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Fidelio
June 8th, 2009, 01:05 AM
Is Ubuntu ready for your mum? Is your mum ready for Ubuntu?
I think, in general, yes. I gave my mum an old Pc a couple of years ago running windows XP. Windows, as it does, ground slowly to a halt so we thought we would try her on ubuntu.
So how has my mum done on Ubuntu?
Pretty well actually, She says it runs much faster than XP, she can email, surf, upload and print pics from her camera, play her favourite java games, listen to Radio4. Basically everythig she did on windows.
So is your mum ready for linux? Is linux ready for your mum? Cautiously optimistic.

mamamia88
June 8th, 2009, 01:27 AM
well seeing how i think a caveman can use my mint setup i would say yes. but then again i did have to show my dad where the address bar in ie was today. thinking of dualbooting with gentoo just for a challenge

eolson
June 8th, 2009, 01:31 AM
Trust me, if she doesn't expect it to work like windows, she/it is ready. Darned few aps, other than games, don't satisfy a persons requirements.

s3MA00RRNY
June 8th, 2009, 01:41 AM
My grandmother uses Ubuntu. Yes, expecting something different is definitely a requirement. I don't think my grandfather qualifies.

K.Mandla
June 8th, 2009, 01:57 AM
Mom's been an Ubuntu fan since Dapper.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=156175

And owns a preinstalled Ubuntu Dell machine.

http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2008/05/24/the-year-of-the-linux-desktop-photos-from-the-revolution/

Anybody who says Ubuntu isn't ready for the casual user doesn't know what they're talking about.

xuCGC002
June 8th, 2009, 01:57 AM
My grandmother uses Ubuntu.

As does mine. She used to use XP, until she got Conficker E. I just installed Ubuntu, made it look like XP, and she says it works better.

venator260
June 8th, 2009, 02:17 AM
My mother, dad, and sister use Ubuntu.

The key to their use was that they didn't have a whole lot of pre-learned Windows knowledge.

For my father, giving him a desktop shortcut to 123 Free Solitaire (which works flawlessly in Wine, btw) and showing him how to check the email was enough. My mother just needed email and a web browser (and quite enjoys GNOME's games). My sister uses the computer to load digital camera photos and get on Myspace... not a difficult task.

What they didn't know how to do was stay away from sites that have viruses and use anti-virus and anti-spyware software effectively. I was overjoyed when they agreed to use Ubuntu as their main OS, and Windows for tasks that cannot be done in Ubuntu, which so far has mean making a Power Point or two.

cody7002002
June 8th, 2009, 04:42 AM
I let my mom try out my netbook running ubuntu NBR and she had no trouble navigating at all because everything is so easily sorted and labeled under tabs

heroidi
June 8th, 2009, 05:04 AM
My stepmother my father and my brother use ubuntu because my mother died 4 years ago and in that time i didn't know anything about ubuntu and linux

Mister LinOx
June 8th, 2009, 05:17 AM
I believe I have posted some stuff on this grandmother I have (that lives with me) before, but I will post a little something: She despises anything that doesn't cost more than other things and that is not Microsoft. She believes she's the goddess of technology and blames me for her technical mishaps.

I dual booted XP with Ubuntu on my HP last month (God forbid if I actually removed XP) and there were finally zero problems. No viruses or malware. My grandmother then started to complain of everything breaking and not working, then unhooked my Ethernet cord, speakers, and mouse then said "See! What did I tell you? You are NEVER supposed to run more than one system on a computer at a time. I worked at McJunkin, I'd know. Linux breaks things"

A week after, the power supply fried, she comes back from repair then says the guy went to college and said that it was linus that fried it. -.-

She is not ready for Ubuntu...

dmizer
June 8th, 2009, 05:22 AM
Both my parents use Ubuntu (Xubuntu actually), mostly because I can securely administrate it from half way around the world. They have frequent problems, but I'm able to fix them via SSH. This would not be possible with Windows.

They have their problems because neither of them have known anything other than Windows, but it's a trade-off. For them, it's more valuable for me to be able to fix their problems than it is to have a familiar OS.

H2SO_four
June 8th, 2009, 05:23 AM
My moms computer runs Xubuntu 8.10. My dad however, belongs to the camp that proclaim "I just want it to work". I'm not going to even try to convert him. NOT WORTH IT. The benefits do not exceed the effort in that case, sadly.

Maverick7687
June 8th, 2009, 05:24 AM
It's much easier for someone who has no knowledge of any OS to take on to Ubuntu/Linux very easily. If you are just getting your parents/grandparents into computers and the internet, they won't know anything different than what you have introduced them to/with and how to use that system.

NFblaze
June 8th, 2009, 05:34 AM
As does mine. She used to use XP, until she got Conficker E. I just installed Ubuntu, made it look like XP, and she says it works better.

Did you do anything specific to make it seem like XP, cuz I'm planning on testing my mom out on this.

The Real Dave
June 8th, 2009, 11:19 AM
Both my parents use Ubuntu (Xubuntu actually), mostly because I can securely administrate it from half way around the world. They have frequent problems, but I'm able to fix them via SSH. This would not be possible with Windows.

They have their problems because neither of them have known anything other than Windows, but it's a trade-off. For them, it's more valuable for me to be able to fix their problems than it is to have a familiar OS.

Not true. Use a Virtual Networking Server, such as UltraVNC (http://uvnc.com), or RealVNC (http://realvnc.com) and a bit of port forwarding, and you can login to their computer as if you were sitting in front of it, graphical desktop and all. Works with all versions of Windows (at least W2K, XP and Vista), though to use RealVNC with Vista, requires a paid for version.

I use RealVNC to administrate my W2K Pro Server, seeing as FreeNAS kept going crazy. :S Simple, easy, quick, and you dont need to know many commands :D

khelben1979
June 8th, 2009, 11:30 AM
Anybody who says Ubuntu isn't ready for the casual user doesn't know what they're talking about.

Agreed.

dmizer
June 8th, 2009, 12:22 PM
Not true. Use a Virtual Networking Server, such as UltraVNC (http://uvnc.com), or RealVNC (http://realvnc.com) and a bit of port forwarding, and you can login to their computer as if you were sitting in front of it, graphical desktop and all. Works with all versions of Windows (at least W2K, XP and Vista), though to use RealVNC with Vista, requires a paid for version.

I use RealVNC to administrate my W2K Pro Server, seeing as FreeNAS kept going crazy. :S Simple, easy, quick, and you dont need to know many commands :D

Oh, I know very well you can do this. The key word here was "securely" administrate it. I wouldn't allow VNC to traverse my gateway to a Windows box if my life depended on it.

hotweiss
June 8th, 2009, 01:41 PM
As does mine.

lukjad
June 8th, 2009, 01:49 PM
My mom uses Ubuntu as well. Now, to get her to use the internet...

RiceMonster
June 8th, 2009, 01:50 PM
I'm the only one in my family using Linux. That's fine with me.

0per4t0r
June 8th, 2009, 03:38 PM
My mom has no experience at all on computers, and tries to stay as far away from them as possible, but I think if you teach someone to use linux before you teach them anything, they'll be ready for linux.

toejamfootball
June 8th, 2009, 04:07 PM
I'm the only one in my family using Linux. That's fine with me.
I am installing Ubuntu on my mothers old laptop in a few weeks, she is excited :)

Swagman
June 8th, 2009, 04:34 PM
My Mum is an author and didn't even know what Open Office is.

khelben1979
June 8th, 2009, 04:36 PM
I'm the only one in my family using Linux. That's fine with me.

Same here.