RE: A PC for my grandchildren

Sat Apr 28 00:32:36 UTC 2012

Edubuntu should fit most of your requirements except maybe the parental controls. 

1)  Most users are by default not going to be able to delete or edit critical operating system files.  This is the standard out of the box config.
There are also ways to further lock down what parts of the system users are able to access like what shows up on menus, etc.

2) The install guide is very simple and intuitive; just accept the default values.  The default install works great.

3) Every user on the system has his/her own 'home' directory that stores all preferences, etc.  Other users do not have access to edit/delete anything in another user's home directory.
You can set up a shared directory.  I usually create a directory under /opt/ and then create symlinks (similar to shortcuts on a Windows box) in each user's home dir to point there.
For sign-in, if you just install Edubuntu on a single machine, then you get a list of users.  You can click one, type in your password and you're in as that user.  If you sign in from a thin client (optional LTSP install), you have to type in your username and password.  There may be a way to change that and instead present a list, but I haven't figured it out.

4) Desktops can be customized for each user.  My kids (4-11) use Edubuntu daily.

5) The admin user (the user created during install) is allowed to install software that all users can use.  Edubuntu comes with a lot of great kid software and you can find more in the Ubuntu Software Center.  This is *very* easy to navigate and use.  And the best part about Linux is that when newer versions of software come out, your computer can be upgraded automatically!

6) Linux is unfortunately lacking in this area (Parental Controls).  I keep all of our computers in a main room so that I can monitor what they do online anyway.  You can also get access to browser history so you can find out if anything inappropriate was browsed; you just can't preemptively block the sites to prevent someone from accidentally stumbling upon something.  It is best to sit down and educate the kids on how to search for things.   e.g. Explain that going to 'scorpions.com' won't necessarily take you to a page that will teach you about scorpions; show them a link to wikipedia instead.

7) Firefox and Chrome &c can already allow you to set up their toolbars for them.  You can also sync these to a cloud server so that they can have the same experience across multiple PCs.

8)  Well, there is a web browser . . . .

9) See #6 above.

10) I haven't looked, but I believe that many of these translation tools exist especially for Spanish.

In my house, I have an Edubuntu server and then 3 other PCs that boot off of it (that's the LTSP part of Edubuntu that you may have read and is used extensively in schools where they don't want to have to administer or purchase 30+ PCs for a classroom).  Kids have been Edubuntu exclusively for about 3 years now.

Since the LTSP is used a lot in classrooms, it allows the 'teacher' to view what is on the students' destops and even take control and guide the students if necessary.

I hope this helps,

-MikeFrom: Oscar Rojas <abuetico at yahoo.com>
To: edubuntu <edubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com>
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 at 6:14 pm
Subject: A PC for my grandchildren

Hello Edubuntu comunity!

I am new to this forum. Hope to be in the right place to comment my project. If not please tell me where should I go...

My son has an old Compaq desktop (Pentium 4, 512MB RAM, 40GB HD) that he wants to dedicate as a PC for my four grandchildren. He have asked me to help him in this project (I am retired and have plenty of time).

These are the main features we are looking for:

1) The system
 must be robust and stable, I mean "kids proof". We have the experience of give them a Windows based PC and have to reinstall it again. We don't know exactly what did they do, but the fact is that some system critical files were damaged. For this reason my son says that he prefers a Linux based system. It is a common belief that Linux is less vulnerable than Windows, either regarding malicious attack as well as user catastrophic faults.
2) I am not a Linux guy, so the installation and maintenance tasks must be "novice proof". A support channel will be a plus.
3) Since there will be several kids sharing the PC, there must be an easy "sign in" procedure to identify each user. Each kids must have his/her own repository to save his/her creations avoiding the others
 to destroy them. Besides, there should be a way to share contents between them (a sort of common repository or a send/receive method).
4) The system must be intuitive to use by a young kid (2 to 8 years old and growing ...) Ideal if the desktop could be customized for each kid.
5) There should be a good set of pre-packed applications suited for kids and an easy way to install new applications. We are looking for educational games/activities and homework tools.
6) Internet access must be allowed but controlled by some sort of filters managed by parents. Better if there is a way to subscribe to a community maintained black list.
7) Access to frequently visited sites on the Internet (like school site, on line educational tools) should be facilitated by means of icons or easy access controls created by parents.
8) There should be a easy web-searching interface.
9) E-mail, chats and similar social media must be allowed but parental controlled.
10) We are in Costa Rica, a Spanish speaking country, but the children attend a bilingual school where most
 classes are taught in English. So, we plan to install the software in English, but it could be nice to have an easy language switch and some language tools (dictionary, translator, spelling).

I have read some reviews about Linux for Kids. It sounds to me that Edubuntu fits most (if not all) of our requirements... however some reviews states that Edubuntu is not best suited for home user because it is aimed for schools... (may be they are outdated reviews)..

I will appreciate if somebody can provide me some URL's to documents detailing the features and characteristics of Edubuntu, so I can check how well Edubuntu meets our
wishes. Of course, direct comments/answers
 addressing some of our requirements are welcome.

Thanks in advance for your attention.

Hope to be soon another Edubuntu fan!

Oscar Rojas
Costa Rica--
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