> On the other hand, the best example of widespread cleaned up easy to use linux we have in android or chromeos, well, ...
The new hybrid Android / ChromeOS systems like Samsung's Chromebook Plus are surprisingly useable as low-end laptops. Chrome is fully operational, and you have Google Docs. You also have the entire Android ecosystem, which gets you things like the Kindle reader. And I can confirm that Termux (https://termux.com/) works fine, so you can get a basic command-line without rooting the machine.
If you want a light, expendable travel system, or a gift for somebody who wants a computer that "just works", it's a surprisingly viable option.
Oh I don't mean they don't work, they work very well in my opinion. What I meant was that, while "open" as in open source is very important to us as developers, I feel like open as in "it's your computer and you do whatever you want with it" is just as important, and it's often a neglected criteria, and I feel this is one of the things where there is little if any competition to windows that is ready for prime time.
The new hybrid Android / ChromeOS systems like Samsung's Chromebook Plus are surprisingly useable as low-end laptops. Chrome is fully operational, and you have Google Docs. You also have the entire Android ecosystem, which gets you things like the Kindle reader. And I can confirm that Termux (https://termux.com/) works fine, so you can get a basic command-line without rooting the machine.
If you want a light, expendable travel system, or a gift for somebody who wants a computer that "just works", it's a surprisingly viable option.