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Which Linux For Non-Techie Windows Users?
obarthelemy writes "Having at last gotten Linux to run satisfactorily on my own PCs, I'd now like to start transitioning friends and family from XP to Linux instead of Windows 7. The catch is that these guys don't understand or care much about computers, so the transition has to be as seamless and painless as possible. Actually, they won't care for new things; even the upcoming upgrade to Windows 7 would be a pain and a bother, which is a great opportunity for Linux. I'm not too concerned about software (most of them only need browser, IM, VLC, mail and a Powerpoint viewer for all those fascinating attachments). What I'm concerned about is OS look-and-feel and interface — system bar on the bottom with clock, trash, info on the right, menu on the left, menu items similar to those of Windows. Is it better to shoot for a very targeted distro? Which would you recommend? Are there themes/skins for mainstream distributions instead? I've been looking around the web, and it's hard to gauge which distros are well-done and reasonably active."
I completely agree. But I would go further. Do NOT "start transitioning friends and family from XP to Linux" unless they specifically ask you to. Or at least specifically ask you something for which you feel that Linux would be the right solution.
You can recommend and install Linux for people who have no previous experience like (small) children. For others, make sure they understand what they gain and what they lose, and they really want it.
For most normal people I know who are fed up with viruses and Windows complexity, the right answer is usually a Mac.
And don't forget that many people who are quite computer-illiterate and only seem to use the web and email, actually do want and use much more. Like the Outlook address book and calendar, synced to their mobile phone...
Now for the people for whom you do install Linux, Ubuntu, Suse and others are all fine. KDE is more like Windows while Gnome is a bit more like Mac. One is more configurable and may seem more complex, while the other is simpler. I installed Ubuntu (which uses Gnome) for someone who seems happy with it, but who was already using Firefox and Thunderbird in Windows.
Behold the only thing wrong with the mod system on Slashdot: those who mod posts up or down, not based on content or a well-made argument, but solely because they agree or disagree with the post.
There is nothing in the above post that warrants being called a "troll" or "flamebait" (hopefully, that will change in the next couple hours, but it's rated as "1, Flamebait" as I type this).
We're in a thread discussing the relative merits of distros when converting Windows users, people. By default, we will be discussing a lot of different distros, which means that we'll have a lot of opinions.
If you have mod points and you mod someone down just because you disagree, or are disappointed because they didn't vote for "your" distro, YOU are the one who is wrong, not the poster.
Cogito, igitur comedam pizza.
Been there, done that. This is the classic mistake.
Yes, their needs are minmal now. And as long as they never change for the rest of their life, then things will be fine. But that rarely happens. People eventually want to do more. They will be in a store and see a program they would like to buy. OOPS, sorry. No run on Linux. They will want to buy a scanner so they can put all their old photos on their computer and maybe e-mail them to friends/family. So they go over to Best Buy. OOPS, sorry. No run on Linux.
Whether someone uses Windows or Linux is irrelevant. What matters is s software (apps) and hardware (drivers).