The future of Ubuntu Linux.... Will it make Micro$oft go bankrupt?

[anthony baldwin]

Lisi Reisz wrote:
> On Sunday 10 May 2009 16:30:12 Amit Kumar wrote:

> 
> My own husband, who is a complete technophobe, has been using Linux for while 
> now - configured expressly for him and to be easy for him.  (He had spent 14 
> years going into a flat spin if required to sit down in front of a computer.)  
> After he had been using it for 3 weeks I commented that he had not asked me 
> any questions.  He said "I don't need to.  It just works."  The other day he 
> asked me why people thought Linux was difficult when it is so easy.  He could 
> not install either Windows or Linux. 
> 
> A colleague set up a Linux computer for his 70+ year old father who lives 200 
> miles away from him.  Again, he configured it specifically with his father in 
> mind.  His father is now an avid computer user and has a more complicated 
> set-up.
> 
> Most people just use a computer.  They do not understand it.  At that level I 
> contend that a well-set-up Linux system is better than a Windows system.
> 
> My 2p worth.
> Lisi
> 

To add to your anecdotes:
About 5 or 6 years ago I was teaching English in a public school, to 7th 
and 8th graders (12 to 14 years of age).
The school had few resources, so I collected donated computer parts and 
put together about 3 machines, on which I installed fedora linux with 
KDE, and brought them in and installed them in my classroom.
The children got right on them, conducted internet research, wrote 
papers, created presentations (mostly just using firefox, openoffice), 
played games (both educational and simply fun), etc., without any issues 
at all, or having to ask me where to find stuff.
Perhaps it should be mentioned that these children had been previously 
exposed to several flavors of windows, and several flavors of Mac OS, so 
were already a bit flexible, as opposed to someone who has only known 
one or two windows flavors (ie. Win98 and XP, or something).
Personally, I think a lot more schools should use Linux.

/tony
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