this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2023
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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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I would suggest Debian 12 XFCE or Debian 12 LXQT. Debian releases are supported for 5 years, but it gets a new release every 2 years. You might have to help your family members do the upgrade every 2 years which might be problematic.
Another option would be either of those DEs (LXQT or XFCE) but on OpenSuse Tumbleweed. Tumbleweed is rolling but its packages are tested before being released which makes it safer than arch for a noob. It also has automatic snapshots which can be easily restored if anything goes wrong. And since it's rolling, you can configure automatic updates and never have to help your family members upgrade every 2 years (like on Debian or any LTS Distro).
Codecs can easily be installed using "opi codecs", so you won't have to fool around for that too.
I've been running Tumbleweed for a bit now, and I can say it's just like Windows for the ease of use, especially if you install a packagekit frontend like Gnome Software so that your family members can easily install new programs from repos or flatpak.
Whatever you do, don't use Ubuntu or its official variants. It's too bloated due to snap and other things they do by default.