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A Babe in Tuxland
Joe Barr writes "This is the kind of story that WagEd and MS would love to see in one of their astroturf campaigns. But this story is real grassroots, with a real Sysadmin writing it and a real granddaughter as the babe using Linux. A sweet tale, with tips on Linux for kids." Newsforge and Slashdot are both part of OSDN.
Man, I love this. This is the kind of thing I dream about at night, this is total evangelist fodder (can that be used in a good way?)
... like Linux's built-in features to prevent K.D. from accidentally finding sites that aren't age-appropriate, or at least haven't been pre-approved by Mom and Dad.
b.g.
The whole idea behind this setup is taking the time to put the system-important screens outside of the 4-year-old's view, so therefore she could click around the screen and even get to the web without getting into much trouble.
A Windows-expert parent could set up Windows to be the same way. The key thing to having a kid be able to use a computer without breaking it is having a smart admin as a parent.
A pre-schooler using a computer, I can't fathom that! Come on, seriously, why is this such a big deal? When I was two I could use a Commodore Vic20. That included plugging in cartridges, using the tape drive, and loading programs... Just like Dad and without a login.
Almost a year ago my (at the time) 4 year old cousin was visiting my parent's house while I was in town. She asked for the laptop and fired up IE. She was on her favorite website (I don't remember what it was, Blues Clues?) in seconds. She knew the URL, she knew exactly where she wanted to navigate to, and she didn't need my help... I was utterly confused by the flashing, moving, and colorful icons. I couldn't discern what was clickable and what wasn't. She knew and that's all that mattered.
Now... If I sat her down in front of a Linux machine w/KDE installed and told her "this is the IE icon" (or however she understood it) you don't think she would be able to do the same thing?
This article reeked of parental excitement. Their child was interested in using the computer!!!
Kids know computers... I realize that they are saying that KDE is easy enough for a child to use... Anything in X was that easy. It's the rest of Linux that isn't so easy.
She was shoving the system tools off, "out of sight out of mind"... It's not so easy for a regular user of a system to do that. You might actually have to deal w/something on the computer if you aren't 2 years old.
Linux is getting there but it certainly isn't as easy as they seem to be making it out to be. I wish it were but it's not and while I believe in advocating its use to everyone that might benefit from it, I don't think insulting people by saying "My two year old can use it, so can you" is the best way to go.
Seriously though the issue is - how easy is Linux/Windows/MacOS/any other software if you don't have a handy guru to help you configure and then support you when it goes wrong?
The issue is not how easy a kid finds it when their dad is a software guru (though it's kinda cute, my Apple-crazy friend's 4 year old son is similar), but how Joe Public, who has no software engineer friends, finds setup and maintenance and patching.
I think he was listing, in the second phrase.
I'm on a road shaped like a figure eight; I'm going nowhere but I'm guaranteed to be late.
As wonderful as it is to see a young child able to use Linux, is it really necessary for children use computers? They are wonderful tools, and there are many games for young children that help them learn, but really, couldn't the parents teach the children just as well?
The real problem is when parents let their children sit in front of a TV or computer all day. There's a lot more to life than just staring at screens.
Jeremy Baumgartner
I don't see how this demonstrates ease of use on Linux.
Anyone knows that Kids have inate abilities to learn at a fast rate, including the ability to learn things with very little tuition.
A child 'exposed' to a language just 'picks up' that language without any real tuition, they mimick their parents and come to gain an understanding for the words and sentences and grammatical structure.
I'm sure the same thing is happening here. The child is 'exposed' to an interface and 'picks up' what to do by mimicking the parents, gaining an understanding of each action as they go.
One of the key things is wanting to do a job instead of wanting to use a certain tool...
I have seen kids using sparc xterminals with netscape 4.75 (It was a few years back) on a linux system with twm as window manager for days without a problem, it wasn't until the first parents got to use them that there were complaints about it not being windows....
Jeroen
Secure messaging: http://quickmsg.vreeken.net/
This is how to get linux onto the desktop and into the home. This girl will probably use linux for the rest of her life. This is great for the entire community. I dont know if one exists, but perhaps a website to turn kids to linux would be a great help the future of the OS. It is not as sexy or carry the bragging rights that kernel development does, but developing more software that a kid can use (not necessarily that young) opens the door to the next generation.
KDE while not my WM of choice (dont be shocked by the tone of my voice...), has a number of fun toys for kids, and Debian Jr. will help yours truly bring along my lil' jedi with linux from an early age.
He who confuses his religion with his science knows neither.
Material wealth is very important to the social status of children and is second only to how good looking their family is.
Only if you teach them to think like that....
Jeroen
Secure messaging: http://quickmsg.vreeken.net/
I don't know what kind of P1 you have, but it's been my experience that modern linux distros (Mandrake, SuSE, RedHat) run like crap on anything less than a p2-333.
So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
I would expect that every serious reader of /. who is competent in their field, is that way because of an early start. TRS-80, Apple II, Vic-20, C64, those Radio Shack x-in-1 electronics kits. All of these early experiences have made us what we are, and turned us into Linux Geeks and PERL hackers, RF Engineers and whatever else we do, as a collective group. What are we stirring up in the next generation when we provide something better then Windows? I just hope not another Bill Gates!
-Patrick
"They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
y daughter uses both linux and windows 2000. I catch her boting into linux on a regular basis to do her homework on OO.o or just plain websurfing or games like frozen bubble..
I asked her what the difference is to her...
she said, "nothing. they are both almost identical I like the KDE stuff better as it's prettier" when I told her that lots of people have trouble using linux her answer was, " that is stupid, there is almost nothing different..." my answer to her is "lots of times, adults are very stupid."
remember that next time you deal with someone in Marketing whining that the color of her desktop is not what she wants or the new version of a app has a different icon or slightly different menu.
lots of times, adults are very stupid.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I hope my kids don't take a liking to computers at such a young age. I'm going to try to keep them away from computers for as long as I can. I'd rather them "play" the old school way. Take them outside as much as possible. Make them do more physical activities.
AirSpeak - http://itunes.com/apps/AirSpeak
You are really the typical Windows user aren't you ? It doesn't matter if the product is crappy as long as it looks good and everyone seems to use it.
Slashdot anagrams to "Sad Sloth"
- Read headline, click on article
- Quickly scroll through article looking for pictures of this "babe"
- Found none, went to comments
- Found out she was four years old
- Forwarded michael's email address to perverted-justice.com
However, the issue arises when an average user has to do some setup themselves.. They buy a new printer, digital camera, etc. Thats where the issues are now in linux. On Windows you put in the cd that came with the product and a few clicks later your ready to go. I think most of us are aware of the issues you can experience in linux.
Yeah, his kid has knows how to use a computer but newsflash, tons of kids do. My daugher has had her own computer since she was 2... Now if his kid could use a cash register and count out correct change i'd be impressed.
"Thanks to the remote control I have the attention span of a gerbil."
To a child an icon is an icon it doesnt matter what color it is or what it looks like. They see an icon , they double click, something happens. If its not what they expect they click the next icon until the something they are expecting happens. This is how they seem to learn so seemlessly. Adults have had it beaten into them that the world is static, children understand that the world is dynamic.
Specialization is for insects - Lazarus Long
Yes, but I don't see this one as a problem. There are special rules for giants. One of Microsoft's problems is that they behave as if they were still a tiny startup instead of a dominant force in their industry. You are not allowed to beat up on the little kids, but the little kids are allowed to hit back.
Its the installation, configuration and maintenance. The article isn't really even about Linux its about a few friendly applications and the logon feature. I converted my mother over to Linux a couple years ago and currently my wife has been using it for a little over 2 years (babe in tuxland).
Its never been the day to do that causes problems, it installing new hardware, needing to change configurations, its all the little things people do in Windows and with their Apples everyday that quickly become monsterous with a Linux distro.
Managing a Linux workstation still requires a level tolerance and patience that the average computer user doesn't/shouldn't have. I use it because I love using it, but there are times I'd like to throw the whole box straight out the livingroom window.
Quack, quack.