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Moving Your Kids to Linux?
"My real motivation to do this is to save money and to teach my children that sometimes the best isn't always the most expensive. Also, being the cheap bastard that I am, I'm looking at all the money we've spent on Windows XP, Office and all the games over the years, and I'm wondering if there isn't a way to slowly supplant Linux into the mix and not sacrifice my children's computer experience but at the same time save some money and teach them something new.
My requirements are simple: I would like them to run their CD-ROM based games (which are mostly Director based games from Hasbro), and I would still like them to chat with their friends and also be able to play online Flash and Shockwave based games from Yahoo and Shockwave.
I believe I'm looking at an OpenOffice situation to replace Office, I suppose that would be fine and I think would work out (they aren't required to have perfect Word compatibility, its basically type a paper, and print it). For chat we're probably OK too, because something like GAIM would be fine -- Jabber based things would also be cool.
But my real concern is the CD-ROM games and Windows based games. I can't see my 3 year-old putting a CD-ROM into the drive and expecting it to auto-load and run like it does on XP -- without issues -- even with a perfect installation of WINE, hey, maybe I'm wrong, but is there a way to have it work as good as windows?
I've thought about loading up Mandrake and getting WINE working to see if it'll work out, but I'm not sure that I should waste my time, so I thought I'd ask some readers here if they're run into this situation and if I'm just crazy for thinking that this would be the wise thing to do at the expense of my children's computing experience."
My kids are aged 11, 7 and 3. All of them are computer savvy. They use the computer for basically three things: Games, writing papers and chatting with friends, as well as browsing sites that are frequented by children their age...
The new math?
Hell, just let them learn how to use the CLI
GUIs, never needed them when I was a little one!
His kids are aged 11, 7 and 3.
Prove that they will never all have prime number ages at the same time again.
One day I will have a child. I shall raise him (please be a him) on computer technology from birth. He will be the Mozart of computing... mwhaahahahahahaha!
This is reminiscent of the old platonic girl friend problem. You know, when you're friends with a girl you really like and they claim to need to find a guy that's just like you but not you. In this case you want an OS that's just like Windows but not Windows. Based on the analogy I've provided the best I can suggest is that you give up.
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
Ah yes son, you get to learn the way I did - only then will you truely learn to love cut & paste.
Democrats and Republicans only disagree about how to enslave you
I just received the happy news that my wife is two weeks pregnant. I will be a father for the first time, and I have 8.5 months to prepare for it.
My question is: What distro would you recommend for a new-born? Does anyone here have experience teaching unix administration to infants?
A follow-up question:
I generally spend my time on the command line, but I could see how it might be a difficult concept for a child to grasp in its first few years, especially while its motor controls are still developing. (i.e. no touch-typing yet).
I guess I'd be willing to load down the old box with a gui, but the question is, which one?
I'm thinking KDE 3.0., but is there maybe a more lightweight desktop that could be more intuitive for a young child? Remember, it won't be able to read menu items for a few years, so an intuitive graphical interface is very important.
Any thoughts are welcome.
I might as well file for unemployment now... I still can't figure out how to work that damn thing
...start them on Windows now, so when they're in their teens and start rebelling, they'll move towards linux...
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
Not only do I want to move my 2.9 year old daughter onto Linux, but I've told her that immediately after potty training, she is to learn a high level language, or at least SQL. She should also be able to install releases such as Mandrake and Lycoris.
Then in a few years, I fully expect her to be able to handle Java and
By the time she's 13 or 14, she should have assembler under belt. With this knowledge, she can and should be able to write device drivers.
On my side, my goal is to find a job telecommuting, while 'home-schooling' the kid - who's computer science assignments will be doing my work for me so I can pursue the life of leasure I so richly enjoy.
And if you believe all that, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you
--- have you healed your church website?
My kids are aged 11, 7 and 3. All of them are computer savvy. They use the computer for basically three things: Games, writing papers and chatting with friends, as well as browsing sites that are frequented by children their age
Boy, I couldnt even *read* at 3!!!!
I think you should be less worried about linux migration and more worried about your 3 year old taking over the world!
Why stick up for big business?
but he kept chewing up and spitting out the CDs. Didn't work very well.
sulli
RTFJ.
I generally spend my time on the command line, but I could see how it might be a difficult concept for a child to grasp in its first few years, especially while its motor controls are still developing. (i.e. no touch-typing yet).
Hey don't worry about it.
It may look like your 1 year old is pounding random sets of keys with her tiny fists, but she's really just typing Emacs key-sequences...
"Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
Tell the 11 year old that he's absolutely, expressly forbidden to install Linux on your computer. If you're not fully migrated by the time he's 13, consider searching under his bed for a hidden Linux box...
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
Just make sure (s)he isn't learning with Windows at that age...
BOO SKEEN!!! *cries*
All I want is a kind word, a warm bed and unlimited power.
by the time i hit kindergarden i was already at a 2nd rgade level.
Good thing too, looks like your writing skills haven't progressed much since then.
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
Nah, this guy was probably just thinking "What anti-windows ramblings could I make up that would get me posted on slashdot?".
Father: Johnny, I think it's time we had a little talk. I know your friends are talking a lot about new experiences they've had, and you may be having some urges to try them yourself. I just want you to know that it's completely natural and I'll answer any questions you may have.
Johnny: Well Dad... I was thinking... well I was going to... make my system dual-boot.
Father: Listen, I know it's tempting. When I was young that's something everybody did, because we didn't know any better. That was a naive time for the computer literate. People experimented with overclocking and case-modding, back before we knew how destructive it was. Now we have more information about that kind of thing and I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did.
Johnny: Ok Dad, I won't do it. Can I date girls though?
Father: Maybe we should have another talk, about computers and how girls feel about people that use them...
I can't say that I don't give a fuck. I've just run out of fuck to give.
You really should have your kid taken away for exposing him to OS/2. Next thing you know, they'll be running BE, VMS, or God forbid, GNU/HURD.
Read my plan to save the Bengals
If he starts his kids using linux, this is what his family portraits will look like!
The Linux Bunch
My two year old learned how to reboot when she was only 14 months. Guess that means she has mastered Windows....
Viv
Gmail invites for ip
I have two little girls, 7 and 4. They use both Linux and Windows, and now I think it is time to teach them (well, at least the older) some programming skills. Logo was the first thing that came to mind, but hey, it's not for the real world! I would like to ask to my fellow /.ers: what language should she learn?. Should it be Java or C++? Maybe Perl or PHP?
If you can read this, thank an english teacher.
I consistently find myself wishing I had some other computer monkeys to help me with some of the menial tasks that my work requires .. .the "making license plates" that does so little for me.
.gotta run . .. need to go explain NURBS curves to the 3 year old . . .they grow up so fast . . .*SNIFFLE*
Thankfully, I have a very impregnable wife - she's cranked out two little computer monkeys for me so far - they're 3 and 1, and I figure that within a year or so, I can have them building 3D objects for me, doing the random photoshop cleanup to my texture maps, and generally taking workload off of me so I can spend more of my workday doing what God intended people to do during the workday - play games!!
Oops .
anything i tell you will cloud your opinion.
It's just something that you have to be prepared for, if you go down this path.
Can You Say Linux? I Knew That You Could.
My 2 kids (2 and 4), my wife and mom (65yrs old)...
Is he saying his wife is his mother, and she's 65 years old?!
Get your own free personal location tracker
hehe, ok i'll laugh at my own fast typing and desire for inaccuracy
but consider this war! =]
My first useful program was:
10 for i=1 to 500
20 lprint "I will not whatever naughty thing I did - can't remember what"
30 next
I had been told to write 500 lines as a punishment homework and I asked if I could type it.
The teacher said I could.
You make the mistake of thinking you can educate the fundamental stupidity out of people. You can't.
BTW - my parents were actually so proud of my ingenuity they forgot I'd been naughty at school.
You make the mistake of thinking you can educate the fundamental stupidity out of people. You can't.