Linux

I don't know, but I want your wallpaper.

Adopt windows file system with letterer partitions as the root. Plus most people who use computers are used to this paradigm already. Who ever came up with Linux's file system has poor organization skills

My 90yo neighbor has run Mint since before I met him 15 years ago

Pls send me ur wallpaper (I fucking love stolas)

Something that automatically updates. Despite my best efforts my mom still has me update her Mint install.

Aurora Linux + KDE

It's an immutable version of Fedora with flatpack support.

This is actually a good setup for the vast majority of people.

I stopped liking gnome. Let's say you try to launch a wine game and it just doesn't launch. There's no icon to right click on to find out which wine profile it's launching from. The quick launch icon is just there, teasing you and not doing anything useful.

I can right click on a desktop icon in KDE and do something useful with it. KDE has gotten better. It's no longer super buggy on Wayland with Nvidia.

I would make it controlled by voice. Just need to figure out a way to tell the user what the system can do. Computer, help me shop for medicin and hold up a box infront of the screen with what you use today. This should be simple. If you make it to complex like it is today then elder people will not use the computer.

Basically a personal assistent/guide driven OS. Start with rethink the experience you would have if you went to the mall and have a human assistent with a big screen to show you everything.

Those newfangled immutable distros might benefit them, since they're unlikely to want to or care about modification, and it's extra security.

Set up the web browser with a strong ad-blocker, maybe whitelisting YouTube since non-techy people are unlikely to know what to do if youtube throws up a stink about the adblocker.

Set up auto-updates maybe. For safety and such.

Otherwise make sure it looks like a dead ringer for whatever they are already used to (usually Windows) -- Same background, icons in the same places and looking similar if not the same, panels set up the same way, etc. -- This is easier with Cinnamon or KDE Plasma. Gnome... Even if you like it, it's too different, yanno? Unless they're coming from Mac, and even then it's not the same.

P.S.: Lovely background of a gay bird prince. <3

Auto update only critical and likely attack vectors (the kernel, network stack) and have them applied when shutting down, have visual hints that explain to them what each thing is and make it immutable.

Elderly people in my family use Ubuntu (LTS) for over a decade. In one particular case, all LTS updates are performed remotely, without issues.

It's going to sound really silly but here goes:

1. Ensure their background is the same as it was (seriously, they often use it as an extra way to find things).

2. Where possible, use windows icons for desktop shortcuts and mask link names to match vocab they're familiar with.

3. Have rustdesk set up with a link saying "Let help me".

4. Make sure they have their password written down somewhere.

5. Make sure you have their password written down somewhere.

6. Where possible have background updating, where not possible have a .sh file to do it for them.

7. Add desktop links for things like downloads, documents and pictures.

These are tips for any distro when moving less tech savvy relatives over. For those that like to game, ensure your fs on their gaming drive is a Linux one as it stops weird behaviour. Also, you know, install the games for them!

A wallpaper with Stolas incentivizes me for sure, but unlikely for beginners or elderlies, unless they like Stolas also.

Mint/elementary are good if on windows 10/Mac respectively

What I would say is what is your reason for converting people, because you're going to end up as permanent tech support this way when they'd have probably been fine with a Mac or something

I think linux mint is already there.

I don't even know how could it be simplified more. It's really basic.

The only obstacle there is the previous familiarity with other operative systems that could make change bard. But I'm pretty sure that if you put anyone truly novice in tech in front of linux mint and windows 11, they'll have an easier time on linux mint.

I would try to copy the usability of macOS/Windows as much as possible without being different for the sake of being different. They should never have to look at the command line if they don't want to.

These are solved problems.

Most of my family run Linux.

My parents run Linux Mint. It’s simple and looks like Windows. The only thing they need is a browser and LibreOffice.

Some other family members are using ElementaryOS.

The majority of PC users are IT illiterate. They have no idea what the difference between Windows and Linux is or the difference between Chrome and Firefox is.

“This icon is your browser. You know, where you can access the bank. And this icon lets you write documents”.

There was always issues when family members was running Windows. Haven’t had to fix anything after installing Linux instead. Some doesn’t even know they are using Linux. I just said I updated their PC 😅