Ubuntu for someone new to computers

[tim1970]

My mom is wanting me to build her a computer, and show her how to use it. When I say she knows absolutely nothing about computers, that would not be an understatement. She wouldn't even know the difference between single and double clicking.

Since she knows nothing about Windows, I was considering building her a machine running Ubuntu 8.10. My reasoning was that she wouldn't know any better, and it would be cheaper. It would also be safer for her when she is browsing because she wouldn't have a clue about protecting her computer from viruses and spyware.

The only things I see my mom doing are browsing the web, checking email, paying bills online, and maybe keeping a spreadsheet with her finances.

What are your thoughts? If I have to teach her from the very beginning, literally starting with turning on the computer, would it be a good idea to use Ubuntu? Does anyone see any drawbacks? What about tips I should consider when teaching her?

Thanks

Tim

[mkvnmtr]

For someone with that level of knowledge I think Ubuntu would be easier than windows. You might think about Mint. It is Ubuntu with the developer checking updates and not passing them to the user unless he thinks they are safe to not break your system. It is just as easy to use.

[myddewji13]

Easy tips:

http://helpforlinux.blogspot.com/2008/09/mombuntu-ubuntu-for-your-mom.html

[Lesley Lutomski]

Hi Tim,

An elderly friend who has never used a computer of any sort was given an old XP machine with only 128MB RAM. We decided it would be a good idea to convert it to Ubuntu and save her the hassle and expense of anti-virus, etc. When I posted problems elsewhere in the Forums, I was advised that Xubuntu would be better for a low memory system, and that's what I installed. (I've also managed to add another 128MB RAM.)

After initially feeling that clicking the wrong thing would end civilisation as we know it, our friend has taken to her computer like a duck to water, and is now delighted at being able to e-mail relatives around the globe. She's also written letters for a local group she belongs to and is getting to grips with surfing the net. To her immense surprise, she's loving the whole experience.

So I'd say yes - Ubuntu would be great for your mom. (Remember, if she doesn't know anything about any other system, she has nothing to get confused with.) I hope she enjoys it as much as our friend does.

Lesley

[donkyhotay]

I did this with my dad who also has no experience whatsoever with computers (I once got a call from him thinking his hard drive was full because his desktop was full of icons), he bought an XP machine and had serious problems with it due to only having about 256 of RAM (I also upgraded him to 512 of RAM). He was also paranoid about 'breaking' things due to not knowing what he was doing and was afraid to experiment and learn. I installed ubuntu for him and showed him what the gksudo prompt looked like and told him 'so long as you never put in your password here the worse thing you can do is delete your personal files'. I then showed him how to delete his personal files so he wouldn't accidently do that. He's been much happier since then since his system runs more efficiently and he can easily tell the difference between changing personal preferences and system administration. I also can easily set up SSH and remote desktop for when he has problems so I can more easily fix his system for him.

//edit: In my experience the people that claim linux 'is hard to learn' are people that have learned bad computing practices due to using windows for years and can't unlearn them enough to make the transition.

[newbee70]

Hey Tim,

I think it would be much easier for a "new" user to learn Ubuntu "linux" than it would be for them to learn Windows.

[_noob_]

I'd have to say try Linux Mint. It seems (to me at least) to be more user friendly then Ubuntu (even though I'm using Ubuntu and I will never think about using another) It comes as a live cd so give it a try decide for yourself. I'm still "unlearning" my Windows Habits. Lol.

[mangurt]

I would suggest linux mint also. I did the same thing with my parents. They both used XP for awhile, but after they kept getting viruses because they could not update their virus scanner (dial-up) I said, hey, why don't you try this. I think my mom called me 3 times since I changed their computers over to linux mint (8 months ago) and they love it. I also have linux mint running on my kids computer, and they like it better than windows systems they have to use at school.

[avtolle]

I also suggest Linux Mint, for the reasons already given and for the reason that the extra codecs are installed with installation of the system, flash and adobe reader are already installed (IIRC), making it a very "new user friendly" distro.

[lindsay7]

You should check out Linux Puppy. It is very simple and it does not tax your system interms of resources. You could use it on old hardware with little ram for example. You could even set it up to run form a memory stick and not even touch the system on the basic computer. That way there would be no way that you mom or dad for example could mess up the real copmuter so to speak. This sounds like the way to go to be safe all around.

[lindsay7]

You should check out Linux Puppy. It is very simple and it does not tax your system interms of resources. You could use it on old hardware with little ram for example. You could even set it up to run form a memory stick and not even touch the system on the basic computer. That way there would be no way that you mom or dad for example could mess up the real copmuter so to speak. This sounds like the way to go to be safe all around. The other thing you should look at is MoneyDance for her finances. It is very easy and is similar to quicken. You can use Moneydance on Linux and windows so you could help her with different systems if you needed to.

[capnthommo]

hi tim
my 2 pennyworth
i agree with the others, i'm middle aged and have only ever used windows for the last 15 years but i think i learned more about computing in the last 3 months than in the previous 14 years and 9 months.
she hasn't learned windows so she is like a blank sheet of paper - and that means she doesn't have any bad habits to unlearn. she probably won't be doing any 'bleeding edge' stuff (yet, that's hwat i thought about me but every day i find myself pushing my boundaries a little further) so there will be little chance of breaking anything, and i am sure you will be on hand to get her started. and ther are the people on the forums on hand too - these guys have been a revelation to me!

one more line crossed, one more mystery explained
one more world lost, one more heaven gained.

go
for
it
cheers
nigel
(Edit) p.s can't recommend a distro as i have only used ubuntu 8.10 (so far)

[bodhi.zazen]

I am going to move this to "Recurring discussions" now.

IMO it is more dependent on the person then the Operating System and they all have a learning curve.

If someone is willing to learn, in my experience, Linux (Ubuntu) is as easy to learn as Windows and if you are having problems with any OS, Windows included, it is hard if you are not computer savvy.

For example, at our public library, they offer free wireless access. Windows 2000 / XP and any version of Linux I have tried connect no problems. Vista, however, requires manual configuration. Now I can configure Vista as I know how to do these things, but the librarians, who work there and see this problem over and over, can not nor can new users.

I am not trying to diss vista, just an example.

So you see issues exist with all OS and so it depends on your willingness to learn, nothing more, nothing less.

I see no reason to hold Microsoft Windows products as the "gold standard" of "easy to use".