Linux for older parents

[Exentrick]

Hi All!

 

My dad (89 years old) has an aging laptop: i5-4xxx-ish. It was a refurbished business machine that at least had an SSD in it. With the end of windows 10 support coming up, I'd rather not buy him a new laptop if I don't have to since this is more than capable for his needs. So... I've heard that Linux has gotten better and better for more types of users. But my only experience is with SteamOS, which really doesn't count.

 

So, is there a distro that makes sense? Or should I just pony up some cash for a new laptop for him.

 

Thanks,

 

X

[okkee]

14 minutes ago, Exentrick said:

Hi All!

 

My dad (89 years old) has an aging laptop: i5-4xxx-ish. It was a refurbished business machine that at least had an SSD in it. With the end of windows 10 support coming up, I'd rather not buy him a new laptop if I don't have to since this is more than capable for his needs. So... I've heard that Linux has gotten better and better for more types of users. But my only experience is with SteamOS, which really doesn't count.

 

So, is there a distro that makes sense? Or should I just pony up some cash for a new laptop for him.

 

Thanks,

 

X

Just a basic ubuntu/linuxmint install should be ok. If he's really only browsing the web, it should be ok. So maybe try this first and if he doesn't like it then you can go out and buy a new laptop.

[emosun]

37 minutes ago, Exentrick said:

With the end of windows 10 support coming up, I'd rather not buy him a new laptop if I don't have to since this is more than capable for his needs.

then keep using windows 10

are you under the impression that all of planet earth will instantly stop using it the day the company that sells you it's replacement tells them to? No. It'll be in use for a quite a long time.

[thevictor390]

You can also bypass the upgrade requirements and upgrade it to windows 11.

[Exentrick]

1 hour ago, okkee said:

Just a basic ubuntu/linuxmint install should be ok. If he's really only browsing the web, it should be ok. So maybe try this first and if he doesn't like it then you can go out and buy a new laptop.

Do you have a preference between the two?

 

50 minutes ago, emosun said:

then keep using windows 10

are you under the impression that all of planet earth will instantly stop using it the day the company that sells you it's replacement tells them to? No. It'll be in use for a quite a long time.

No, but I also don't want to forego security updates/etc. Let's also say that I'm Linux-curious and will be installing this on one of my old devices as well for my own experience.

[Exentrick]

1 minute ago, thevictor390 said:

You can also bypass the upgrade requirements and upgrade it to windows 11.

Thought about that, but it'd be nice to have a lighter OS - not entirely opposed to this path though.

[RollyShed]

Near 60 laptops upgraded to Linux Mint, Cinnamon here. The latest was a week ago as the Win10 end-of-life had come to the owner's notice. He was a bit younger than your father, only 85 years old.

 

The laptop you are mentioning already has an SSD. The majority of those I've done, the hard disk has had a replacement SSD fitted so you are dealing with a reasonably new laptop. Note - "reasonably".

 

A USB-SATA cable would allow easy file transfer to a back-up disk and then the internal SSD can be wiped by the Linux install.

[okkee]

10 hours ago, Exentrick said:

Do you have a preference between the two?

 

I'd probably pick Ubuntu

[Ha-Satan]

As I've said before on this forum, Linux Mint is the least shit operating system I've used so I vote for that. 

[Thomas53]

As a young 72 year old, who's used Linux for a few decades, I recommend Linux Mint Cinnamon for a very good choice.

The desktop, is similar enough in appearance to Windows that he'll have an easier time using it.

And after updating about 70 or so laptops, I have a hint that you may want to use, I've, on occasion,  changed the names under the desktop icon to their Windows version. 

 

Another thing that I recommend is to NOT install any Linux and start by live booting so that he can start to get a feel for his new OS. Also you can add applications and save data to the drive. BUT BE AWARE, the added applications will not be installed along with the basic installation ad will have to be reinstalled, but any saved data can me moved over.

[Lurking]

If you have a decent PC yourself, you can install a VM to test different distros before deploying to your parent. Set it it up with what they need and see how easy or annoying it is. initially i found the overwhelming number of distros overwhelming (paralysis by analysis). and i bet this is the #1 reason people who consider Linux, end up not trying it, or trying a distro that isn't suitable and then give up. 

 

FWIW, I've used de-bloated W11 on PCs from 6000-series intel to modern PCs and it is quite fast. But i think you want at least 16GB. I also test Linux every once a while. But it actually is a bit laggy (that spinning wheel when clicking something). I always try to make Linux work at least on a secondary PC. But I end up being frustrated since I need to install a software not in package  manager, or something that is really easy in windows, takes lot of research and many frustrating steps. and many software vendors don't provide good and updated documentation for their Linux version. 

 

And some things are just quirks for the sake of being different. For example, instead of CTRL-C, you need to use CTRL-shift-C to copy text. Or in the terminal you can't use the mouse to move within the text you enter. If your parent strictly adheres to what comes with Linux or can be installed from package manager, that shouldn't matter. If the entire World uses cars with the brake on the left, and accelerator on the right, Linux will make a car with  the accelerator being on the left and brake on the right. And they will use that as a skill filter to keep "stupid" people out. It is like Linux reached 5% market share, and the entire community makes effort to keep it to that elite group of people just to be different. They are literally no able to admit that Windows has some good things and "steal" those ideas. 

 

if your parent don't know computers at all, Linux can work. But for someone already very familiar and using Windows fluently (and maybe at work in addition to home), it is hard to justify the added learning/hassle and to switch between OS daily (work/home). 

 

Edit: I haven't tested it, but zorin is supposed to be the most Windows like (but i suspect, has the same Linux quirks):

https://zorin.com/os/

 

i know nothing, but Mint, ubuntu, and Zorin would be the ones I would try for someone who is a Windows person. 

 

And once you made a selection, install the LTS (long term support) version for your parent. Those don't update for many years, except security updates. I don't know why, but many distros also have the normal version that you have to update much sooner and that could add changes your parent may not like.

 

Edit 2: This thread made me install Zorin and Ubuntu in addition of Mint which i was currently testing in VM. You have to see for yourself, but Ubuntu may be an issue for a windows user. And if you need specific software, make sure it is in the package manager. I use Free File Sync in windows. For Mint, that is in the package manager. but for Ubuntu or zorin you would need to install it manually (and FFS doesn't provide a guide). This also may apply to updates. So part of your research is, if it is easy find the software you need, or if you can use alternatives. For work i use a remote software from my employer. they have a Linux version, but so far i failed to install it. For your old parent this may not be an issue. but for anyone needing specific software, try the most complex ones first. 

 

Edit 3: and you also want to test if the distro has fractional scaling. Despite that being an option, it doesn't actually work on all distros. 

[RollyShed]

16 hours ago, Lurking said:

 But I end up being frustrated since I need to install a software not in package  manager, or something that is really easy in windows, takes lot of research and many frustrating steps. and many software vendors don't provide good and updated documentation for their Linux version. 

Such as?

16 hours ago, Lurking said:

And some things are just quirks for the sake of being different. For example, instead of CTRL-C, you need to use CTRL-shift-C to copy text.

I always use Ctrl-C.

How?

Terminal > Edit > Preferences > Shortcuts

Click on Copy a couple of times and then write Ctrl c and the same for Paste write Ctrl v

Easy to change.

16 hours ago, Lurking said:

Or in the terminal you can't use the mouse to move within the text you enter. 

Err?

What is your parent doing in Terminal anyway? I can't think of any of the 60+ users I know who will ever have opened the Terminal.

16 hours ago, Lurking said:

if your parent don't know computers at all, Linux can work. But for someone already very familiar and using Windows fluently (and maybe at work in addition to home), it is hard to justify the added learning/hassle and to switch between OS daily (work/home). 

October 2018, my partner Windows 10 one day, Linux Mint the next because MS had wiped her Win10 totally. The backup disk with everything on it and Linux Mint saved the day and she has used it ever since. No problems.

 

For doing things, yes different apps. Fiddling with pictures i.e. simple editing. Windows - IrfanView, Linux - gThumb

Maybe use Audacious for sound and VLC for video rather than the default Celluloid.

You might want an extra web browser so add Chromium. You can install "ublock origin" on Firefox to get rid of advertising.

[Ha-Satan]

9 hours ago, RollyShed said:

Such as?

I'm also a big fan of Linux Mint but I understand @Lurking's complaint here. 

 

On Windows, all you need to do to install a program is download an .exe file and run it. For some kinds of programs, maybe you need to install a launcher (like Steam), but for the vast majority of programs you can just download an .exe and as long as you are on a modern version of Windows, an .exe will always work.

 

On Linux this is not the case. If it's not a program in the main software repository, and I look up how to install it, there might end up being a whole host of different ways to install it, many of which might not work on my machine (like downloading a .deb file, downloading it via pip or another alternate repository, or any number of other ways). And then there's the fact that instructions that work on one version of Linux might not work at all on a different version of Linux (like a Debian/Ubuntu-derived distro vs a Fedora/RHEL-derived distro). An elderly person who's never been a savvy computer user isn't going to understand the difference between distros lol (and just to be clear, yeah there are some greybeards who have been using computers since the 70s and know way more than I ever will about it; I'm not talking about those folks lol!)

 

In other words, on Windows, there's basically always one way to install a program that always works (with an .exe file). On Linux there is a minefield of potential problems when installing programs. 

 

Now I know because we've talked about this before that you try to set things up so that they have all the software they need and you guide them to look for software in the regular GUI software center. That's great and will probably work for a lot of people...but I don't think that really makes Lurking's complaint invalid. I've set up Linux for plenty of people too and I've had quite a few people get frustrated and give up because they started wanting to use their computer with some program that wasn't available in the main repo and then immediately threw up their hands when they encountered the complexity of installing software from outside the main repo.

[Lurking]

16 hours ago, RollyShed said:

Such as?

I always use Ctrl-C.

How?

Terminal > Edit > Preferences > Shortcuts

Click on Copy a couple of times and then write Ctrl c and the same for Paste write Ctrl v

Easy to change.

Err?

 

For doing things, yes different apps. Fiddling with pictures i.e. simple editing. Windows - IrfanView, Linux - gThumb

Maybe use Audacious for sound and VLC for video rather than the default Celluloid.

You might want an extra web browser so add Chromium. You can install "ublock origin" on Firefox to get rid of advertising.

i had to install the remote software my employer uses for me to remote in. They only supply me with the Windows version, and it is up to me to use alternatives. It took me a while to figure out how to do that since that software is not in any of the distro software managers. ...

 

Thanks for the shortcut settings.  in Mint it wasn't set to CTrl-V. but in Fedora it was. and it was a bit hidden to find the option. Someone on the mint forum told me that is universal to Linux. Apparently not. 

 

Terminal should allow easier navigation. itis needed at some point and no excuse to make it even harder. 

[thevictor390]

13 hours ago, Lurking said:

i had to install the remote software my employer uses for me to remote in. They only supply me with the Windows version, and it is up to me to use alternatives. It took me a while to figure out how to do that since that software is not in any of the distro software managers. ...

 

Thanks for the shortcut settings.  in Mint it wasn't set to CTrl-V. but in Fedora it was. and it was a bit hidden to find the option. Someone on the mint forum told me that is universal to Linux. Apparently not. 

 

Terminal should allow easier navigation. itis needed at some point and no excuse to make it even harder. 

These programs are emulating computer terminals of the past (hence the name) which did not have a mouse. You might be able to find an alternative program with some mouse support but I've never looked. It's exactly the same in Windows and MacOS.

[Lurking]

10 hours ago, thevictor390 said:

These programs are emulating computer terminals of the past (hence the name) which did not have a mouse. You might be able to find an alternative program with some mouse support but I've never looked. It's exactly the same in Windows and MacOS.

I'm not knowledgeable enough to disagree. But our IT has the counterpart to the client set up on their servers with 2 factor authorization and so on. And the Oomnissa Horizon Client logs in on their website before it starts up. I'm pretty sure this won't work with "any" other software. And at worst, that could be seen as a hacking attempt that could get me lose remote-work privileges (or worse). 

 

There were times remoting in didn't work well at all and I'm in no mood to experiment. and if something doesn't work, at minimum IT will tell me to use the provided software and not some random stuff. 

 

Anyway, i got the Linux version of the Omnissa Horizon Client installed on at least two Linux distributions i had in my VM, and was able to remote into my work computer. So, it worked out.  but if it wouldn't have, that literally would be a deal breaker (as long as I'm employed)

[TheZorch]

For an easy-to-use Linux distro for older people, I'd suggest Manjaro. With the Cinnamon desktop, it is lightweight, isn't complicated to use, and has a Start Menu-like button and toolbar layout reminiscent of Windows so it will feel familiar to them. Unlike other Arch-based distros, Manjaro updates are released when they are first proven stable. 

[Lurking]

10 hours ago, TheZorch said:

For an easy-to-use Linux distro for older people, I'd suggest Manjaro. With the Cinnamon desktop, it is lightweight, isn't complicated to use, and has a Start Menu-like button and toolbar layout reminiscent of Windows so it will feel familiar to them. Unlike other Arch-based distros, Manjaro updates are released when they are first proven stable. 

No experience with Manjaro. But from many reviews I take they just wait a few days with updates compared to Arch. But they don't actually test or sort out the updates that are not good. In Arch, at least the fix comes faster. Rolling distro doesn't sound like a set-and-forget option for parents or noobs. (Edit: it looks like Manjaro also has what they call "stable" version. but I would research what that actually means and how well tested it is and how often ti is released)

 

If you want a nice one that looks like Windows, Debian 13 KDE might be good and stable. But you have to set it up for them since the installation with partitioning options can be a bit daunting at first and isn't beginner friendly (and so is finding the iso to download). but once installed, it is easy to use if you don't do crazy things. Much easier to use than Windows. And since it is an LTS, not much will change over the years of life. 

 

Out of all the many I tested the last weeks, Debian was the lightest and most stable. i didn't test any Arch-based ones since it sounded like they are more "bleeding" edge more appropriate for people that actually need the newest updates and don't mind tinkering. YMMV. 

 

Probably also depends how far away you are from your parents. if you see them monthly, it is easier to maintain. If they live on a different continent, then not so much. My das lives on a different continent still is on W10 and I probably set him up with W11 because he may know someone who can help him with windows. If I set him up with Linux, the chance someone he knows that knows that specific distro is slim to one. 

 

Make sure your parent's application work or there are Linux alternatives they are OK with. If you need proprietary or odd software, it seems easier to find a deb-version that works. 

[wholesomeisland]

if your father does not do anything more complex than say web browsing, you can probably use Chrome OS Flex, it could be a bit of a transition but its also fairly simple.

 

if you want it to be a regular distro, something with kde or cinnamon will probably be the quickest transitions, they both are quite windows 10 like with the desktops, with a start menu in the bottom left and a system tray in the bottom left.

 

if your worried about your father messing up his system you could also consider an immutable distro (like steamos), not really sure whats out there, but the core system files in those are all not able to be deleted (afaik) and most applications usually will be installed in containers like flatpaks and such so they cant mess stuff up.

[ewitte]

On 8/17/2025 at 10:38 AM, Thomas53 said:

As a young 72 year old, who's used Linux for a few decades, I recommend Linux Mint Cinnamon for a very good choice.

The desktop, is similar enough in appearance to Windows that he'll have an easier time using it.

And after updating about 70 or so laptops, I have a hint that you may want to use, I've, on occasion,  changed the names under the desktop icon to their Windows version. 

 

Capabilities are not based on age.  An older person that helped design the space station (engineers, computer programmers, etc) would be more capable that someone's grandma that likes to bake.

[Thomas53]

I was speaking as an older person who teaches other mostly senior citizens on how to go from Windows to Linux and after  doing a couple of a years of research has found that due to memory that Mint Cinnamon is one of the best first steps into Linux, without needing to change a lot of the default settings. 

I also teach either individually or in groups, more advanced classes, depending on what they want to learn, out of the over 100 people I've taught 60% don't go ant further because that's all that the want and need even after being informed that there are other options, really don't care.