[JanTurnherr]

My recent expierience: 2023: install windows on new machine. Login to microsoft account. Use computer.

2025: install windows on new machine. Try to log in to microsoft account. Cant. Use usb key. I dont have one. Use authenticator. Message is not show in authenticator. Use password. Wrong password (it was 100% the correct one) give up and use offline account. New try to log in: nothing works. In the end i had to reset my password.

[tru3_power]

I am building a new rig after years of solely using a MacBook, and reading all these horror stories of windows 10/11 I am just gonna go with Ubuntu. I may dual boot with windows but only if really needed.

[cess11]

Ubuntu is Debian with some MICROS~1 thrown in. Just go with Debian and tell the installer you want non-free stuff if you need certain drivers.

[65]

Debian as a first time Linux user seems painful. Unless you enjoy spending hours and hours setting up a computer. Mint is still the simplest for me.

[cess11]

Why would it take "hours and hours"?

[65]

Every time I make this statement about Linux not being beginner friendly on Hacker News, there's always a reply about how so very pain free and easy it is.

If Linus Torvalds of all people is complaining about how much of a pain in the ass Debian can be to install, it's going to be a pain in the ass. Hell, Mint had countless issues I had to monkey patch and would break if I looked at it funny.

You cannot expect a beginner user to touch a command line or even think about desktop environments. We're computer nerds here but sometimes the expectation that booting from an ISO or making disk partitions is easy for the average person grossly overestimates the average person's desire to debug and fight with their computer.

Seriously, ask your Grandma to install Debian on her Windows computer by herself and see what happens.

[cess11]

I don't get the impression that you actually help people migrate to Linux.

When I do, I give them a flash drive and if necessary help them change the boot order, then they just answer what they understand and accept defaults on the rest. This typically works well and they are surprised that when install is done, it's really done, no messing about with license keys and downloading install binaries and whatnot.

[flakeoil]

Maybe not to install, but to chose what to install. Saying "install Debian instead of Ubuntu" is not a complete answer, because you have to select a window manager as well. If you go "pure" Debian, what should you then select? GNOME, KDE, cinnamon, xfce, Mate...?

It's an easier path to go with Linux Mint or Ubuntu. Less overwhelming choices when you just want to get started. Linux Mint is good for people used to Windows as it feels familiar. If you still want to go "pure" Debian you can use LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition).

[cess11]

Just go with the XFCE ISO and say you want to have non-free stuff, choose your locale and say yes to the partition plan, and you're done in like twenty minutes unless your storage is very slow.