photo credit: Nico Kaiser
Computers started making their way into homes, en masse, 15 years ago. After 15 years, computer users should not be afraid of using their computer.
This case study tells the story about a customer of mine, Wanda, who happens to be in her 70s. Like most computer users she used a Windows based computer. In her case, it was a system put together by her grandson in 2002 or 2003 and has a 1.8ghz processor, 256mb of RAM and the XP Home version of Windows.
When I first met Wanda a few years ago, she had typical Windows user problems; slow computer, slow Internet, couldn’t open some attachments, virus and spyware problems. She used dialup Juno for Internet and Norton Antivirus on her system. I couldn’t talk her into getting a DSL or cable connection, but I did change her security from Norton to AVG and optimized the startup and running of the system. However, with dialup and Juno, she continued to have problems that cropped up every 3-4 months.
In April of 2008, I talked with her in detail about computer usage. She stated that she really only needed to do three or four things with her computer:
- Word Processing
- Solitaire
- Very light Internet browsing
We talked about the cost of a new computer and a high speed connection. And then we talked about taking Windows off her system, installing a different system (Ubuntu and Linux didn’t mean anything to her) that would be virtually trouble free and no cost to acquire besides my install and configuration time. She liked the sound of that, but I informed her that I could not install Ubuntu unless she was agreeable to getting a DSL connection for the Internet. She agreed.
I installed Ubuntu for her and configured her desktop with shortcuts to her email, the web, solitaire, and her word processor. Again, that was April of 2008. Prior to that I received at least one call from her every month, and visited her for cleanup and troubleshooting appointments at least 3-5 times per year.
Today, Wanda called me for the first time since I installed Ubuntu on her system 14 months ago. She asked two questions:
- Why can’t I get email from my daughter?
- My printer stopped printing, do I need a new one?
Knowing that it would be a quick visit, I stopped by her house in between two other appointments. To my delight, the computer desktop looked exactly the same as I left it the prior year except for a few saved PowerPoint slideshows she saved from email to it.
Since she was using Hotmail, I could almost guarantee that she had blocked her daughter’s email address (Microsoft places the spam / junk mail button dangerously close to the delete button). Sure enough, a trip to the blocked senders settings revealed what I suspected. Her daughter’s email address and a dear friend were blocked. I rectified that in a few clicks.
Next, her printer problem turned out to be a paper jam. After clearing it, the computer was happily printing again. I left her home in under 15 minutes after correcting the problems that had nothing to do with Ubuntu, and she was beaming like a kid in a candy shop.
MORAL OF THE STORY
Properly setup and customized for an individual’s computing needs, Ubuntu Linux can be used successfully and easily by anyone of any age and computing ability. AND, the problems associated with computing under the Windows environment disappear.
My only regret is that I did not start looking into and learning about Linux prior to 2006.
Related articles:
- Another post from Ubuntu
- Portable Ubuntu lets you try out Ubuntu Linux
- Linux + Gmail = Computing Bliss
- Ubuntu/Linux – what’s the big deal?
- Ubuntu – Day 9
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HelpMeRick.com started as a monthly tip site for beginners in 1996, and now supports our popular call-in computer show, and hosts thousands of useful computer tips and links.
>>Ubuntu Linux can be used successfully and easily by anyone of any age and computing ability<<
As long as my needs are but reversi and email … hehehe.. it is a fine system.
Unforunately it can not be installed and set up properly by anyone but a linux admin.
Let Wanda buy a new printer. Installation is easy with Windows… Ubuntu won't likely even have a working driver unless she looked up a hardware compatibility list prior to buying.
Windows XP was slowing down? This problem is typical: Needs a registry cleanup. Try Ccleaner. Then dont allow her to log into WXP as Admin- use Guest mode. She wont need Admin mode anyway.
True: there are less virus and trojan problems with linux if logged in as admin.
Dont take me wrong, I tested Ubuntu on several machines since V5. I like it as soon as it runs. But it is as user- friendly to configure as MS- DOS…
greets Dennis (GER)
Thanks Dennis, but Wanda is THRIVING with Linux and has had ZERO problems. Appreciate the comment.
Ubuntu works perfectly for me. I installed Ubuntu on my computer and all I had to do was tell it that there was a printer and it found the correct driver automatically from there.
Windows however NEVER found the correct driver after I spent several hours trying to get the printer to work.
Windows has definitely been a burden.
You are so right, Dreux. Windows 7 has made good strides with this, but Ubuntu still leads the way in hassle free installations and most hardware additions.
I really want to try installing Linux on my old Dell PC Microsoft Xp and all of there OS are hopeless with little security and require constant attention to maintain. What most of us need today is reliable computing for banking and online transactions. I would really like to learn to use Linux I downloaded Fedora and crossing my fingers I can install it and make it run.
LInux (Ubuntu and it’s variants mostly) works fine with all of my hardware, including my HP printer, and sound and video cards. Windows 7 can’t even see my sound card, and hunting drivers for my printer is a pain.
Not everything is natively supported hardware-wise under linucx, but then, neither is it under windows, yet more of mine works out-of-the-box with Linux than with windows, and with less messing about. No “linux admin” is needed. It just works. Pity same can’t be said for windows. Huge install, and still offers very little apps or support.
The moral of the story is quite plain to see, I would have thought. I will spell it out: Windoze is full of redundant code, it is programmed for obsolescence and Linux is not; hence you get a ‘fire and forget’ system that runs fast and reliably on moderate hardware – the OS and most software is FREE, and updates are FREE. Quite moral I’d say.
I would argue, you get what you pay for.
There are a multitude of problems that come with a Linux operating system, mainly hardware and software vendor support, or the lack thereof.
Linux is a great alternative to those who have a rather mainstream PC with mainstream hardware components, and simply use it as a email & browsing station. Yes, I would say, Linux all day, heck, buy a netbook, feel ‘green’ doing it.
But if you are anything beyond that, I would say no, Linux might not be your best option, unless you enjoy writing your own drivers.. (Been there, done that, gets old after a while..)