I mentioned my friend Brenda, a fairly courageous computer user to begin with, was getting started with Ubuntu. In about 45 minutes on the phone one Saturday, we installed the operating system on a clean hard drive we had purchased for her the last time I visited.
She doesn't have the nice easy HughesNet device with an Ethernet interface yet, so she ran into problems setting up networking. We expect them to ship the new device any day now, she seems pretty excited.
I am not planning to do anything until I get the Hughes modem......I don't want to mess up the ubuntu! At some point I will go ahead and explore the dialup connection but right now I'll just keep everything just as it is.John, this looks like it is going to have or can add everything I need...
One of the other distinctions that she appreciated was that Open Office and FireFox and basically all the applications she might ordinarily need come standard with the single CD distribution. She goes on to say later in the same message:
Looks like the media player will handle the iPod stuff, and there is something I can install that will take care of the Palm stuff, and even the few friends I instant message with.So right now, I turn it on in the morning spend a few minutes playing with things and getting to know things... can't wait till the modem comes...
So, if you know someone who likes to use computers, perhaps you should point them to Ubuntu for a new experience. I sure hope it is as easy as it seems, becuase I certainly don't know anything about iPods or IM.