It doesn't have to be JavaScript. In my immediate family and colleagues, everyone uses either Thunderbird or, in cases of my dad, MS Outlook. Some friends use webmail, but nevertheless, an open source client is super common. An addon can do pgp there.
Which is not to say it's not too hard. As my parents age, I notice their capacity for understanding new things decreases. It's not just technology, also games with new logic that they haven't seen before takes a while to grasp. Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to a four year old except that they understand and remember everything that existed 20 years ago. How they are ever to understand the concept of encryption, I don't know, let alone find the buttons to import a key from key servers.
For people below ~50yo, however, enigmail shouldn't be beyond them. The issue is that they don't know why they should care and therefore don't take the time to learn what it is.
Which is not to say it's not too hard. As my parents age, I notice their capacity for understanding new things decreases. It's not just technology, also games with new logic that they haven't seen before takes a while to grasp. Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to a four year old except that they understand and remember everything that existed 20 years ago. How they are ever to understand the concept of encryption, I don't know, let alone find the buttons to import a key from key servers.
For people below ~50yo, however, enigmail shouldn't be beyond them. The issue is that they don't know why they should care and therefore don't take the time to learn what it is.