Ask Lemmy

I like Zorin Linux.

I would not wish Window on my worst enemies.

Mac or Linux, something like Mint, Zorin, or PopOS.

Mac for the better ingregration with more popular apps. Other than that, Linux, but test it out first since not all hardware works correctly. I had good luck with hardware on all that I have tried so far.

What do they want to do?

An iPad with a keyboard can serve the needs of a significant amount of users. I know people for whom it’s their only device apart from a phone.

A hardcore gamer will want Windows. Linux can play a lot better of games natively or fairly easily via Proton. macOS has some good ones natively but playing via Wine is more complicated. Some specialized industry workflows will require it. Windows-only games and applications are the only reason to recommend Windows.

Mac/macOS is great general purpose hardware and software. Good applications are available for art, science, engineering and productivity and it’s certified Unix. The ecosystem can be slick—Handoff from/to iPhone, unlock with Watch, TimeMachine backups, etc. Support people are usually native speakers from the same country. Some good native games and some through Wine are possible but Window and Linux have significantly more.

Linux can work for basic email, productivity and web browsing. Gaming choices are better than macOS but Windows is still better. They don’t have to worry about ads or the next interface fad being forced on them. They’ll likely need a bit more hand-holding and support down the road. They’ll need a Linux guy but they can be up and running on old/cheap hardware.

Point blank generic recommendation? MacOS.

Otherwise, Linux is the endgame, so it's a matter of talking to the person to see what software is essential for them.

Linux Mint

Depends on what they need it for.

Gaming, rendering, anything that needs lots of power and driver support - Windows

Music production, video editing, graphic design - MacOS

Programming, or people who want full control over their system - Linux

Don't listen to Apple fanboys. You absolutely do not need to spend $1000 to take notes and browse the internet.

Nearing my 60s, very satisfied Linux Mint user. Obviously, it all depends what the user expects from their computer.

Absolutely depends on the use case.

Are they buying a new computer to be a jack-of-all-trades? Simple, they should get either a windows computer or a Mac that suits their needs, depending on what they’re comfortable with and what gets you a better price to quality ratio.

Are they on an old computer of specs that are good enough for today? I’d say either windows or Linux, depending on what software they’ll need to use.

Are they on an old computer of not the best specs? Either Linux or (trigger warning) chromeOS flex, since both can certainly revive an old computer, and this again depends on what they’ll need to use but also what UX they want.

Are they buying something new for a simple workflow? I’d say a Chromebook, sure many of them are shit, but frankly, if all you need is web browsing and maybe some android and Linux apps through the VM containers, it’s actually alright, even despite it being google based vendor lock-in. They also have a decade of support as standard iirc, and if it has issues, the reset functionality is actually incredibly easy.

Bare in mind, all of these have downsides and upsides, different visibility to the general, non tech savvy public, and different hardware, software, compatibility, etc.

If they're only doing web stuff, I'd recommend ChromeOS on a Chromebook+ tbh.

Most users never use anything more than that and web-based apps will be more than enough for what they're likely to use. It's also ideal for those not tech savvy. Plus can use android apps too if needed so it can be used as a big tablet.

But of the 3, I'd probably chose Linux for them. But you'll have to expect to still be the tech support. That's why I say ChromeOS - it's used by kids a lot for a reason

I use Linux Mint

Steam games work on Linux Mint without issues, or at least I was lucky enough not to have issues so far.

Linux alternatives to popular apps are very good (Libre Office, Inkscape, Gimp etc) and they don't try to shove AI down my throat or demand subscription.

I also would like to include that in terms of ease of use and interface familiarity Linux Mint looks quite a lot like Windows XP.

Linux mint

If they are not savvy enough to do troubleshooting themselves or have no one to ask for help, I think macOS would be the best (assuming money isn’t an issue). Otherwise, Linux Mint.

MacOS if they can afford it. Otherwise Linux Mint.

If this average user doesn't need to use Microsoft or Apple software, Fedora Workstation Linux. My dad, who is 78 and of average intelligence can use it, anyone can.

Linux can run on older, used hardware, has no AI, no Apple or Microsoft account required.

TempleOS

I wanna mention this: If there are niche movies/shows you wanna watch but you can't find a torrent for it... the the only way to really watch it is the mainstream sites and those require DRM and if you run Linux, Netflix, for example, would run on L3 Widewine instead of L1 Widewine and that means SD content only...

so yeah... depends on how this "average user" really want to watch niche content... or is even comfortable with the idea of torrents

(I've personally found a bunch of stuff that I literally cannot find torrents for... so yeah... there's that...)

Unless you are looking to learn nix, go with Windows or Apple. 

Unless you made sure all the hardware works and you want to fuck around Linux ain't for normies despite what this forum is going to screech at you.

If they are buying a new laptop and macbooks cost about the same what they'd pay for a PC laptop, the mac is a solid choice.

I want to say Linux. I use Linux (and macs occasionally). Linux is great. But macs are also great and work very well out of the box. So does Linux, if the hardware is fully supported and if you don't need any non-lonux desktop software. Those are some ifs.

Are we assuming this person has never used any other operating system before?

Because I do think a lot of the perception of Linux being more difficult is just because people who grew up on Windows or MacOS have gotten so used to those that the inertia of trying something new is what's hard about it.