Tiling Window Manager for Your Grandpa
TL;DR: Tiling window managers, which allow launching programs and actions via keyboard shortcuts, are often easier for older people who are used to non-intuitive systems.
My grandfather(70+) always struggled with modern graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Icons would "disappear," something would "break," or things wouldn't work as he wanted. Despite using computers for over a decade, he never got accustomed to modern interfaces. It baffled me how a former railroader, an engineer, and a handyman capable of fixing anything from a mixer to a car continually faced the same issues that even small children manage to overcome.
I finally realized that the problem was intuitiveness. Older individuals are used to mechanical and electronic items that are single-task and non-intuitive. Take car pedals, for example: the brake and gas pedals are not intuitive; they are always located in the same place and do not change positions when turning. If you accidentally press the brake twice, its function does not change. Mastering their operation simply requires memorizing their positions and relying on muscle memory.
With this in mind, I installed Arch Linux and the i3 window manager on my grandfather's computer. Tiling window managers like i3 organize windows in a non-overlapping, grid-like fashion, which can be more predictable and stable compared to floating windows in traditional GUIs.
