took my mom off XP

[TheNessus]

Installed Ubuntu on her computer.

She uses it mainly for web surfing and a bit of office work.

I'd like some advice as to how to make her experience using Ubuntu completely unnoticed - making the desktop show windows's user/Desktop (for easy dual-booting if need be), and other such similar things.

thanks

[Shining Arcanine]

Try installing KDE and switching the KMenu to the classic KMenu. Also, install Chromium and put it on the taskbar.

[chriswyatt]

Same. When I put Ubuntu on my dad's PC I setup automounting of the old Windows partition and made a link so my dad could easily access his old files. Also installed Flash, codec packages and DVD support for him as well as I knew he'd need those. Also showed him he can easily access XP if he wants when he starts the computer, he just uses Ubuntu now and he loves it.

The only issue he has is that sound messes up occasionally so I gave him a restart ALSA button which seems to fix it when the sound disappears :).

Hope your mum enjoys using Ubuntu.

[mamamia88]

good start http://ubuntu.online02.com/node/14

[linux18]

http://ubuntu.online02.com/node/14

simple easy XP script - but it has to be ubuntu not [K][X][L]ubntu

[TheNessus]

Try installing KDE and switching the KMenu to the classic KMenu. Also, install Chromium and put it on the taskbar.
KDE would swallow up too much RAM, and her computer only has 500 mgb. And yes I told her to upgrade but she has no interest in this weird thing called RAM. At least now the computer is more responsive as the countless weird-named processes and viruses and other things that clog her XP are irrelevant.
It was my gaming-rig 4 years ago, has a good Nvidia card, so compiz works beautifully.

It's a bit problematic - she uses Picasa to catalog her photos, but also to browse them; so she doesn't know how to even access the photos on XP (documents -> photos). I'll need to do a lot of re-arrangements and hope she won't get lost in both Ubuntu and consequently in XP as well. Maybe I'll get her on Ubuntu's picasa-like thing that I forgot its name now.

Yes I should also install Medibuntu for all the codecs and flash, forgot about those.

Amazingly she uses Chrome as a default on XP, after being only aware of Explorer 6. So I got her on chrome on Ub. as well.

[Lucradia]

Chrome is a big CPU sucker, even without flash on. I hope she has over 2 GHz.

[blueturtl]

How about you ask your mom what she'd like?!

If she's not studied enough to request programs and settings by name just ask her what she wants to accomplish and add the appropriate progs to do what she wants. If she doesn't like a particular program, show her some alternatives as there are undoubtedly quite a few of those in the Linux world.

[donkyhotay]

After the XXXth virus, messed up admin setting, etc. I told my dad I was going to convert him from XP to ubuntu (he didn't have any MS only stuff). I then set him up, showed him what the sudo prompt looked like (in the gui) and told him he should *always* click cancel when he sees this message unless I specifically tell him otherwise. I let him know this was a security check to do something potentially dangerous and so long as he clicks cancel he will be fine but if he were to put in his password it *might* (but not necessarily) break something. I didn't lie to him about it and showed him why although it's different, these differences are there to protect him. After that the constant "computer broke" calls dropped off because he was able to recognize immediately the difference between "normal use" and "admin access". I did let him know admin access wasn't bad, just potentially dangerous and was the computers way of telling him "hey, if you accidently just told me to shoot myself in the head I'll go ahead and do it, just be 100% certain you didn't tell me to do that though."

[Merk42]

Installed Ubuntu on her computer.

She uses it mainly for web surfing and a bit of office work.

I'd like some advice as to how to make her experience using Ubuntu completely unnoticed - making the desktop show windows's user/Desktop (for easy dual-booting if need be), and other such similar things.

thanks

She does know you changed her operating system right?

Completely changing someone's computer without asking is incredibly rude and immature.

[forrestcupp]

I'd like some advice as to how to make her experience using Ubuntu completely unnoticed

Monitor everywhere she goes and make sure she never goes to Walmart or Best Buy and buys software to install.

[TheNessus]

She does know you changed her operating system right?

Completely changing someone's computer without asking is incredibly rude and immature.

Errr... where did I say I did it without asking?

[jerenept]

Errr... where did I say I did it without asking?

it was in fact insinuated by your request to make the changeunnoticeable
A red flag raises.

[v1ad]

also if they don't know what an OS is, i don't see any point in explaining.

[Merk42]

it was in fact insinuated by your request to make the changeunnoticeable
A red flag raises.Exactly why I put that word in bold


also if they don't know what an OS is, i don't see any point in explaining.I have no idea how a car works, but I'd be very upset if someone were to just up and change the parts of my car without asking me first.


However, it seems this isn't the case with TheNessus anyway, so no more derailing in that regard

[kaldor]

My family still think it's a scam, hence why they bought a Mac instead of installing Ubuntu on their currently not toooo low-end computer. Remember kids, nothing is EVER free.

[Merk42]

My family still think it's a scam, hence why they bought a Mac instead of installing Ubuntu on their currently not toooo low-end computer. Remember kids, nothing is EVER free.Linux is only free if your time is worth nothing

[digitalcitizenx]

sweet

[theOGRE]

Linux is only free if your time is worth nothing
Hilarious!!! I stumbled into the linux world about a year ago, and I've been sitting at my computer trying to figure stuff out ever since! :lolflag: (and my time is worth nothing) It's been good though, because I'm not a mindless MS$ user anymore. I'm starting to learn more about how my computer works, and how to fix my own problems, write scripts, etc. I've converted a couple friends, but also had a few try it and run away. I want to get my granny and mom on board, but not till I'm done learning enough to make a custom setup that fits them nicely. Good luck with your mom's computer. I hope it works out.

[TheNessus]

it was in fact insinuated by your request to make the changeunnoticeable
A red flag raises.
unnoticeable =! stealthily
What I meant was in ease of use, smooth migration, without having to learn anything new like cli or ever having to install anything (Except by myself to set it up this way).