Linux is for five year old girl's

imho.........

[NFFC]

At least I hope it is, baby daughter is 5 tomorrow and has a PC for a present. She is planning on a clean install, bet I don't even have to tell her which buttons to press.

[4eyes]

I am soon to install Linux (Mandrake) on my girlfriends PC. It will also be used by her 8 yr old daughter.

They need it for Internet and 'office' type work only (Playstation covers the rest)

She is having loads of trouble with Windows, but hasn't used it long enough to get too dependant on it.

Seems like Linux will keep them happier and result in less 'help me' phone calls at 1.00 am
(doesn't she know I am busy at work at that time?)

I'll keep y'all posted on whether the plan worked or not.

[EliteWeb]

Cool :) Get em while their young, if you teach them what is concidered alternatives first their minds can remain open. Try teaching a User of Windows for 10 years Linux - just doesnt fly. ;) Do Penguins fly? (;

[ergophobe]

Does anyone see the irony of putting the youngest users on the oldest commonly-used operating system? The irony is that our kids will be using our parents' OS as it were. Will we (generally speaking) be the lost generation, who wandered in the Windows desert only to emerge again and find *nix still there?

I was just rereading a copy of Linux Journal before throwing it out and it had an interview with Dennis Ritchie musing about the longevity of Unix.

Tom

[ScottM]

Hmmm...my two year old is doing fine with windows XP

Obviously she can't type, but she fires everything up and gets the programs she wants.

One bad aside: "CuteFTP" is such a 'pretty smiley-face' icon...she loves to open that program...I'm pretty nervous about that one..:>)

[TallTroll]

>> Do Penguins fly?

No, but they do fall over [www2.google.com]

[NFFC]

Update

Install was a nightmere, Mandrake would just not pick up the network card, daughter was not impressed and kept giving me that "come on Dad" look, pressure :)

It was worth the trouble though as I learned a valuable lesson, as a general rule try and make sure that the network card hasn't fallen out of it's slot before install!

Plugged the card in and away we went at it, only time I had to help was when we decided what additional packages to install, she wanted them all!

Babies friend [8] is over to stay tonight and she bought a few CDROM's over [Barbie et al, a good few quids worth], daughter quickly introduced her to the concept of free software and the benefits of a 1/2 meg internet connection and we haven't heard a peep all night.