If my mother-in-law can use Ubuntu Linux, anyone can (2012)

My wife bought one of these early 2010s netbooks running Ubuntu. She didn't know what it was or how it was different, but eventually she started asking me for support. "How can I use Office? Why can't I play this video? What's this error in the software upgrade screen?"

Linux is fine for day-to-day use if you're already technical and can debug it when you inevitably hit a roadblock, or you have a family member who can provide constant support - thus all these "My grandma uses Linux!" posts that have been a hallmark of this scene for the past 20 years.

It is not a seamless experience for your average Mac or Windows user. There are things like codec restrictions or driver issues (Nvidia), its still transitioning between windowing protocols so things like DPI scaling doesn't work properly across application types. GNOME doesn't even handle tray icons.

Flatpak is a good step but most of the builds are third-party and not endorsed by the vendor (Signal, Chrome, Steam, etc) which leaves them vulnerable to supply chain attacks. Immutable distributions are interesting but rely on the continued success of the above.

I'll continue to recommend Chromebooks to family members. It's incredibly set-and-forget and a more polished experience for the average person.

Still true. My brother, who is the least tech-aware person, got tired of windows updates breaking his peripherals, so he ended up with a linux desktop from Dell, supported by Dell, and he hasn't asked me for any computer help since.

For common chores, "it just works". He uses Libre Office, which also just works. I think he uses Shotwell for photo management.

About 10 years ago, after Windows broke again, I installed Xubuntu on my parents PC. I told them it works like Windows, like how double clicking desktop icons opens programs, the X button in the corner closes them, and there's a "start menu" at the bottom. (If "it works like Windows" triggered you, I'd like to remind you that most people don't care about how operating system kernels are designed.) I showed them how to check email, watch Youtube, play solitaire, read Facebook, and shut down. I expected them to say "put it back like what it was", but it never happened.

I moved entirely to Linux (Ubuntu) for my personal desktop usage (almost entirely gaming) around the middle of last year[1], and it's been wonderful. This year I switched my wife's desktop gaming PC to Ubuntu as well and she's had very few problems with it as a very non-technical user. Sure I've had to help out a few times when things aren't where she expected them but it's definitely ready for prime time.

The year of the Linux desktop really is here. Anecdotally I know several other people who have moved or are strongly considering moving to Linux since they were mostly held back by lack of gaming compatibility which has been ~85-90% solved by Proton.

[1]: https://jakebasile.com/words/2023/12/31/my-year-of-the-linux...

IMHO it's gotten even better since 2012. Back then you would still have issues with stuff like MS Office, video conferencing, etc. Nowdays with the push to SaaS apps, most of that stuff is online and works just fine with Linux.

My company runs on MS stuff so we have Outlook, Teams, Office, etc. Back in 2012 I'm not sure I would have been able to use Linux at work because of this software but now I can run all of it in the browser.

I’ve seen this repeated and it’s just not true. Very non-expert users can use it just because its reasonably stable and they just don’t do that many things, as long as they have a working web browser they are fine (thats the premise of a chromebook). But anyone getting work done will quickly run into things they can’t do.

I’ve come to think a better benchmark for linux having “got there” is, can i run an architects office on ubuntu ?

Architects:

- need access to industry standard, graphics and processing heavy software

- need to exchange files with many other companies, so need inter compatibility

- need things to just work, they are not interested in fiddling with the guts of their os just to make things work

- work in contexts where cost of software is a drop in the ocean in the budget of a project, so the add value of running on linux has to be more than “you get some software for free”

Thinking about reaching a state where you could run an architecture office on ubuntu raises the bar a lot on what still needs to be improved

Your mother-in-law probably never uses bluetooth, video games, Adobe suite, etc.

"Anyone" is a stretch. If you need specific software for work or something (Office, CAD stuff, some embedded stuff springs to mind..) you're still kinda SOL even now.

Ken Thompson is 81, "old" people invented most of this stuff.

Anyone can use it because they think the Internet is a web browser.

My non-technical 72 year old mother, uses linux mint just fine. Mainly for internet browsing and emails. Which I assume is the extent of computer use by the majority of people.

That may be so, but how many other mothers-in-law are elite Linux kernel programmers?

Anyone can. But why waste your precious time looking at that Ugly UI in your limited life when you can use MaC OS.