- XFCE kiosk mode with everything as shortcut icons (that can't be deleted) + removed all UI access to everything else
- Monthly Borg save of the /home dir
- X2Go for screen sharing when assistance required
So that's the great thing with Linux: you can make it look exactly how you want (huge icons, etc.), and you basically just save the /home dir to save the "state" for the user. Downside is that config is a lot of work.
Consider sharing the work as open source. I think that too often people think of "mere configs" as something less than programming, not valuable and not worth sharing, when they are in fact really valuable. Not just the configs, but the curation, too.
If such a project caught on, I bet others would pitch in to smooth down the rough edges. In fact, it might be nice to merge and/or utilize a recovery distribution to restore such a configuration in the event of an issue.
In one relative's case with an old laptop, I installed some light distro, Firefox with an ad-block and it's been stable for a few years. She only browses a few favorite sites.
Other's infatuation with Apple's overpriced *nix boxes is a true testament to Apple's marketing department. Pay more for less. We can't spend so many thousands every few years.
- Linux Debian with default user privileges
- XFCE kiosk mode with everything as shortcut icons (that can't be deleted) + removed all UI access to everything else
- Monthly Borg save of the /home dir
- X2Go for screen sharing when assistance required
So that's the great thing with Linux: you can make it look exactly how you want (huge icons, etc.), and you basically just save the /home dir to save the "state" for the user. Downside is that config is a lot of work.