Technogory

I read a recent post called “Why I Won’t Be Recommending Linux to Family this Holiday Season.” The author makes a few good points about the various applications that family members use, but forget to tell you about. Things like the Sims or other games that don’t run well under Wine. Things like music under iTunes. The funny part is, the real reason…he doesn’t want to take the heat for telling them to use Linux and have something go wrong! Wimp!

So here’s a few things I took into consideration while thinking about all of my family members, and their typical support questions I field on an almost daily basis.

1. Most of my family members use their computers for email, community websites (MySpace, FaceBook), listening to music (it’s not iPod), and watching videos.
2. Game playing was moved to XBox 360 or PS/2-3 a long time ago. I have not purchased a PC based game forever.
3. They might use Word or Excel (sometimes), but never use any of the other productivity software Microsoft sells you.
4. E-Mail Clients - I got rid of Outlook based email a long time ago in favor of Thunderbird. My near family members prefer it now, the extended family would have no problems.
5. My family complains every time they have to use Internet Explorer 7 - they typically use Firefox.
6. I have yet to find a digital camera that doesn’t work just perfectly under Ubuntu. It plugs and plays! Canon, Sony, Polaroid - it’s the only cameras my family uses.
7. I always recommend anything that has a Linux option now - Rhapsody over iTunes, Last.fm, etc.
8. They’re all cheap - they don’t like paying for Windows or any of the software required to make Windows work well - virus scanning,spyware, productivity, etc.

That’s just for starters. Interestingly enough, where I think the biggest advantage for Linux use in my family is with all the kids - they know way more about computers than any of the adults. As a matter of fact, it cracks me up to watch one of my cousins with an outstanding computer they use to get their Yahoo mail - only! I am not kidding!

So, my approach to Linux in the family would be to start with the kids! Okay, I’ll give you a hint, I already have started with them on Linux, and it’s working. Ubuntu is the only desktop that makes complete sense to me. It provides the lowest level of transitional pain - if there is any! I have my son running OpenSuSE 10.3 with KDE, but he is already wanting Gnome loaded. He may keep OpenSuSE, but definitely change the desktop. His sister has Ubuntu with Gnome, and she loves it.

Over Thanksgiving, we hosted family at our home. Here’s an example as to why Linux will work for them. I don’t have Windows desktops that they can get on, and I didn’t tell them what they were using. They had no trouble. The only comment, and it was early in the 4-day weekend, was the menu didn’t look right. I didn’t say a word!

You know, whether it’s a blessing or curse, I support my family with their computer issues all of the time. It’s what I do professionally, and so I am by default the resident “expert.” This includes all extended family! I can’t tell you how many times I am recommending them to download a virus cleaner, spy bot cleaner, or something similar. How many times I tell them, “don’t open that unknown attachment!”

So all in all, I am doing this for the opposite reasons my peer wrote about in his blog - I am doing it for selfish reasons. I am already providing support, and I can’t stand Windows. So, why not get them going with Linux and make my life easier as well? They will have their office productivity apps, they will have their internet apps, they will have their multimedia apps - life will be good, and I will make sure it works!

I too always recommend FLOSS whenever possible, and also any commercial service with Linux compatibility whenever there is one. Linux is the future, I tell everyone, and its costing you money to *not* try it out. But never ever would I recommend Gnome; I want my users to feel like they can accomplish things, not have their hand held and their system dumbed down.

….and it will not cost your supposedly cheap familymembers a dime.

@lefty.crupps - I agree with the idea of Gnome - but then again, it’s family, and their hands are already tied to a point with Windows. Gnome is the simplest approach for them. In this case, it’s more a matter of ease than anything else.

@kjakobsen - first off - my family members are cheap - what’s wrong with that? Throwing money away is stupid. Secondly, no, it won’t cost them a dime. Compared to my brother-in-law that just went to Best Buy’s Geek Squad to have his computer upgraded to install Vista. That alone was expensive, but then they tell him he’s got to buy a new computer!?!?! He was adding memory to a Intel Dual Core, 800 Mhz FSB system that only had about 500 M of memory. All he wanted was to upgrade to 2GB of memory. Why buy a new computer for that? I installed Ubuntu with standard Gnome desktop in 20 minutes and a few beers. Ah crap - you caught me, it cost him a few beers!

All I can say about Gnome is that it didn’t work for me when I tried it for about a week 3 years ago. I had just started using Linux (Fedora Core 3). I was having difficulties of course but when I switched to KDE life suddenly got much better. You might say I have trouble doing more with less.

But on to other things. I think I’m seeing a trend here. This is not the first post I’ve read about a geek or semi geek saying to his non-paying “customers”, “look, if you want me to service your computer then it’s going to run Linux”. I think that will be one of the main reasons for the coming desktop revolution. The people who use computers that don’t become infected with virii, spyware, crapware and trojans are tired of fixing the computers from people that do. I know it’s been that way with me.

I read that article you linked to. The author is one of the most die-hard Microsoft worshipers you will ever encounter. He will be the Harry Truman of the Open Source revolution…Harry Truman, you know the guy who refused to leave his cabin…his cabin on Mount St. Helens Sunday morning, May 18, 1980?

Hey awesome blog! Know anyone who would be interested in part time admin’ing a Linux box? Hit me up!