I'm trying to set up a Linux laptop for a friend who lives in another city. They have only ever used Windows, and likely won't have easy access to fix issues (not that I'm an expert).
First off, is it a good idea to give them a Linux PC at all? Have others had good/bad experiences giving technophobes Linux?
Secondly, if I go ahead with it, what's a good, stable, "safe" OS for a beginner? I'm shy of anything that's a rolling release (e.g. Arch, Manjaro etc) as "bleeding edge" can break things more often than not. I'm leaning towards Debian or something Debian based. But I've also heard good things about Fedora.
If I was the one using the PC, I'd have installed Fedora, as I've heard it's well-maintained. Then again there's been some good buzz about Debian 12. What would your advice be? Thanks!
@piezoelectron It's a bad idea to give someone a "Linux PC", as that'll just panic() on boot.
You should be glad to give freedom to someone by giving them a GNU/Linux PC.
Trisquel: https://trisquel.info/ is an excellent choice as it's easy to use, note that some hardware will refuse to work (although that's usually only really 802.11ac Wi-Fi cards and decent external or internal 802.11n ones are rather cheap).
Is it possible the rough edges of Trisquel would turn OP's friend off of Linux as a whole?
@soupuos What rough edges?
Some hardware and proprietary software are designed maliciously with sharp blades to cut the user, but that's nothing to do with Trisquel.
It would be good if people were to be turned off from the proprietary software kernel known as Linux and got to know GNU Linux-libre and/or Hurd instead.
I completely agree. But most people don't see how significant free software is (e.g., OP's friend is using Windows). If a libre system means a worse experience for the user, many won't care enough to stick with it.
Linux with proprietary software is at least a step in the right direction; I agree that it's not the final destination though.
@soupuos >most people don't see how significant free software is
Indeed.
>If a libre system means a worse experience for the user, many won't care enough to stick with it.
A libre system that respects the user is always a better experience for the user, although some inconveniences may exist (which are fixable with effort).
It's a real shame if people give up on freedom over a slight difficulty, but there's nothing I can do about that really.
>Linux with proprietary software is at least a step in the right direction; I agree that it's not the final destination though.
Maybe, but if only a single step is ever taken in the right direction, has more than a trivial gain been realized?
@Suiseiseki @piezoelectron > (although that's usually only really 802.11ac Wi-Fi cards and decent external or internal 802.11n ones are rather cheap)
And any discrete GPU will also give trouble, specially newer AMD and Nvidia ones.
@sallyNULL @piezoelectron Depends really.
I found Trisquel works fine with even a card as new as the gtx 970 thanks to Nouveau, although the card is stuck at idle clocks as the fans refuse to spin without proprietary software that is cryptographically signed to prevent its replacement.
Even newer AMD ones should work with a native resolution, but you won't get 3D acceleration nor suspend.
Integrated Intel still works just fine.
@Suiseiseki @piezoelectron > Even newer AMD ones should work with a native resolution, but you won't get 3D acceleration nor suspend.
From my personal experience, AMD GPUs from 2017 and newer do not have working 3D rendering support at all without nonfree blobs, only BIOS works, which means you're stuck on tty at 800x600 resolution, I have no clue if Nvidia newer cards also have the same issue as I've not touched an Nvidia card since GTX 10 series nor I have plans on doing so, but I wouldn't be surprised newer cards have the exact same issue.
I think Triquel is one of the few 100% libre distros. They are becoming rarer and rarer.