Linux

Have you gotten them to try an alternative program? And if they REALLY need scrivener in particular, then you can try installing it in something called "bottles", though it will probably require a bit of setup to work correctly, though my personal advice to anyone who needs a windows only program that doesn't have a Linux port or alternative is to just... Use windows.

This is a joke, right? Like, this must be a satire making fun of stereotypical Linux users?

Cant say for sure about Scrivener, but Bibisco has a native Linux version and it runs great on my MX 21.3 laptop. Working to convert my GF too, as we both write a lot and her laptop (same model as mine)gets hot for no reason with Win 10, not to mention its Windows...

I'll try dropping scrivener into Bottles as a test and report back, but I think a native app is a must for a full time writer.

EDIT: Scrivener doesn't just install in Bottles/Wine from what I can see. It failed for me, and I'm working on the dependencies, but as another commenter pointed out, the meta filesystem would likely be a deal-breaker for most on-tech-savvy users who need easy access to their files to share them.

Just let them do what they want to do. They can live their life the way they choose.

Go with LMDE5. It will run faster the Windows has never ran on that hardware.