best first time linux distro for windows user

[Target]

I have been cleaning up old PC's at work and have a bunch of desktops that are intended to be donated to a women's DV charity

They don't currently have any OS installed and the business isn't going to spring for (w10) licences for donor devices

What recommendations (if any) would you guys have as far as Linux distros?

Bear in mind the intended audience will most likely not be terribly computer literate (beyond web surfing and email), and probably only have been exposed to windows OS's

TIA

[publicdomain]

This is a fine list with an explanation on why each distro can be good for Windows users:

Top 10 Linux Distributions for Windows Users in 2023

1. Zorin OS
2. Linux Mint Cinnamon Edition
3. Kubuntu LTS Release
4. Deepin
5. Ubuntu LTS Release with GNOME
6. Endless OS
7. Linux Lite
8. Pop OS
9. elementary OS
10. Peppermint OS

Source: https://www.debugpoint.com/best-linux-distributions-windows/

[Shades]

Linux Mint (version 21, Cinnamon edition) I have tried extensively myself. Found that the start menu to be quite like Windows 7. The graphical style of icons is not the same, but the way the menu works is very similar. And for basic computing usage, Mint will be a great choice for "new" Linux users.

While Pop!_OS (version 20.04, Gnome) does not look or feel like Windows 7 or newer, I found that Linux distribution to be very friendly towards beginning Linux users as well.

Tried both distributions on Lenovo laptops (Yoga and IdeaPad 5), which was a very good experience. All hardware in those devices was supported and working as well in Linux as in Windows.

I have also tried out Deepin (v15) and ElementaryOS (v0.5). These distributions look initially like very good options, but the experience changes quickly if you need something that is not part of their set of tools. ElementaryOS is worse than Deepin in this regard. Whether it is a thing for you or not...Deepin is made in/by China. There was a whole section that was made to be used in China. Simply wouldn't work without an IP address assigned for use in China.

[Deozaan]

Linux Mint seems pretty good to me.

[MilesAhead]

I haven't used Linux for awhile but as a Windows user the things I felt that helped me endure less frustration were:

1) something derived from Debian that used APT to get and install software packages.  Most stuff worked after install without tinkering.

2) something that comes with a text editor that uses Windows key bindings.  Back in the day I installed kylix IDE just to use the editor for text files.

3) something that installs from a single CD or USB image that can fetch additional packages from the cloud during setup.  Boot into the gui and it is all there already.

I did not like to use a word processor because it had Windows key bindings when all iI needed was a text editor.

Just my $.02 

[Target]

Just my $.02 

thanks MilesAhead!  good to get some user feedback, but you probably don't fit the intended demographic (you're more than a user!)  Mint is shaping up as a probable contender, though as a non linux user myself its hard to know what the potential pitfalls are (updates are inevitable but the mechanism isn't familiar so...)

[MilesAhead]

Just my $.02 

thanks MilesAhead!  good to get some user feedback, but you probably don't fit the intended demographic (you're more than a user!)  Mint is shaping up as a probable contender, though as a non linux user myself its hard to know what the potential pitfalls are (updates are inevitable but the mechanism isn't familiar so...)

I used Mint for a bit several years ago.  I just checked my memory online and apparently it still uses APT package manager.  If you are new in an environment it saves lots of frustration and confusion if new packages work as expected when installed.  APT based systems seem to have that in common.  One thing I did find disorienting about Linux was it worked.  When on Windows I could always count on something needing tweaking to fill my time.  On Linux distros I would get set up then think "now what?  There's nothing to fix." 

[Target]

There's nothing to fix." 

[sphere]

I have been meaning to check into some of the new to me distros as I landed on Linux Mint at least 5 to 10 years  ago when doing something similar to what you are doing here.  You can create a live cd /usb drive and boot it up and see if any drivers are missing, then you can commit and install it to the system's hard drive. It installs with some things you might not think are important by default, like a media player and browser.  It has a listing of softer that you can install broken down by categories.  If someone has used an app store, they can likely figure it out.  I have very little complaints with people not being able to figure out how to use it- but this was quite some time ago.  Like has been said, it has a similar feel as window 7. 

If people are going to be gaming- I think there are distros with vetter video graphic support. It used to be that wine was the only game in town to install windows applications on a linux machine, but I have heard there are more out there that allow one to install windows applications.  It does not seem like that is an issue in this case.

If these pcs are going to be used as "common" at a shelter, I wonder if there are any purpose built linux kiosk version that might be more stable in the long run

I think the big thing is, that Mint got user friendly/similar to windows right "first" and because of that it has a bit of a leg up compared to other distros.  Other distros might be better.  What is nice is most distros allow you to boot from cd/usb thumb drive to try it out. I would like you to try a bunch of distros and then report back

[Shades]

If playing games is the purpose, Pop!_OS seems to be very capable of playing Windows games (via Steam/Proton). That aspect of Pop!_OS I have not tried, but I read on multiple forums that it is one of the better distro's to play games on.

My old clunker of a laptop works fine with Pop!_OS. As sphere already said: Most, if not all, Linux distros give you the option to run it from a pendrive first, to get a feel for that distro and if you like it, you can commit to it. Tried Ubuntu Studio on that laptop, as well as Mint, ElementaryOS, OpenSUSE and the last one was Pop!_OS. It just stood out to me more than the others, so I kept it. As said in a previous post, all the hardware in that laptop worked without having to do anything after installation from Pop!_OS. The amount of times a Windows installation went as smooth as installing Pop!_OS, I can count on one hand.

On Linux distros I would get set up then think "now what?  There's nothing to fix." 

Now I would not go that far. While the base system works just fine, by trying out different distros I found that some small/minor things from one distro would appeal to me, I went out and looked for scripts etc. to mimic those small/minor things in Pop!_OS. It took digging and applying scripts in order, but did manage to do so. After that, I did not have a real need to fix anything else. So your sentiment is understood, and mostly true. Just not always.