Why your grandma doesn't run desktop Linux
I see articles like this one--explaining the migration of one's mom, grandma, etc. to Linux--and I can't help but believe it's proof positive that the migration in question never should have happened. If it requires an article explaining the success (or failure) of the migration, it's too difficult to bother doing.
At least this author was honest:
So, is Ubuntu Linux ready for this type of installation? Yes, provided they have someone with some Linux expertise at hand to help them.
I'm an open-source believer, but that belief does not mean that I believe open source should be used where it is a less viable solution. At some point the desktop Linux crowd is going to realize that its goals (control, primarily) don't necessarily mesh well with those of the average user (usability, primarily). This is fine. It's not cause for alarm.
I've had my entire extended family move to the Mac. (With eight kids, this is no small feat.) I didn't have to go over to my siblings' homes to install it for them and work through the kinks. It just worked. No technical proficiency was required.
Which is the point of desktop computing in the first place. It's supposed to lower the bar to getting things done, not raise the bar for the sake of ideology.
There are exceptional open-source programs for the desktop that run just fine on the Mac or on Windows: Adium (chat), Neo/OpenOffice, Firefox, Handbrake, etc. This is the best way to introduce open source to one's grandma, not by pushing a new operating system paradigm to her.
Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to The Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. You can follow Matt on Twitter @mjasay. 
Bingo!
It seems that many Linux supporters are so wrapped up in ideology and anti-MS hate, that they are clueless about the wants/needs of the average computer user.
I have no real complaints about WinXPSP2, and will use VistaSP1 (conveniently preinstalled) on my next computer.
I hope that Linux does eventually get there, though. Every PC I've owned has had a version of Windows on it, and I use OpenOffice, Firefox, etc whenever I can. But, I would love to see the Linux OS be installed as easily as Windows -- the sooner the better. If installation and usability were acceptable for a 'regular user' like me, I'd be using it immediately.
First of all there are plenty of 'Windows problem X is the final straw so I switched me / mum / the dog over to the Mac' - they are no different to this. I'm not sure what any such story taken in isolation proves?
Second in this particular story this guy cobled together a PC out of random (old) spare parts and stuck Linux on, which created a single driver issue with the graphics card. I'd say that's pretty phenomenal - you can't do this with a OS X since it only supports Apple hardware, and if you tried it with Windows you'd spend the next two weeks hunting for drivers, which may or may not still work. You've never had to hand hold anyone through a OS X install because Mac come installed, as do Windows PC's, and plenty of Linux machines, e.g. EeePC, Walmart machines, Dell laptops,... - none of these require help to get going - just plug in an go.
Thirdly, I'm not sure where you get the idea that the LInux desktop is about control? The GNOME project has usability very much front and center, so much so that Linus isn't a fan because he can't get at every last advanced option.
Ultimately my recommendation would come down to an Ubuntu pre-loaded Dell or a MacBook (Pro) but the final choice would not come down to any Usability gap. Ultimately it would come down to the intended use - where someone would need high end creative software, e.g. Photoshop, iMovie, Final Cut, Illustrator, etc then the Mac is a no brainer. For standard, Web, email, office, etc then the Dell is going to be cheaper and Ubuntu more than adequate (and in some areas superior to the Apple, e.g whole system updates not just the OS) - everything else is in the grey area inbetween and a judgement call.
1. It is not usually prepackaged with new PCs, as Windows is
2. Support for drivers is many times an issue
3. You receive technical support on a best-effort basis from Internet forums
4. For advanced use you usually need to go console and use Unix commands and need to know about unix file structure. Easy for Unix users, but not for Windows users
I do believe a distro prepared and supported by a company like Google could fix all the issues above:
http://tech-talk.biz/2008/02/04/the-best-defense-is-attack-goobuntu/
I came from the Windows world, terribly annoyed with having to fix stuff constantly and worry about what kind of problems would crop up next. I used to love tinkering with computers, but there comes a point where you need to rely on using the damned thing, not tinkering with it.
So I switched to Linux. Three different distros later, I'd had enough. One promised to create itself on a separate partition, and instead formatted my whole drive. Others required information that was annoying to get or drivers difficult to find. Maybe a few years earlier I would've found this "fun", but I needed to work now.
I went and bought a Mac, and haven't looked back since.
Linux isn't ready for mainstream primetime. It isn't intuitive, the Linux community is snobbish at best ("use Linux! it's better! ...oh, you need help? What, you don't know how to use it? Psh!"), and it's much too confusing for the average user to troubleshoot. It's just that simple.
The problems come with people who depend on computers to do more than e-mail and photos. Grandma can run Linux easy - people who want to use every cheap digital camera, printer, cell phone, mp3 player, and other gadget will have problems.
Buying hardware and software should NEVER be about being cheap and meeting the MINIMUM requirements. The purpose of purchasing hw/sw is to cut down on the phone calls. I purchased my mother a brand-new Dell laptop wtih Windows XP Pro pre-installed. Configured it to use wi-fi, and she hasn't mentioned the PC specifically for the last several months. And she uses it everyday! I think that is a good sign that the computer is functioning.
Ridiculous...
Reality is that more and more "grandmothers" ARE using digital cameras because they want all the pictures of their grandkids. And when they see the iPhone and how easy it is to use and how easy it is to show their friends their grandkids on the iPhone, well, physical photo albums are going the way of the dodo. Oh, and grandmothers like music too. The iPhone and iPods are bigger for them than you might believe.
They also like iChat with the ability to video conference their children and grandchildren. It's great fun watching them use this.
Ok, she has only 5 icons in her application menu (nothing on the desktop) :
- Internet (firefox)
- Mail (thunderbird)
- Conference (skype, to launch a video session and see her family)
- Documents (a link to her personnal folder)
- Pictures (a link to gThumb)
- ... and a 20 Mb DSL line to make sure she surf fast ;-)
I know, Skype is not opensource ... but it just works :)
well, if your grandma have to connect to the web via GPRS or faster by GSM/3G phone connected by USB Irda connector, things could be more complicated. Not for gradma of course, but for you - to install it. I do not know about macs, but in Windows its really a few mouse clicks away - install drivers for that USB Irda interface, plug the connector, install software for phone and (if ISP do not provide its own software) go to a device-manager and install GSM/3G modem similar to the old-days analog phoneline modem. And now - how about Linux based OS ?
There is a set of Linux users who are snobbish and who seem to judge masculinity on such matters. On the Mac, I just drag the install file from whatever media its on & plop it in my Applications folder. Easy, the way computing should be.
And with a 160 GB hard drive & 768 MB of memory, I haven't had a problem yet.
I think that anyone who says "Linux isn't ready for the desktop" has not been using it. I've been using it for over a year and a half now on my desktop. So the catch phrase is a load of bull. It is perfectly usable for anyone willing to take a little time and learn how it is different. It takes only about the same time to learn as moving from Win98SE to XP or XP to Vista.
TxemiC has it on the nose with the comment about pre-installation. If you go to a store and buy a computer you have the OS pre-installed, as well as all the extra software to ensure the DVD player will actually play DVDs, and the drivers. So out of the box, everything works. Now there are Linux systems from Dell, Everex, Asus, System76, and others that come with Linux pre-installed. Dell even has additions to Ubuntu so your DVDs will play right out of the box.
You wouldn't tell your mom or grandma to just re-install your operating system when you get the new computer to get rid of all the crap-ware on it. Most of us would do that for them. So even if it is Windows or Mac, generally people rely on their local geek to help get it setup and maintain it, or some part of it. Since most of the setup has already taken place.
I'd be willing to bet you could get a family member an Ubuntu system from Dell and have the same amount of setup involved as any other system.
I'm always happy to read your blog but this time I feel you made a fundamental mistake.
Mac and Mac OS work well because someone has already done the tweaking for you (even in the case of upgrading OS on an old Mac). You shouldn't compare this with people installing Linux on a random computer. Rather, compare it to the preinstalled Linux computers currently sold in various countries by Dell, Lenovo, HP, Acer, Asus, System76, zaReason and others. Then you'll have a perfectly smooth Linux experience.
It is OK to complain if you buy a machine with the OS *preinstalled* which in theory should work perfectly. I recently bought an HP laptop with Vista and my experience has been terrible. I ended up having to reinstall Vista after a while, with no guarantee that I won't have problems again in the future. In this case, yes, we can complain about HP who hasn't made sure that the OS works with the hardware.
Regards,
Alberto
The difficulties my mother would endure from one OS to another would probably be much the same if someone was to deliver her a computer without any concern for her abilities, her uses, and the applications she would use and said to her, "well, go at it."
Like any user with limited skills or even very specific needs, a little customization and a short tutorial goes a long way. And that is not OS specific.
All this never-ending BS about "my OS is better than your OS" is tiresome and points more to writers without any topic ideas than any real issue regarding Operating Systems and users.
I think if somebody developed a solid IDE, with advanced debugging and a FULLY integrated GUI builder (based on a uniform widget set), you'd get a lot more uniform, quality apps for linux, and that would increase usage.
installing ubuntu on my laptop is easier then xp. i have to install drivers just to get the wireless to work in xp. while with ubuntu everything works on first boot up including bluetooth and the tablet functionality that won't work at all in xp profession (non tablet edition). getting hardware to work is infinitely easier with ubuntu then it is with xp.
the problem with a middle aged person or a younger person is that there just isn't some equivalent programs for linux. however your grandma isn't likely to use those.
however, if you don't play games and don't have some specific program you use then ubuntu works much better. want to download some video? good luck finding a codec if it isn't from microsoft. however with ubuntu it finds the correct codec and installs it.
my biggest problem with ubuntu is video card stuff. 3D was fixed with the last edition, and duel monitors, hot swappable monitors, and graphics safe mode are all going to be on the next edition of ubuntu.
in widows if you want a free program you search the net and download something that probably comes with some spyware or viruses. in ubuntu just open synaptic and you can install just about any type of program and not have to worry about spyware or viruses.
another thing that is super easy in ubuntu is bit torrent. it just works. in windows you better know how to configure your firewall and possibly know how to configure your router for port forwarding.
as far getting them adjusted to a new operating system its about as easy to switch from xp to ubuntu as it is to switch from xp to vista.
and to 'john55440' and 'TxemiC' you can get linux conveniently preinstalled too through dell or asus.
as far as macs 'just working' i don't get it. people rave about the ipod, and i'll admit it looks great, but the usability is crap. if i plug it into my computer and open up the folder to view the files, i can't just drop a folder of music into the ipod window i have to install itunes and sync it. that is completely retarded!! i think its the only mp3 player in the world that won't let you do that. and why isn't there a sd slot on the ipod or iphone?!?! that is a pretty basic feature. everyone raves about mac, but they do everything they can to limit the useful life of their products(a 4GB iphone wouldn't be so bad if i could add a 32GB sd card) and lock you in(like selling you music in aac format which only mac uses instead of an industry standard like mp3 which amazon sells.).
i can't wait for the black lash once linux becomes super easy to use and other companies come out with great looking laptops.
Most people ONLY want to import their music and sync the music to their device in the easiest way possible. This is exactly the way it works.
You don't need a memory slot on the iPhone. That's why there isn't one.
You don't listen to 32gb of music a day or probably even in a week. Just resync your iPod/iPhone back to iTunes and have it download fresh music to it or buy a higher capacity iPod.
I too can't wait for Linux to be super easy to use on desktops and laptops. Until then, I'm using a Mac.
I had no problems with drivers, all of the system's hardware was fully supported.
I was able to put Ubuntu 6.06 on it, and this person who had no exposure to windows pc either took to it like a duck to water. All about expectations I guess. And because it is not an ancient, exploit ridden version of windows with no ongoing support I've not had to worry about viruses or most problems that plague the windows platform.
She uses verizon dsl which created more problems for me because the connection with the newer modems now used requires configuration with a mac or pc running windows. A deliberate choice - had they used java instead it would not have been platform specific - in a year and half this is the only problem I've had with the installation. I've been over once in the last year to deal with an issue. Good enough I think.
I use XP Pro at home with occasional forays into Ubuntu, (grub not working well) and have 3 other exclusively XP Pro machines at home so I would not say I am a Linux foamite.. :)
With that said, after supporting Windows, Linux, and Mac users for over 15 years, I have to agree that Grandma, as well as the majority of home users, are better off on a Mac.
I believe it was Walt Mossberg of the WSJ that said something like "if you aren't a Windows expert, or prepared to become one you have no business running a Windows computer". The same, for the most part, is true of Linux.
As for using it? There is no OS in the world that can eliminate the need to learn how each program works. On XP you might click one icon, on the Mac another, and on Linux yet another, and yeah, each application has its own various inconsistencies and problems, Mac apps included. No system is perfect nor is it ever perfect for all users. Mac apps have bugs just the same as Windows and Linux.
That said, in this particular case, seeing how the computer was a begged-off pile of leftovers, price was definitely an issue. Expecting someone on a budget of zero to instead waste a couple thousand dollars on a new Mac so they can have some undefined usability benefit is foolish. The learning curve for GNOME isn't *that* steep, and it's not like the Mac doesn't have a learning curve either.
You're right that spending a couple thousand on a Mac would be foolish. Or idiotic since you can buy a Mac Mini for $599. If you think Macs start at "a couple thousand" you need to go to the Apple website and learn a little. And yes a Mac Mini is upgradable. You've heard of USB and FireWire and Crucial (ram).
Most people don't need more than a Mac Mini. As for games, only idiots use PCs for games. Buy a Wii (if you can find one) or a PS3 for games. (Lamebox isn't worth considering).
- by buraddo February 8, 2008 11:15 AM PST
- I find supporting parents on both sides of the family is not so much general useability.. I can get thunderbird and mozilla and OpenOffice on Linux as much as Windows.. My folks want two or three icons to worry about max..
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Showing 1 of 3 pages (55 Comments)or even migration.. Thats a once only event, which is worth my time..
Its the repeatability.. Windows in this case quite often does not behave the same way over time and most definitely degrads to being completely unuseable after a year or so (assuming you say yes to the many automatic updates that each software product offers)..
I would move my parents to linux if it had the commercial application support.. The home computer has become the center of entertainment.. Skype and IM have just caught on to Linux, but Digital Video Camera manufacturers, MP3 player manufacters, Multifunction printers, VoIP capabilities are all lacking..
When the ever approach inevitable happens and I become a grandpa, then perhaps my requirements have become much bigger, but I think the OS's will progress with me..
AU$0.02