it’s similar. in a mainstream distribution with a desktop environment, updates can typically be configured to notify you or install automatically. it’s common for those updates to now also include third-party sources like flathub.

upgrades (to a next point release or major version) are different, some can be fairly straightforward–others, not so much. and those upgrades will be more frequent, as the “lifecycle” for most linux distributions is shorter than windows’ 10 years.

that look of judgement that every cat feeder knows comes later.

one of my favourite lunches.

and by ‘lunch’, i mean it could be breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, tea, dinner, supper… or anything in-between.

that’s where most of my ‘issues’ come from when upgrading an old debian… upstream version changes to major software packages (python, php, even apache 1.x to 2 back in the day) that require some manual intervention

it’s really not their responsibility to babysit user-initiated configuration changes and third-party software during updates and upgrades. the user makes the changes that go ‘off book’ and uses ‘non debian’ software–so that is where the responsibility lies.

‘decision anxiety’ is definitely real. there’s literally too many choices and different ways to deliver the same end result.

ubuntu studio is an excellent choice for your use case. you just gotta jump in with both feet

dumping this one that specifically limited exposure to the trash bits of windows and instead launch a new variant for gaming handhelds that, while ‘optimized’ and limited in the crud that runs, will most definitely be focused on driving gamers to game pass subs and store sales.

i only recently moved my main home pc from 8.1. there’s configs and software on it that would be difficult or impossible to recreate on a new install or pc. i even have a spare identical mb and cpu in case it’s needed. 1st gen. mechanical disks (several, sata ssd wasn’t that much of an improvement with the old controller for everyday use so i opted to keep the higher capacity) 32gb ram and pascal gpu. i skipped all the way to a rufus’d 11 and it’s actually running well (with all the crud ripped out, though). it dual boots with endless on a loop device. the upgrade didn’t even mess that up.

updates. the constant barrage of updates. the cpu, ram, and disk time needed just to ‘check’ for updates is horrible (it used to be a lot worse, too). and if you are still on an old-school mechanical hdd, those ‘cumulative’ updates are absolutely brutal every month with win10 or 11.

last week i booted-up a silverblue that hasn’t been run in a couple months. 8gb, mechanical disk, not a speed demon either–3rd or 4th gen. i didn’t even notice the updates were coming in until the notification popped up saying they were done.

if you go in not knowing what to do, it can seem ‘difficult’. but it’s mostly like on any other oem prebuilt:

optional: prep the target disk (backups, wipe or clear part table, etc), reset bios to defaults.

if necessary: switch from raid or rst to ahci sata mode, default boot mode to efi, disable secure boot. note that some distributions support secure boot but your method of creating an installer might not–you may be able to re-enable if you want after install.

note that hp systems have a hoop to jump through (a confirmation prompt to disable) after disabling secure boot on the next startup. do not use esc key to trigger boot menu, use f9 for boot menu, f10 for bios entry… as esc will cancel the confirmation code prompt and automatically re-enable secure boot.

insert or plug-in installer, hit the magic key upon power on (f12 for dell, f9 for hp) to bring up boot menu and select installer media, boot and run installer.

busch still works here, too. anheuser-busch was acquired by belgium-based inbev in 2008.

go through their list of games on protondb to see if linux would be a good fit, it might not be, depending on their library.

you’ve got a nice ‘short list’ of distributions to evaluate. i’d recommend setting each up yourself on a spare system to see how ‘point and click’ they are in setting-up, running, and updating the games they play.

also keep in mind the more hoop-jumping and manual configurations you need to do, the greater the chance of something breaking–like during os or wine-related updates. those kinds of issues are the ones your friend will be relying on you to fix for them so you definitely want to minimize the chances of that happening.