I started with Ubuntu back in the day, and later distro-hopped a lot, but honestly, I find the apt package manager the nicest. So I went back to Ubuntu's source: Debian. I use it with KDE.
I also have a good out of the box experience with Zorin (an Ubuntu-based distro). Their goal is to be an alternative to Windows, to make the transition smoother for people coming from Windows. I wanted to test that and just installed it, never used the command line, etc. It feels nice and did everything via a graphical interface I wanted out of a desktop system.
>I think holds some non-technical people back.
That might seem like an issue, but what matters for adoption is what is packaged with hardware, and what gets support later. Microsoft realized this and capitalized on it big time, and that's why the de facto default PC is Windows. Microsoft took care that governments, schools use Windows and Office, that Windows comes bundled with PCs and laptops, meanwhile they took care that it all interacts at least on a basic level, but at least somewhat reliably.
I also have a good out of the box experience with Zorin (an Ubuntu-based distro). Their goal is to be an alternative to Windows, to make the transition smoother for people coming from Windows. I wanted to test that and just installed it, never used the command line, etc. It feels nice and did everything via a graphical interface I wanted out of a desktop system.
>I think holds some non-technical people back.
That might seem like an issue, but what matters for adoption is what is packaged with hardware, and what gets support later. Microsoft realized this and capitalized on it big time, and that's why the de facto default PC is Windows. Microsoft took care that governments, schools use Windows and Office, that Windows comes bundled with PCs and laptops, meanwhile they took care that it all interacts at least on a basic level, but at least somewhat reliably.