Linux

I can of agree the focus to make Linux easy to use is not exactly on the right things. There is a bit too much of a "make a GUI of everything". Which is not wrong per say, but should not be the goal. More a mean to an end.

I disagree that users won't do stuff on their own. They will, but they will allocate very little time to it, on average, especially when compared to a tech savy person. And that's just because their computer is a tool.And if they cannot make their tool work for what they want to do, they'll find another way. Or deem it impossible.

I think distro must make mundane tasks such as system maintenance hands off. As an opt-in option not to upset power user. But things such as updates, full system update, disk space reclaiming, ... should have a single "do the right thing without being asked to" toggle. Things a bit more complicated such as printing/scanning document should be more context aware. A bit like on smartphone where, if you have a document open, you can select print and, if no printer is configured, you have the option to add one there and then.

Immutable distro have made good progress on that front IMO. But we still need better integration between applications and the Desktop Environment for things like printing, sharing and so on. I'm hopeful though. Generally speaking, things are moving in that direction. Even if we can argue flapak and snap are a step backward with regards to the integration of the DE, this is also an opportunity to formalize some form of protocol with the DE.

I use fedora atomic and I maintain nothing.

I use my computer once every week and I don't have to care about anything. Fedora does everything.

If you take care of the systems of your kids or family, that's up to you. You choose to do that.

Imho, the best way to help a beginner should have happened many years before they put their hands on any Linux distro. It should have happened when they were still a small child, at school. In the way they were taught how to... learn and how to get better... aka, by expecting difficulties and by expecting to fail, often.

Failing should be expected as a beginner learning anything new. Like, say, we all learned to walk as toddlers. It was not by being told we walked perfectly but by falling on our diapered butt. Failing at outing one foot in front of the other and falling, over and over again.

That sounds obvious but, to my old eyes at the very least, it also sounds almost like an heresy when compared to what I see kids being taught nowadays. That things should be frictionless and that nobody should fail at anything, ever. That's such a poor choice that doesn't prepare them much. Well, imho.

When I switched (from 35+ years being an Apple user) to Linux, it was frustrating.

Even when where things went smooth, it could still be frustrating and it often was. If only, because it required me to change 35 years old habits. And when it wasn't going smooth, even when I was using the best docs and guides, at times it could be incredibly and utterly frustrating, when not completely maddening. Either nothing on my machine was ever exactly like described in the doc, or the app version was different and some setting had changed, or my issue was a somewhat different, or the solution simply did not work, or I missed a tiny detail or a word somewhere in the guide. Whatever. Frustration was a constant.

That's what people should be taught to expect and to be fine with. And not just with Linux, btw ;)

Installing Linux is definitely not something, the average computer user ever wants to do. The same goes for Windows. Unfortunately you can't just buy a Linux computer at your local electronics store. Until that changes, Linux will remain in a niche.

The best way to help a non-enthusiast Linux user is teach them basic system maintenance.

I don't get this take... Mint is almost ready for mass market IMHO esp if it comes from a vendor with support

Ain't this is what frmework doing?

Nix? Nah better stay away from that one.