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Ask Slashdot: Some Good Linux Desktop Option For Kids?
New submitter TIWolfman writes: I'm looking to re-purpose some of the older hardware that I've held onto to create something of a starter machine for my kids (both aged below 10). At this point it's still just a few shortcut icons I can setup on the desktop for them, primarily to web tools/sites they use, but I'd like some flexibility; everything I've read suggests options that haven't had any activity since 2015. Is there an option out there or is this just a custom job?
https://www.edubuntu.org/
Last release was in 2015 but it's on a 5-year LTS cycle
When my nephew was 9, I set up a computer for him. I gave him a MATE desktop, which basically works similar to Windows, and he was able to use it right away.
I didn't give him root on his own machine. However, I gave his user sudo permission to run the Software Manager. I gave him Linux Mint, which is a tweaked version of Ubuntu, so it was basically the Ubuntu Software Manager. This is pretty similar to the app store on mobile devices. So he had no ability to screw up his system, but he could browse the Software Manager, find a game or something, and install it with a click.
My goal was to set his baseline expectations to Linux. I wanted him to see Windows and say "wait, there's no app store thing with free games on Windows? How primitive, give me my Linux please." I wouldn't say my brainwashing attempt succeeded, but he just turned 12 and he still uses the Linux computer for most of what he does on a computer. He also has a Windows laptop that he uses to run some Windows-only stuff he likes. But he chooses which computer to use just based on what he wants to run; he has no particular preference for Windows or for Linux.
P.S. His Linux computer is an all-in-one made by Lenovo, with a really nice and big screen. I got it really inexpensively on eBay; I believe it was off-lease.
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
If you want them to be successful later in life and be able to integrate seemlessly into the modern business and financial world, I would suggest Microsoft Windows - it's universally used in the modern professional engineering and financial industries. If you send them off on a dead-end path down the road of hobbyist and non-commercial operating systems, you will confuse the hell out of them and set them up for scorn and failure when the time comes for them to get a job. They literally will have nothing to bring to the table for any employer to even consider them above a more qualified and trained candidate.
True story.
I attended a conference about scientific computing, and Microsoft sent a rep to talk about Azure. ... ... wait for it ... ... they allowed Linux VMs to run on Azure.
His slides and presentation noted that Azure adoption across the board was rather stagnant until
Whatever 1990s notions you had about "modern professional" operating systems are ancient history today.
And in five years when everybody is compiling C++ to WebAssembly and running their apps in the browser, absolutely nobody care what the underlying operating system it happens to be running on.
The latest Raspberry Pi model 3's come with Wi-Fi and four USB ports. The OS is on an SD card. You can make up several SD cards for different purposes using any of the many interesting distros available. Raspian is a decent basic Linux OS. As far as using old hardware goes, just retain the mice, keyboards and montors. Give each kid their own Pi and a few distros depending on their interests.
Distrowatch will let you look at distributions based on hardware type: Distro Watch Raspberry Pi
That was the turning point of my life--I went from negative zero to positive zero.
Thereâ(TM)s a company called neverware that releases a free-for-personal-use distro of chromium OS customized to install/run on x86 called CloudReady. Iâ(TM)m not affiliated in any way, just evaluated it for use at work. Seemed to work decently, we ony decided against it because lf the cost of using it commercially.