This my experience also. In Norway if you want to log in to your bank you need a friggin Java Applet. With all the security issues with the Java applet this year, maintaining the Java installation became really painful for my grandfather.
So I suggested Ubuntu with Unity, configured for automatic updating of software in background. I first gave him a new computer with a fresh installation, so he could try it for a few weeks first. Surprisingly it went very well (I usually have a few minor problems myself). He learned to use Unity within just a few minutes. He could use it with the Norwegian language(as he don't know english), and it worked great with increased DPI for less strain on his eyes.
Now it's been a few months, and he has not complained once! In fact, he tells me only good things about it! About how much faster it is, how much easier it is to read and how much easier it is to use the computer now.
While Unity is not a very useful desktop environment for myself, it is certainly great for people who mostly need easy access to a few applications.
> In Norway if you want to log in to your bank you need a friggin Java Applet. With all the security issues with the Java applet this year, maintaining the Java installation became really painful for my grandfather.
Oh this sounds painfully familiar. Every time I assist my father I notice Ask toolbar. I occasionally uninstall it, but of course it reappears with the updates. Well, at least I know that he is installing the updates so that's a good thing. But seriously Oracle, do you really need those couple of bucks from Ask?
One way to block it -- create a file in the place of the directory where Ask instlals (such as c:\Program Files\Ask). Give the file read only / system attributes. Most installers don't know how to deal with failing to create directory because a file exists by that name. I've used this trick to block a number of regular malware from reinstalling, along with Ask, and whatever else.
> He learned to use Unity within just a few minutes
I'm an expert and I still haven't figured out how to use Unity. If I have so much trouble that every time I've tried it, within a few hours I give up and install traditional Gnome, LXDE, or Mint with Cinnamon, I can scarcely imagine how bad it would be for a novice.
First of all, it crashes a lot.
Secondly, you have to use some magical key combination to start multiple instances of an application.
Thirdly, Unity has no easy discoverability of apps. If I want to see what I have installed on my system using a traditional desktop, I can just read through the Start menu [1] and its submenu. Unity has no way to do this that I can figure out.
Yes, you can type an app name, but a novice user might not know their Internet browser is called "Firefox" or their email client is called "Thunderbird." (Heck, when I started using Ubuntu, it took me a while to figure out that Totem was a media player, Nautilus was a file manager, and Vinagre was a remote desktop client.) The point is that typing "video" or "file" or "vnc" won't point you in the right direction.
In short, Unity sucks and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
[1] I heard Windows 8 is ditching it too, at least by default.
Yea, most Linux distros has a package manager which provides a centralized repository of software making updates easy and requires approval before they are let in.
So I suggested Ubuntu with Unity, configured for automatic updating of software in background. I first gave him a new computer with a fresh installation, so he could try it for a few weeks first. Surprisingly it went very well (I usually have a few minor problems myself). He learned to use Unity within just a few minutes. He could use it with the Norwegian language(as he don't know english), and it worked great with increased DPI for less strain on his eyes.
Now it's been a few months, and he has not complained once! In fact, he tells me only good things about it! About how much faster it is, how much easier it is to read and how much easier it is to use the computer now.
While Unity is not a very useful desktop environment for myself, it is certainly great for people who mostly need easy access to a few applications.