Comments on: Is Linux Grandma Ready?

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:48:41 +0000

you could help them faster by showing them how to hook up.One thing you need to do that is to have a part. Why would I carry around the part they need?HP:Professional high-end media in certain areas requires the Unix/Linux system, but for most regular people's needs Mac is probably the way to go because the baseline software and the first tier of professinal stuff is very hard to beat. However, there are things you may find yourself doing, or wanting to do, on your laptop along these lines!I love my cordless mouse.

By: HP

HP — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:53:31 +0000

Well, I was inspired by this thread to spend some time today looking at Linux open source media management and editing software. And then I went out to buy a cordless mouse because the trackpad on my laptop crapped out. And I bought a dual processor iMac.The good news is that once I get all my media files transferred to the Mac, I’m going to convert my laptop to Linux, and be Windows-free. But I’ll be using the Mac for music and video until I’m convinced that it’s a valid multimedia tool.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:35:15 +0000

“or when they can’t get their Mac hooked up right, for a presentation.” – of course, if that’s the only problem, you could help them faster by showing them how to hook up.I’ve been an avid user of Linux since ’95, myself – mostly as a server platform. During my days as a Windows geek, I used to “switch” to linux every six months or so after getting fed up with Windows XXX ( This from an NT enterprise admin with an MCSE ). I always went back because of applications that don’t exist. (Mostly music and art programs of various types). Of course, OSX cured that cycle, and now the only Windows machines I own are virtual ones to satisfy the odd requirement of my job (like Visio – ick), even though I’ve been a Unix-only systems engineer for nine years now. (Most of the CCNxxx guys use Windows, I’ve discovered; that’s probably why I get so many Visio diagrams from them).Still, I’d wager than anyone who can’t tolerate OSX because it’s too unlike Windows will have exactly the same problem when it comes to Ubuntu or any other Linux distro. If you gotta have windows, you just gotta bite the bullet and suffer. IF you can learn new tricks, pick the OS that does what you need to do, whether it be Ubuntu, SUSE, Fedora, or even OSX. Even though Ubuntu does run very nicely on the new iMacs, it seems rather pointless once you become comfortable with MacPorts – all the cool Linux software usually builds under MP.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:59:17 +0000

Clark: Nautilus does what? Please explain. Sounds interesting.

By: Emily

Emily — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:50:11 +0000

I’m a generally competant computer user, able to do first pass trouble-shooting, though nothing beyond that. In college, I had an account on the campus unix network and did all my computing on that. I even still remember something from that experience. But I wouldn’t say that installing Ubuntu and then subsequent applications was exactly easy or headache-free. I’m still totally happy with the switch and have been having fun dabbling with some of the more interesting capabilities, but that’s because I don’t mind searching through forums for the various advice permutations that other people with my problem solicited. I also don’t mind things not working for a while until I figure it out.For what I want to do with this computer, the XP professional it came pre-loaded with has been trouble-free. Should something go wrong, I’ll be screwed, but all the XP computers I’ve used at work have been stable and problem-free for the past four years.

By: Clark

Clark — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:47:08 +0000

Every few years after each massive “Linux for the desktop is here” campaign I go and give it a whirl. Each time it’s improved but also each time it ends in frustration. I gave up on Windows and switched to a Mac for home a few years ago. I’ve switched most everything over this year with a few exceptions.Linux is great for servers (even though Vista Server 2008 has made massive improvements) but for home use I can’t imagine wanting anything but a Mac.I will say this that Linux is often much more Windows-like than the Mac and can be less traumatic for folks use to Windows. So your point there is apt except for Nautilus which inexplicably tries to be the Sys9 Finder. (Yes, I know you can run KDE – and I often do. But most folks run Gnome.)

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:22:47 +0000

One could easily turn the question around and ask: Is Grandma Linux Ready?

By: Winawer

Winawer — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:27:17 +0000

I tried to get my wife to use Ubuntu once. The experiment was a failure because “it doesn’t do things like Windows does. Stupid linux.” That’s not a dig at my wife; it’s just an anecdotal report of someone failing to like Linux because they’ve used Windows for so very long that anything else looks like it’s broken by default.As for myself, I use both OS X and Ubuntu (I use Ubuntu as a desktop OS for doing simulation work on). All told, I prefer OS X to Ubuntu for day to day work, for a whole list of reasons which I won’t clutter up your blog with. Mostly, I’m just tired of GNOME and/or X barfing every time I so much as sneeze in the direction of the machine. Having to reinstall your graphics drivers every month or so can be a real pain sometimes. But I do enjoy Ubuntu and Linux in general, and I hope that desktop Linux makes greater inroads into the market.Coincidentally, I hear that Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04) is out today…

By: jeffk

jeffk — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:04:52 +0000

Yeah, that’s what my adviser tells me too.

By: clinteas

clinteas — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:47:40 +0000

You sound like one very useless grad physics student to me mate !My completely computer illiterate wife has been using Ebay and installing and playing games and music apps on a Kubuntu Linux machine for years without any problems,hangups,viruses etc…