Posted on 10/26/2010 9:32:15 AM PDT by ShadowAce
COMMENT
You may think your day job is demanding, but it's often nothing compared with providing tech support for the family. That's where Linux comes in, says Jack Wallen.
The problem with working in IT is that when we go home, our job often continues. Sometimes, keeping our children's computers running can be a bigger challenge than sorting out the adults at work.
But if you install Linux at home, you can avoid the headaches. That's because sound reasons exist for migrating young users from other operating systems.
1. Viruses and malware
Malware is always at the top of my list. Youngsters are prone to opening and installing things they shouldn't. Because you can't watch them all the time, you can't know where they're getting those applications or attachments from.
You can ensure those machines have antivirus and anti-spyware, but why take the chance? With Linux, this concern evaporates.
2. Security
If you don't give your children the root password, they can't run with root privileges. Of course, you hit a little snag when using a distribution like Ubuntu. For any sudo-based operating system, you will need to edit the /etc/sudoers file to give your young users the privileges they need.
3. Cost effectiveness
If a younger user gets a hand-me-down machine that needs an operating system reinstall, you have to buy a new copy of Windows unless you have one already. This situation also applies to any number of applications you might have to pay for.
Avoid these costs altogether by running Linux. You won't have pay for the operating system licence or any application that child might need or want. On top of that, they'll have the Add/Remove Software tool, where they can hunt around and find just about anything they would need. You can also run a modern distribution on much less hardware than you will need for Vista or Windows 7.
4. Age-specific tools
Did you know there are distributions and software groups designed specifically for young adults and children? There is Sugar, aimed at five- to 12-year-olds; Edubuntu, for ages three to 18; LinuxKidX for ages two to 15; Foresight Kids for ages three to 12, and many others.
This software has graphics and language tuned to its target age range. Some of the distributions for younger children lock the operating system down tightly so that only certain tasks can be run.
5. Netbooks
Children make great netbook users. They have smaller hands and fingers that can handle a cramped keyboard, and they can easily sit with a small machine in their lap. And the Linux operating system is ideally suited to run on netbooks.
You can install either a full-blown operating system or a netbook-specific operating system, along with whatever software you need on the netbook, making it an excellent choice for younger audiences.
6. Agile learners
If you put a Linux-based machine in front of a young user, you won't hear complaints like, "Why can't it run Quicken?" or "I need my custom payroll app to run on this". Most kids will master the Linux operating system quickly.
Young minds adapt so well, they won't have any trouble adjusting to any differences. You could probably sit a child down with a Gentoo box running CDE or AfterStep and he or she would have understood it in less time than it took you to explain what Linux means.
7. Staying in step
Linux is used worldwide. Many countries have adopted Linux. The future of Linux is very bright and it seems to be getting brighter. So why not give your children a head start on what could possibly be the future of the PC?
This argument also applies to those fledgling IT pros out there. If Windows is so user-friendly, kids spending most of their time on Linux should have no problem with Windows. In fact, I would argue that it will enhance the child's ability to grasp the operating system and how the PC really works.
8 Learning opportunities
Open source suits education. It practically screams: "Open me up and learn". What better way to help youngsters learn than by giving them the ability to do just that? With really curious children, the desire to learn is extraordinary, so why lock them down with closed-source software?
When a child is exposed to open-source software and an open-source operating system, the educational opportunities are limitless.
9. A lesson in community
Teaching children the value of open-source software helps them understand community. Although young users aren't likely to open up the source code of the applications they're using, in today's constantly evolving, community-driven world, they need every advantage they can get as they grow up.
Having a sound understanding of open source will help them to understand what it means to really work with and for a team. Using Linux at such an early age also indirectly teaches children the benefit of volunteering, something many of us need to learn more about.
10. Content filtering
Linux has numerous ways to handle content filtering for your young users. From DansGuardian to SquidGuard to the manual editing of the /etc/hosts file, you can filter content in Linux in far more detail than you can in Windows, and just as easily.
Add to this facility the ability to lock down what your young user can and can't do without having to add third-party software, and Linux quickly becomes a safe computing environment for your child.
Your take
Would you trust your kids with Linux? Do you think Linux could help or hinder their education on a PC? Which operating system do you think is the best choice for children? Linux? Windows? OS X? Share your thoughts.
When I got home from the trip, the system was up and running with no problems. He had DL'ed the ISO, burned it to disc, and installed Ubuntu from scratch.
With zero assistance from me or his mom.
He had never before worked with Linux, or installed an OS.
If Linux is so damn good, why is it so damn far behind...
That can't be allowed to happen. /s
/johnny
Why? It came with a license when purchased that didn't die because someone else is now using it. Use the restore disks/partition from the manufacturer or use another copy of windows and change the COA number after installation (Pro disks usually won't accept OEM serial numbers). Shoot, half the machines you buy don't have the same number on the install that's on the sticker.
Buying a new copy is just paying for the same copy a second time.
What does that statement even mean?
In the server world, and the technical user world, it's the preferred system. In the embedded world, it's way beyond any other OS. Your wireless router is running a version of Linux.
/johnny
You ought to proud, that is a smart kid. I installed Linux at home on several computers because I don’t have the time, inclination or money to waste on battling malware on systems with lame security models. I put Puppy Linux on my son’s old HP computer and Ubuntu Studio on my Dell Inspiron. I also installed Ubuntu on a client’s kid’s computer that had been infected with 20 varieties of viruses and malware. That was months ago and they are still very pleased with it. “Junior” had no problem transitioning to Linux and he has no compatibility problems using Open Office to do his school work.
Free apps don't get much ad budget. Many people don't trust anything they get for free.
In the server world it has a valid place. In the applications world and the arena of most corporate and home users it is not very user friendly to use and maintain; aside from the fact that the wide variety of most-used software is either not available or doesn’t work well on it. I now teach IT courses and Linux machines are more trouble than they are worth to set up and maintain. Developing applications is infinitely easier on Win machines. Our faculty who favor Linux are the ones who advocate command line processing and intricate scripting over GUI applications when most of us moved beyond that years ago.
Yes, technically it’s an OS, not an app. Sue me.
I just bought 2 windows machines with W7 installed, Nothing but headaches. I am sure I could have spent a day or two getting back on the learning curve and figured it out but I just do not have the time.
I installed unbuntu on the 2 machines and will never use a windows product again. It was the smoothest, most seamless install I have ever had on startup all the connected devices worked, wifi which was a constant problem worked flawlessly out of the gate, printers , sound, video etc. all worked fine.
Open office has evolved to a comparable office suite. firefox works better than ever and any free app I found and downloaded has done the job I needed it for. It is simple, rock solid and every thing windows should have been - best software decision I have ever made
I currently use a Windows XP laptop, an iMac with OS X (10.6), and and older desktop running Fedora core 13.
90% of what I use a computer for (web browsing, email, and desktop publishing) I can do equally well on all three, and using the same tools (Firefox/OpenOffice).
The easiest of the three to maintain is the Fedora box. Since all applications use the package manager, updates and their associated dependencies are completely automatic, I just need to provide an admin password to authorize them. The other two aren’t too far off, but their automatic updates only cover 1st party material, so my most-used apps (Firefox and OpenOffice), among other device-specific apps, have to update themselves separately.
I would recommend Linux for kids, preferably a different distribution on each (virtual) machine, especially if they have an interest in an IT career. I started with a Unix no one has ever heard of, used several, and (immediately) put Linux on the first PC I ever owned. Comp Sci degree and going on twenty years in IT, and NO ONE ASKS ME FOR HELP WITH WINDOWS!
I’ve had to touch windows enough over the years to know how much it sucks (and how truly user-unfriendly it is if your background is in anything else). If I had to support it, I’d pick another industry. Having zero windows experience is definitely a plus.
“In the applications world and the arena of most corporate and home users it is not very user friendly to use and maintain”
Tell that to the 9-year-old kid that installed it. :-) There is also a 10-year-old girl doing her school work on a Linux computer that I set up. No, Linux won’t run Windows apps, but it can do the basics that most people need.
Great article, my ten year old daughter loves Linux.
Never a transition problem for her.
ping
“If Linux is so damn good, why is it so damn far behind...”
Linux is the fastest growing OS in the world. Its just not necessarily on PCs. But its in everything from your microwave to your telephone.
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