Post #3361546

2026-06-20 17:33 UTC

Define what you mean by “locker down”. If you don’t give your user superuser privileges, every distro is locked down. I’d strongly recommend Mint: with Cinnamon DE: very Windows-esque UI Ubuntu / Debian-based, i.e. rock-solid, unlikely to break 100% automated updates (including automatic removal of old kernels so your /boot won’t get clogged Timeshift system snapshots in case something does break. (Note: I’ve only ever used Timeshift to un-fuck systems that I, personally, had fucked with superuser rights and manual meddling.)

Replies (4)

@Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 2026-06-20 18:31

Seconded. Absolutely what I’d install in this kind of situation. I have an old machine set up for my wife with Mint. She only uses it to check her bank account, basically. So far zero issues.

Open ##3361841
@Ooops@feddit.org 2026-06-20 22:15

with Cinnamon DE: very Windows-esque UI While I support the general advice, “very Windows-esque UI” is not a benefit for less tech-literate people. It’s the former Windows-users that conditioned themselves to expect Windows UI with all it’s shortcomings. The average elderly relative who doesn’t use anything but ~3 pre-installed programs does not care normally and can get much eaiser and more intutive UIs than those close to Windows.

Open ##3362851
@Kjell@lemmy.world 2026-06-21 10:05

+1, my parents are using Mint and they are only browsing the web. They have not complained anything after almost a year. In my case, I didn’t dare to set up automatic updates so I’m updating the computer when I visit them.

Open ##3365408
@AWildRattata@lemmy.world 2026-06-21 17:27

Mint was going to be my suggestion to! It’s a great distro for a lot of users. Easy to navigate and hard(ish) to break.

Open ##3367099