If they are willing and able to learn something with a radically different interface: Fedora.
If they aren’t: Linux Mint. There is nothing easier for a former windows user than Mint and it has a ton of built in tools for any kind of user. Not to mention forums support and massive package repos (+ built in flatpak).
I swear by Linux Mint - it's easy to setup and it required basically no transition for me at all coming from windows to get used to the controls and layout, was very painless.
You got the typical recommendations already, my advice would be to avoid most of the niche distros. I just don't think they offer much over something that is more mainstream, especially for your first foray.
The first distro I ran for any significant length of time was Fedora.
I agree except for Manjaro. EndeavourOS is a better Arch derivative I think. There are quite a few reasons but the one that bugs me the most is I’ve had things break because they hold back packages from upstream.
I agree, also the holding back of packages just for the sake of waiting probably doesn't make it more stable, despite what the devs say; also having 300+ packages updated at the same time might make it worse for troubleshooting in case something goes wrong.
As someone who actually started with Manjaro back in 2020 before moving to EndeavourOS after 9 months, I would say that there is indeed a steeper learning curve as you don't get for example a GUI package manager (Pamac is awful and even as a newbie I used it for maybe three days before I started to use the CLI, but a Linux beginner might want one) and the fact it is a true rolling release means you need to do some more research and maintenance, so I wouldn't call Endeavour a distro for absolute beginners, unless one is determined to learn a lot about how a computer works... but again one shouldn't probably use a rolling release then; Manjaro just tricks you to believe it is easier, but it probably is only if you don't use the AUR.
Maybe Garuda is more beginner friendly than EndeavourOS while avoiding most of the problems Manjaro has? Although I've never used it as I don't see any advantage over Endeavour, and I'm not a fan of excessive out of the box theming and Chaotic AUR enabled as default...
I disagree with both since it depends on how the user wishes to use the OS.
With Manjaro the package delay isn't bad if you do not intend to use AUR. Out of the box its user friendly and has a GUI for everything I needed to configure when I was using it.
But if you need software only on AUR, which is a lot. Then yeah Manjaro is bad with dependencies and updates (broked my install because of it)
Meanwhile EvdeavourOS is too reliant on the terminal for me to call it beginner friendly. If it had the same level of GUIs for configurations and a Graphical Package installer available as an optional install then I'd give it another shot.
For me a beginner is someone who knows there way around a computer (won't confuse a web broswer with a OS), but isn't familiar with a terminal or command line. So the less an distro relies on the terminal for OS functionality (installing software, updating the OS, etc.) The more beginner friendly it is.
So are Linux Mint Ltd, System76, Manjaro GmbH, and SUSE S.A., btw.
I agree with you 'questionable decisions' remark but if you want to go to an option by an organization that's not a business, you don't have that many choices in the Linux mainstream.
OpenSUSE is owned by SUSE which is a quite profitable business
Manjaro is owned by Manjaro GmbH & Co. KG to "... to effectively engage in commercial agreements, form partnerships, and offer professional services".
You can dislike Canonical for whatever reasons, I would like to hear them. Saying "They are a business" is a bit disingenuous since all these distros have a business backing them and commerical interests in mind.
+1 for OpenSUSE, it's a great semi-stable rolling release distro. However, I would avoid it for uses that require doing a bunch of stuff with networking because YAST messes that up a little.
Honestly I've been very satisified with ostree-based distros, specifically Fedora Kinoite (Silverblue for GNOME) and it's very hard to fuck it up and it encourages flatpak usage.
Other than that, the recommendations on the article are pretty good.
I really liked Crubchbang back in the day, but since it (and bunsen) have disappeared, after some distro hopping I settled on Lubuntu. It's nice and simple like Gnome 2 or Windows xp. Nothing surprising, and nothing trying too hard. Very intuitive for long time GUI users like myself, with none of the stability issues that plagued actual GUIs from the past.
Stepping into the labyrinth of Linux distros, are we? It's like choosing your first pet, and equally as exhilarating (and can be as much work for the first time owner).
I'd say, cozy up with Ubuntu ( a current daily Arch and openSUSE user myself).
Why, you ask? Let me paint you a picture.
Imagine Ubuntu as a Labrador - friendly, accommodating, and doesn't chew up your furniture (or in this case, your patience).
First off, Ubuntu's UI is intuitive and user-friendly. It’s like it holds your hand through the twilight zone of the terminal. Also, it's well-documented, with a vibrant community ready to assist when you hit a snag.
And here's the cherry on top - it’s Debian-based. This means a massive software repository, making installations a breeze. So you can spend more time enjoying the Linux landscape, and less time wrestling with software dependencies.
So while it isn't perfect (or everyones cup of tea), I still believe it provides th easiest out-of-the-box experience for new Linux users.
As you grow in confidence, feel free to explore the wilder breeds. 😉 Happy journey!
Manjaro, and I'm not joking. It has all of the advantages and disadvantages of Arch, but at the same time has a very user-friendly default configuration, and a GUI tool that lets you choose which kernel version to use (LTS, latest, real-time, etc).
Unlike most Arch-based distros, it's not a bleeding-edge rolling release. It's always behind Arch with a rapid point-release schedule, but that also means that each update gets tested and commented on by users (and I do encourage reading and contributing to the release forum thread - it is how I avoided the GRUB bug that killed many Arch installations).