Pretty much any distro will get a web browser up and running. However, the problem is going to be all the plugins and codecs that allow for a rich browsing experience (Youtube videos, java apps, other multimedia). No linux distro (of which I’m aware) has all that stuff configured “out of the box” due to legal/licensing concerns. (there may be some I just don’t know of any). So there is a one time cost involved with getting all that stuff going. Printers the same way.
Least painless way to get that going is probably to pay or barter with a known expert to get over that one time hump. After that it should be smooth sailing for an install that just has to do basic browsing.
From a net cost perspective you’d still be way ahead particularly if you can work something out via barter.
Meant to say “least *painful*” - typing too fast.
I actually think that this may be one of the biggest differentiators between linux and the “Pay” OS’es. Since you pay a Windows tax or a Mac tax the various plugins and codecs can be all rolled into there and part of your tax is going to go to pay small but non-zero licensing fees.
To date this sort of arrangement just doesn’t exist in the linux world. So while a linux distro will “work” right out of the box, it won’t be fully functional in a true multimedia sense. Will this change going forward? It’s possible but quite frankly I don’t see it changing.
So viewed in this way, linux is a bit like buying unfinished furniture or maybe a cake mix, while the “pay” OS’s are like buying finished furniture or a pre-baked cake. And this is a direct consequence of some fairly fundamental things like business model, GPL licensing, and basic philosophy.
There are certainly websites (not to mention linux tools) that will get your multimedia stuff going for you but at some point there is some effort required, and some knowing where to find the websites or tools etc.
At the end of the day there are a whole lot of people that just want to open up a box, connect a few cables, hit the power button and see youtube videos of dogs jumping in swimming pools and have it all done by the time it’s time to eat Christmas lunch. For those people linux will never be their best option.