We here on HN may have our doubts about Linux on the desktop, but for basic usage (= mostly using just the browser) it's more than good enough. And the main advantage (same as with MacOS) is that it's not Windows - which isn't necessarily going against Microsoft (although they are doing their part too with botched Windows updates), the biggest problem with Windows is that most malware is still targeting it.
>the biggest problem with Windows is that most malware is still targeting it.
And even so, when's the last time Windows had a serious security issue? I've been out of the Windows loop for a while, but it seems the biggest vulnerabilities of the past few years are OS agnostic.
Then again, you don't need a huge vulnerability, you just need enough hapless users who voluntarily download and install software containing your malware...
So don't give them root access, and mount the /home partition as noexec to prevent executing downloaded programs.
I set up a dual-boot Ubuntu install many years ago like this. It worked for years without me realizing — the Windows install had some problem, and my dad started using Ubuntu without telling me.
It's still pretty easy to download malicious shell scripts that can wreck your user data and configs on Linux, so noexec is a great tip for setting up a system for a non-technical user.
