows has managed to close the gap on its own by becoming horrible. Though there are other options like iPad or Chromebook.

[Delk]

If they're non-tech-understanding enough, it might not matter at all. Someone who's oblivious enough may use the computer as more of an appliance (plus web).

I had my ageing parents set up with a Linux desktop for some years in the past. I just -pre-configured everything they'd likely have needed. Browser, email, instant messaging (as it was at the time), a photos app, possibly something else I'm forgetting.

It's the somewhat tech-savvy (or at least somewhat tech-independent) for whom such a transition might be the most trouble.

(And, of course, those people who use specialized applications or hardware for which support may not be available, or who use workflows that require going somewhat below the "appliance" level and which could require significant relearning.)

[hot_gril]

I agree that the semi-power-user category is the most problematic, but my grandma wasn't there. More like, so non-tech-savvy that she accidentally clicked buttons or hit shortcuts for power users, messing things up in ways she couldn't fix. Like, she deleted the Safari address bar and installed 10 malicious Chrome extensions. Used her mouse upside-down for a while once.

GNU/Linux actually might've been best because it's harder to do anything in it. Chromebook wasn't an option cause the screens are too small, and idk if Chromeboxes were viable back then (~2015). She used to use Windows, which was an unmitigated disaster with viruses.

[Delk]

I guess my parents are/were of a cautious enough sort that, for them, the trouble of navigating the internet turned more into narrower use rather than installing tons of malicious extensions via questionable websites. (I do remember once finding an .exe file downloaded from the website of a magazine to which my father subscribed. Didn't work in Ubuntu, I guess. Probably also not malicious in that case, but I can see how people could end up with crapware.)

As for other issues with basic use, my mother is even older now, and even things that used to be pre-arranged and familiar have become more difficult. But I don't think the OS matters much for that any more, on a grand scale. Touchscreens might help to an extent (and also avoid upside-down mouse issues), and obviously things would need to be set up so that there aren't any unnecessary hurdles. But beyond that it's learned routines rather than any kind of a generalized understanding anyway. She does know how to usually get rid of things by clicking 'x' though.

Did you find something that worked out for your grandma in the end?

(edit: You edited your reply before I finished mine, so I replied to the earlier version. I see the problem with accidentally triggering things. I guess it might be the fairly cautious nature and the limited use patterns that might have saved my parents from them.)

[hot_gril]

Sorry, I wanted to reword my comment to be shorter but say the same thing basically.

Nothing worked. In hindsight, maybe the Mac would've been ok-ish if I'd used Chrome Remote Desktop to help whenever she had issues, which had fewer pitfalls than the other screen sharing options I tried. Last one I remember was Teamviewer, which broke cause her friend "fixed her computer by removing junk" like that, but it also had other issues before.

[Delk]

No worries. Too bad that nothing worked.

Screen sharing for support is probably a necessary problem I didn't think of much since I happen to live close by. It'd absolutely need to be something that requires minimal effort from them.

[belthesar]

I had my grandmother running on Linux since 2008, and she loved it. She wasn't gonna get a virus, she didn't have root/sudo capability on her user, which meant she wasn't going to break anything, and she had ad blocking in her browser. She was told two things: "1. If something wants to install something or update something, say no. If it keeps asking, call me. 2. You can't break this." This removed the fear she had using a computer, and went from "too afraid to turn it on lest she hear the sighs and frustrations of her now late technophile husband" to "doing everything from social media to online shopping". The last machine she had was an Asus Chromebox I bought her when the machine she was using was just not able to keep up anymore. She used Google Apps for word processing, Gmail for email, and had a ball.

Sibling commenters have it right - if a computer is an appliance to them, then going for the simplest, least likely to accidentally mess up option is the best one.

[rsolva]

Linux (in my case Fedora) has been fantastic, especially for the non-techs who have not gotten used to Windows or a Mac! All they need is a browser (with adblock) and maybe a simple word processor. Fedora does not nag about updates, it just chugs along and keeps everything up-to-date in the background. Major OS-updates is a one click in the app store, which I do once a year-ish. Soooo much less hassle then MacOS and Windows!

[hot_gril]

I can see it, OS doesn't nag the user and things stay static aside from automatic updates, which you could even disable if you wanna be around for them. Problem is even some web things will not work the same in Linux, for example Netflix officially only supports 720p, and hardware compatibility isn't guaranteed (bluetooth and wifi especially).