Replaced Windows 10 with Debian for my relatives, and they are quite happy. Problems with GNU/Linux occur when (1) you need to use a Windows-only app, or (2) you have incompatible hardware (typically designed for Windows).
I second that. My family runs on Debian/KDE and evrybody is happy. Now to be honest, 99% of their computing stuff (ie tiktok, instagram, youtube) is done with a tablet). But for the rest (occasioanl browsing, text editing,...), it works perfectly.
Except for one or two bugs (mainly, using kde with several user sessions sometimes fails and one grub update that failed (but my setup has multiple drives and partitions)), they can handle it themselves.
But there are some things Linux has that makes it much better imho :
- only security updates (I run Debian stable), so you're not constantly reminded of rebooting your computer
- you're not constantly pushed to install this or that
- you don't have notifications about useless stuff
- applications , while admittedly scarcer, don't install stuff all other the place (more notifications) and behave well
- when I update Debian I don't have to update my computer
- endless support for some hardware (got a scanner for 20 years now, doesn't work anymore on Windows 'cos the drivers don't exist anymore)
For me it leads to a much quieter work environment and that counts a lot.
But sure, it's less polished than Windows or IOS. But, well, while "being in control" was a political stance for me 20 years ago, now it just feel so much better.
Sometimes I compare my Linux to TV : it's much better when you can watch it without the commercials.
Anyways, I have to use Windows as I have a print-related disability. Windows has better support than MacOS and Linux for the certain type of print-related disability that I have. I also rely on screenreaders, and Ubuntu just does not work as nicely. So, I do a QEMU/KVM Windows 10 GPU passthrough, for using a screenreader, and it has no noticeable lag whatsoever. This likewise works quite seamlessly. It's basically like running Ubuntu and Windows together in harmony, but with Ubuntu as the base OS. A good guide (that also shows the thought process with setup) is here: https://pastebin.com/5tuvWTMH
A year ago with work-from-home, my father who's near retirement began using LinuxMint on an old laptop for his work, and other than initial unfamiliarity with a few programs, no problems. He's not at all a geek, nor very adept at computers, so I'm so glad he's using an OS that just works for his straightforward web and word-processing needs.
