I recently installed Ubuntu on my gf's crappy Asus laptop, because she was getting tired of Windows slowdowns and complications. As she is new to Linux, I want to use this opportunity for greater good and add this to my "switching non tech savvy people to linux" experience. Can you think off any tasks, that I can give her to accomplish using her new OS?
While Ubuntu is a solid distro, I don't like that Conical is using Microsoft tactics for data collection and keystroke logging when you use the built in search tools on the desktop. 13.1 is the last version I would personally use.
There are several other great options. Manjaro, Linix Mint (Ubuntu with keystroke loggings removed), openSUSE and CentOS are all very good options that are very intuitive for people moving from Windows. KDE as a X-Windows Manager would be my best recommendation for someone that is very familiar to Windows. You can change the DM later if she wants to try Gnome, Cinnamon, XFCE, etc.
You might want to try building a few USB thumb drives with Linux PenDrive's Yumi and let her try several different distros to see what she preferes. Ping me if you need a little help getting a multi-boot USB setup.
Well... Those tasks are rather easy. I don't want to offend OSFirstTimer, but my gf is not dumb. And she already passed all the really easy tasks... I made her install programs outside the repositories and she learned in few minutes how to find and add repos by herself... I might make her install different DEs and to customize them to her liking... After her finals, she wants to learn coding. I'm thinking about showing her Python...
I disagree on so many levels :D 13.10 (it's not .1, cause it's based on month of release ;) was not bad, but is so outdated. The "spying" is pretty much nonexistent, and you can turn the online scopes off really easily.
I dislike Mint, because it feels like Ubuntu without it's polish. I had the Mint installer crash on me so many times, I just gave up on it. Anyways, there is nothing preventing Cinnamon or Mate to be installed into Ubuntu.
She's moving away from Windows, so she doesn't want Windows-like Linux. She wants distro that is confident in it's own user experience.
And last... I did my fair share of liveUSBs.. But thanks for your offer :)