Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Out of the box, KDE has the most similar look and feel as Windows. That said, I do believe Linux Mint has Windows themed DEs that go one step further
Depends on Windows version I guess.
Win XP: XFCE
Win 7: Cinnamon
Win 10/11: KDE
Though you might choose Zorin OS, Ubuntu-based and looks like Windows out of the box.
I have an XFCE box that I dressed up as XP. Honestly, if it had the XP calculator, I would get confused sometimes.
Linux mint would be the best for windows user
Go Kubuntu if you want Ubuntu and Windows-like. Otherwise, Mint is a solid choice for a Windows user too, I believe Mate and Cinnamon both are very similar UI to Windows. Sadly Mint only does LTS versions now, but maybe that's for the best if your GF isn't super into tech?
You can install the 6.2 kernel on mint through the upgrade manager gui. It's just a couple of clicks.
On the other hand Mint has a reputation for "just works" because the defaults are indeed LTS
Why do you want to get your girlfriend mad at you?
Keeps the relationship interesting.
I'd say KDE since it offers fully working Wayland already.
Enough about Wayland already. We knowwwww.
Wayland mfs trying not to talk about Wayland whenever Linux is mentioned
What difference would this make to a new Linux user? Basically none, right?
No screen tearing never. My laptop saw a significant battery life boost (basicly doubled) when I switched DWM into DWL but I don't know exactly why.
And because Wayland is the future and xorg decrepatec, why you'd recommend xorg for anybody since they must swtich at some point and I doubt even the most basic user can make that transition 100% flawlessly.
Lack of screen tearing is a good point if it makes a difference on that person's hardware.
My thought wasn't so much about recommending xorg (or not), more about whether the user would even be aware what that meant, or care at the point when they start using Linux. Kind of like launching straight into a flame war about systemd. In theory they (or their distro) should be able to switch the backend without the user noticing
My GF is happy with Linux Mint Cinnamon! Even my parents use it :)
This is my Linux Mint Cinnamon dressed up as Windows XP. How much more Windowsy would you like it ;-)
I'd give her Linux Mint with Cinnamon/MATE instead.
My dad also made the switch to mint cinnamon about 3 years ago and I only had to fix things once for him (which was something in partitioning/fstab he or the installer messed up), he has successfully updated and maintained the system for 3 major releases yet and is even happier with Linux on his home laptop than with windows on his work laptop
Edit: he's not really tech savvy or something, he's a teacher by profession
KDE is more similar to windows, Gnome is maybe closer to MacOS.
But generally, KDE felt always a bit "super user" to me, and I found the amount of customizability and features more overwhelming than useful. Gnome is simple, clean, and I prefer it for that reason.
Linux Mint is the way to go. It's by no means a clone of Windows(yuk) but has a "start button", vertical menu with apps listed and a bottom taskbar. So it should be very easy to use and get used to.
I'de rather go with Linux Mint Cinnamon or Nobara with their custom GNOME DE
While Gnome can be shaped into something Windowslike with extensions 'Arcmenu' and 'Dash to Panel', for another user I'd suggest just using a DE that already works like that. Best choices IMO are Cinnamon or KDE.
Since you already want to use a Ubuntu desktop, I'll stick to suggesting Ubuntu flavours. KDE on Ubuntu, you'll want Kubuntu. For Cinnamon, there is a Ubuntu Cinnamon flavour.
KDE is somewhat more modern-feeling than Cinnamon but also uses more resources. If your GF's system is a bit weak, maybe go for Cinnamon. Cinnamon is also a bit retro in it's design, so it might be more comfortable for people used to older Windows versions.
I recommend downloading a live installer for both, showing her them and letting her pick the one she likes the most. (On that note, I hope you got her permission to do this...)
I am not a huge fan of KDE but it actually uses fewer resources than Cinnamon these days.
KDE plasma and cinnamon
Plasma/KDE
Well cinnamon and plasma are good options, those de are widely available. Zorin os was a quick select option that lets you go from windows 7 to windows 10 to mac with a wimple click.
If you must use ubuntu, you'll ultimately be tied to the desktop environments that ubuntu offers. Personally I don't think ubuntu works well, especially outside of their gnome offshoot Unity DE. If you must use ubuntu I would say install kubuntu which has KDE Plasma on it. KDE Plasma is highly customizable, quite pretty and pretty easy to use.
There are minor distros deliberately styled to look like various versions of Windows. Someone already mentioned Zorin; I'll add Q4OS. Even if you don't want to support one of them in the long term, it might be worth picking up some live media and poking around to see what they did, depending on how much your GF depends on everything on the system being just exactly as she expects.
KDE Neon or Linux Mint will be your best betnfor a Windows-style layout. Just keep in mind it still isn't Windows so stuff will he different
Check this distro in a VM first https://www.linuxfx.org
Not linuxfx, it's a joke
It looks like a joke, but it's actually scaring
Why scaring?
Cause it offers onedrive too. With latest wine it could replicate and replace win for real
I'd use mint instead
Cinnamon has an official Ubuntu flavor now. I would recommend that over Mint, since mint is LTS-only. You can also do KDE-Plasma, but my personal preference is Cinnamon.
You can install newer kernels in Mint and upgrading to the next version also works very well.
Mint defaults to LTS. You can install the latest kernel through the upgrade manager
KDE in my opinion but it require more resources than others like Gnome
Where is that info coming from? To my experience Plasma is even lighter than GNOME, or just a tiny bit more resource hungry than something truly lightweight like XFCE. It doesnt really need powerful computer.
Yeah on modern hardware, resource usage by the DE is negligable compared to what some applications use (for example web browsers, or chromium based apps).
300MB of RAM vs 400MB don't make any difference on even fairly old systems. It might make difference if you try to squeeze your modern Linux distro on 512MB. In that case you might want to just use a window manager and distro with no systemd, something truly minimal like Apline. If we're talking 4 gigs+, the desktop won't make much difference anyway. On very old computers modern web browsers will always suck no matter the OS.
Agreed. I use older computers a lot and even use a 2008 machine for hours a day because I like the screen and I like where it is in the house.
I can say that with 8 GB of RAM or more, even older CPUs are quite usable for me. Less than about 6 GB and even basic web browsing is going I get fairly painful.
KDE used to be quite heavy. I am quite surprised how light it is these days.
Or maybe it just stayed the same while everything else got heavier.