Best Linux Distro for a Non-Techie Friend Moving Away from Microsoft

I totally get it! My wife, who knows nothing about tech, switched from Windows 7 to Linux Mint Cinnamon without a hitch. I showed her basic tasks like browsing and writing, and she picked it up easily. After almost two years, she’s still happily using it for tutoring and document creation. Mint might be a solid choice for your friend too, especially since it’s user-friendly and has a similar interface to what she's used to.

If Mint didn’t work previously, maybe Pop!_OS could be a contender. It has robust hardware support and a polished interface. Also, if your friend primarily uses it for web browsing and document work, any modern Linux distro with good Wi-Fi support should fit just fine. Don't forget to list the main tasks she'll be doing, so you can choose the best fit!

Choosing the right distro is really subjective. What works for one person might not suit another due to different hardware and user needs. I'd suggest testing various distros that suit her laptop's specs. When I switched to Ubuntu back in '04, it worked seamlessly for me, so maybe it's worth a try. But definitely connect via Ethernet during installation to avoid driver issues later.

Honestly, giving a Linux machine to someone who's not tech-savvy is tricky. If they only need it for basic tasks, I might suggest getting an iPad instead unless you’re available for support. If you’re committed to Linux, Zorin or Mint are both good options. They focus on user experience and generally have good support for drivers.

For privacy, I'd recommend sticking to stable distros like Mint or even considering Debian. Mint has a pretty straightforward setup and user interface, which might work well since she's used to it. If you faced Wi-Fi issues before, it’s worth trying again since Linux updates often fix such problems.