What to switch from Win XP due to the end of support?

Question

linux

Support for Win XP is expiring soon and I would like to change the OS, the current one suits everyone completely, since the requirements are minimal: Internet, Skype, photos, movies and music. The computer is quite old and it is difficult to find drivers for components. I am considering two options: 7-ku or Ubuntu with the Xfce environment. The person is not very technically savvy, and the fewer problems there are in the future, the better; a little relearning (remembering where to run programs and turn off the computer) is not so critical.
for 7-ku:
+ similar to XP;
+ usual skype;
+ there is a Kaspersky antivirus for a year;
against:
- most likely, there will be problems with drivers (initially, Vista was installed on the PC);
for Ubuntu:
+ a new version is coming out soon with support for 5 years;
+ no antivirus needed;
against:
- not similar to XP;
- bad Skype client;
- most likely, there will also be problems with the drivers;
Perhaps the choice will be made by the iron itself, because. it is likely that one of the OSes simply will not work properly.
Which of these OSes, in your experience, is the most reliable and easy to learn for slightly technical people?
Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

On the eight, if you need Windows. Almost any iron will start out of the box, the Start Menu add-on will turn it into a seven. It even seemed to me that it works faster. Well, Linux is not a problem to pick up at all. Any distribution is in LiveCD. Ubuntu and Fedora are full of mans in Russian.

Answer 2

8.1
The probability of problems with drivers is lower than with XP (after all, the computer was originally Vista).
It makes no sense to put outdated 7 in the presence of 8 - in 8 there is everything that was in 7, except for the Start menu, but it is simply returned by a miniature utility.

Answer 3

-for 7-ku:
...
most likely there will be problems with drivers (initially Vista was on the PC);

Just the same problems with the drivers most likely will not. But under Linux, on the contrary - you should be prepared for sex with drivers.
In general, in this case, the best solution for the user would be to leave XP. This is why no one ever asks the user what they want? And the user in most cases wants to surf, watch a movie, listen to music, chat with other people via the Internet, play some available toys. And it is certainly unlikely that the user wants to be suddenly replaced with his usual habitat, which he already knows how to use, with something completely unfamiliar to him and where he will feel at least uncomfortable. Is this a way to take revenge on a user? No, well, if you really want to tinker with Linux, then install Genta for yourself - it will provide you with many hot nights. And anyway, why change the OS to the user? Works? Is the user satisfied? Well, don't touch it - let it work for itself, and let the user continue to enjoy life. It is not necessary to increase the world entropy without urgent need.

Answer 4

There have been no problems with Skype on linux lately. Install Mint.
*similar to XP a bit more than Ubuntu
*comes with a lot of pre-installed software (almost nothing needs to be installed)
*compatible with Ubuntu (99% of programs will work the same)
There are shell options (Xfce, Mate, Cinnamon, KDE), Mate and Cinnamon are quite intuitive and simple.

Answer 5

About a bad Skype client, you are in vain - there are all functions except for video conferencing. There are no ads. The interface with the latest update has become sane ("tabs" of chats appeared, at least). There are no annoying stupid crap in half-lengths - no. In general, now it looks more like an old, old QIP (which is not infium yet), only with a "call" button.
There are no problems with the drivers in general for a long time. There are problems with exotic hardware, there are problems with individual manufacturers who say something like "fuck your Linux to us" and do not publish iron specs. But in fact, in units of pieces of iron sold, there are about 1-2% of such iron. Well, that is, there is a high probability that everything will work right away. For example, the Thinkpad X*** has been working out of the box for a long time. HP printers - out of the box. Well, etc.
If you don’t connect any third-party unverified repositories to Ubuntu and don’t experiment with it (well, drive all sorts of completely incomprehensible commands into the console there), then it is reliable, like a cast-iron bar. I have the oldest ubuntu installation since 2009. Updated (itself), works. What will she be.
As for clarity, not a single person (parents, a bunch of any familiar parents) had problems with the work itself. These are the people who cannot put the program in XP either. Well, it became easier to communicate with them:
- I need to edit the fb2 file here
- open the console, write sudo apt-get install xxx there, then look for the program xxx
in the menu disguised as Gnome2 - it's clearer.

Answer 6

I would take under "Internet, skype, photos, movies and music." I would take a chromebook, cheap, relatively productive, ~ 8 hours of autonomy.
Well, of course, ideally mac))

Answer 7

XFCE/KDE/Mate are very similar to XP

Answer 8

mint. He's on Ubuntu. There shouldn't be any problems.

Answer 9

Try Linux Ubuntu. When you learn how to use it, then there will be no problems with anything. Everything is simple and clear. As for the fact that it doesn't look like Windows XP, it's a matter of habit and in a month you'll forget about XP. True, I would not advise installing xfce (for taste and color, but still it's better to install gnome or the original one).
PS If you only need an OS for games and skype, working with video and photos and all that, then install Windows 7.

Answer 10

In general, do it competently) Install
Windows and over Linux (but not in any case vice versa)
Perfectly stand side by side on 1 disc. Either break it under Linux separately / * there is only 500mb you need . You
will try what you like, leave it, or with 2 minds on board. I think 5GB will not be critical to allocate.
Off // well, black track kali linux. It will be interesting even without films)

Answer 11

Who cares, but I will say this: there will be no problems with drivers in Ubuntu. On my two machines, all the firewood was set automatically. Only on a computer delivered to the video card, and even then without problems. True, since that time the computer has turned on a little ugly, fragments of text from the console during boot. But it works fine. And if you want something similar to Windows, then take Linux Mint or Kubuntu, whichever you like (both are based on Ubuntu).
For Skype I agree, it looks different. But trust me, you'll get used to it quickly.

Answer 12

Or continue to use Windows, 7ka is certainly more beautiful than XP, but for more or less stable work you need at least 1GB of RAM and that will slow down. 8ka outwardly the same as 7ka, only with bells and whistles, the main difference is the core from the server Windows, I didn’t use it myself, but they say it’s faster than 7k. If the machine is old and does not shine with resources, install Ubuntu, it is very friendly for former Windows users, and less demanding on resources. By the way, the Skype client is at the level there, I don’t know where the opinion that it is bad there came from. And the programs are not particularly different if the requests are not large.

Answer 13

Well, if the user needs Windows-specific programs, then I would install 8.1 and ClassicShell, here the performance is clearly better than 7.
If the user uses the computer mainly for browsing the Internet, and understands little about it, then I would install Debian with XFCE, configure it once so that it would look like XP (there are even corresponding themes out of the box) and let it use it, it will not have a chance to break something and pick up any infection, and Debian itself, unlike ubunta, cannot easily break after the next update (although it may not be so relevant for xubuntu).

Answer 14

Better switch to Mac :)

Answer 15

I'll reveal a terrible secret: I
've been using Crap SP3 for a long time.
And then, because of some software - requiring SP3.
For good, enough: SP2.
Everything from above: SP2 is just "tightening the screws".
There is nothing useful. Just extra problems.
Not even IMHO, but precisely and unambiguously, you can
continue to use Horseradish as it is.
I'll reveal an even more terrible secret:
All Windows carriers of the NT line are lousy! :-(
Windows carriers 9x versions 98-98SE are stable.
Conclusions:
If you use any of the Windows carriers of the NT line
and want to get real security, go to the
Internet - through the correct (read: external) fire!