I agree with above - Mint with Cinnamon is going to feel the most like a Mac or Windows desktop out of the box. Many years ago, when Ubuntu was still in single digit versions, I got tired of tech supporting my wife's Windows desktop and installed Ubuntu, recreating the icons on her desktop just like they were on her Windows desktop. It helped that we already used Thunderbird, Firefox , and Open Office. It was several weeks later when she commented her computer had been "less crashy" recently. She didn't even notice the OS change.
The point is to support companies that support free software by not worrying about the lowest out-of-pocket price for a laptop. If that is your primary criteria Walmart or Amazon is your friend. If you want to support the open source community buy from Tuxedo, System 76, etc.
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I agree with above - Mint with Cinnamon is going to feel the most like a Mac or Windows desktop out of the box. Many years ago, when Ubuntu was still in single digit versions, I got tired of tech supporting my wife's Windows desktop and installed Ubuntu, recreating the icons on her desktop just like they were on her Windows desktop. It helped that we already used Thunderbird, Firefox , and Open Office. It was several weeks later when she commented her computer had been "less crashy" recently. She didn't even notice the OS change.
The point is to support companies that support free software by not worrying about the lowest out-of-pocket price for a laptop. If that is your primary criteria Walmart or Amazon is your friend. If you want to support the open source community buy from Tuxedo, System 76, etc.