Why you should switch your parents pc to ubuntu

It’s funny when you think about it.

Windows is supposed to be the OS that is very easy to learn and follow. But because of security concerns you really need to know what you are doing now.

In Linux, it feels different, but with the right shortcuts and people like your parents, that don’t do anything fancy, linux is the right answer.

I’m planning to do the same thing for my g/f computer and rid her of Windows

Keep up the good work. Love the site.

I’ve also found Ubuntu to be easier from the point of view that things “just work”.

In Windows, in order to get my digital camera working I need to find (on a website somewhere because I lost the CD) and then install drivers. These drivers elicit a warning that they are not approved and may damage my computer - but I need to install them. This is a USB mass storage device people!

In Ubuntu I just plug it in. It Works.

Thanks for another great story.

Bogart:
under windows it will just work too.
simply dont install drivers, it is the best way.

anyway it seems that linux gain more and more advantages over windows, but still there is much more good programs/games/multimedia for windows

Thinker most parents to not use multimedia / games which makes them an ideal candidate to switch. And it is not only about the drivers. They have to keep up with windows patches, firewall, anti-virus, phishing, spyware, dialers, trojans, backdoors which is probably to much for inexperienced users.

I switched to Ubuntu, but can’t convice my father and mother to do so because my father loves to play Age of Empires and my Mother uses to PC to capture video with a unknowkn video-capture-card.

I believe that Ubuntu is great, but some problems like that and bad recognization of dial-up modens still keeps it from hiting main ground.

I read your post every morning and generally enjoy them and find them informative. However, this post bothers me somewhat. I have two computers that I have built from all new parts, one 2 years ago and 1 this summer. I have 1 running XP with a few programs that I must have (not ready to let go yet or haven’t found a suitable replacement)and also used to help troubleshoot problems of others. My main computer I first put Vista Beta on and then dumped it and put Linux (Kanotix) on. I have now switched to Sidux. I have no formal training in computers, all self taught. My neighbors ask me questions and I help repair their problems.

The point of the rant is that I am 63 years old. Quit talking down to parents and grandparents. You did not invent computers. Many of us have been at this far longer than you have. Quit being condescending.

john

John I was not implying that there are no elder who have the knowledge to build and maintain a pc on their own. I respect the elder and did not mean to “talk down on them”.

People shouldn’t take the internet so seriously. The point of Martin posting this was to help people, not to imply that old people can’t use a computer. I believe the majority of the people who read this site daily are the people that everyone else comes to for help when there’s a problem with their computer, or to put it simply “computer savvy people”. You’re one of those people John. The reason the post is titled “Why you should switch your parents’ pc” is because that was how it applied to Martin. It could have easily been titled “Why you should probably put Ubuntu on your wife’s pc” instead, and have gotten the same point across, but the whole reason this story was posted is because of the junk he found when was cleaning his mom’s pc! Don’t take things so seriously, it’s only the internet.

i didn’t sense any negative tone in your post Martin. I think John is being a little bit over-sensitive. Anyhow, great read Martin. I read a post along the same lines at diggs.com recently as well. There’s a few problems i can forsee with setting my folks up with Ubuntu, namely things like watching streaming windows media files and the like, but hopefully you’ll be able to cross those roads when you come to them.

On an unrelated note, has anyone attempted to run World of Warcraft on Ubuntu? That’s pretty much the only thing I think that would hold me back from completely switching over. I know I could just dual boot, but to me that seems like it would be defeating the whole point of using Ubuntu in the first place.

Yeah, you can run WOW on Ubuntu, you just need to use “Wine” (not the drinking kind, but i’m sure that’ll make setting it up more interesting). There’s a couple of write ups on how to do this on the Ubuntu Forums. Here’s one http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=120615

Thanks adrift!

Sorry guys but having your parents running a Linux box to solve a security issue under Windows doesn’t make much sense. You could probably fix the security problem once and not worry about it but I can only imagine the many problems that would come up under Linux.

It’s a pretty bad idea and one reason why Linux is so weak on the desktop.

Billy Bob, do you have any experience of Ubuntu linux? Windows boxes with less technical people are going to experience ongoing security issues - freeware and even commercial solutions quickly become outdated.

Installation is the critical period for linux and ubuntu linux on desktops tends to work out of the box. If ubuntu linux installs, and works, then security issues are resolved permanently.