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Grandma’s On Linux – And She Couldn’t Be Happier

Thu, 10/04/2007 - 14:15 — Goliath

One of my users asked me to help format and re-install Microsoft Windows for his family member.  Again.  This would be the third, maybe fourth time Windows was re-installed on this machine.

 

Fortunately it was a pretty new HP box built to run Windows Media Center 2005, so it had enough horsepower and a convenient restore CD available in order to make the re-installation of Windows a thoughtless and for the most part painless procedure.

 

This user could have easily reinstalled Microsoft Media Center without my help, but he wanted a better solution.  Something that wouldn’t be plagued by spyware and viruses, or suffer the terrible performance killing fate of bloatware.

 

I offered Ubuntu as an ultra user friendly option.  As always, there were concerns over file and application compatibility so we had this relative compile a list of apps she had to have:

 

  • Quicken - GnuCash

  • Web Browsing – FireFox

  • Rhapsody - Amarok

  • TurboLister (from eBay)

  • Colored Impression – Open Office Impress

  • MS Office – Open Office + Evolution

  • Foto Fusion – F-Spot + GIMP

  • Photo Explosion – F-Spot + GIMP

 

Ubuntu easily met those needs, all except TurboLister.  There’s not a (good) Linux friendly equivalent for listing your stuff on eBay and TurboLister is not yet working in Wine.

 

I believe the new eye candy cube effect for Feisty Fawn and the wiggle windows will be enough to make up for missing Turbo Lister.

 

I’m grateful that this is a very boring and equally short story.  Everything worked on the first try.  The machine is stable, solid, and fast, exactly the way it should be for Grandma.

 

I’m sure someone out there has a better Linux conversion story.  Something that involves prying someone away from the Microsoft teat by coming up with a crazy or creative solution to a show stopping problem.

 

Of course maybe not.  Could Linux really have come that far?



Comments

Mon, 10/08/2007 - 10:03 — Krondor

I think so

It's really amazing how far the apps have come for Linux. F-Spot and Amarok in particular are quite impressive. I would say superior to apps available in those areas for Windows (though Foobar is very slick).

Honestly there aren't many things that require Windows these days. However, the things that are left are hardest obstacles to overcome. Proprietary industry specific programs, legacy software, etc... Then there are the games. Those last mile type problems are not going to be easy.

Linux is easily adoptable for the people who aren't dependent on things like that. If you're a horse breeder and you need Bob's Horse Breeding software you are kind of stuck when WINE falls short.

I guess this is where Citrix, 2X, VMWare, Xen, etc.. type solutions come into play. With software as a service business models many of these things will be web hosted and adoption barriers will be further reduced.

I guess the future looks tentatively bright.

BTW did you see the ajaxy spell check in the WYSIWYG editor?