Complete newbies use Linux easily

[gomez alert]

My wife is complely new to computing and is using Mandrake 8.2 with
(relative) ease. Because she has not used Windows she thinks stuff like
KMail is the norm and thinks it odd that other people have computers
that crash. The kids have their own desktops and cannot trash my
stuff and they do things with the Gimp that they could not do at school with
Windows(school can't afford software). Amazing. It occured to me that
a complete newbie would now probably be able to install Linux more
easily than Windows 95.
It should be in schools.

[trommaster]

i must say, this is great to hear.
good to see that anyone can easily use any product, wether its from microsoft or otherwise.
congrats on your achievement and welcome to GLO

Aalastair

[JimH]

My wife is complely new to computing and is using Mandrake 8.2 with
(relative) ease. Because she has not used Windows she thinks stuff like
KMail is the norm and thinks it odd that other people have computers
that crash.

I completely agree with that. I think inexperienced computer users would find the modern Linux distributions very easy to use. I think that is especially true when they are used to doing something one way in windows and them have to learn another way when they try Linux. I think it is much easier for some one to learn how to do something when they don't have to forget the things they already might have learned.

Jim H

[babbing]

but o man, what a job windows does on you. i kinda wish i had ONLY used linux. i still have brainfarts where i think i am using windows and try to do windows like things. then i slap myself in the forehead. but seriously, windows is a poison

[Spot]

I just switched my mom's puter over to linux. It took me several hours to get everything setup, but it looked almost exactly like the winders98 she was using before. She used it for 2 days before I told her.

If I hadn't told her, she'd have never known the difference.

All her email worked(but with better filtering and no scripting), her Yahoo! Games worked...it was pretty much flawless. Now to try and get some of her cheezy majongg games working under wine...

[Gybbyl]

i still have brainfarts where i think i am using windows and try to do windows like things. then i slap myself in the forehead. but seriously, windows is a poison

I agree completely!!! I just converted from windows, and although i had 1 or 2 difficulties (hardware problems (windmodem and a USB keyboard)) on the installation, everything works like a dream! Im running Redhat 7.3 (want to get Slack or LFS, but my brain would probably explode) and i find the GUI easier, and the features more reliable and useful. There is so much "newbie-ish" crap in windows that i wanted to crap my pants! (f.o.s)

LoL, i was almost addicted to Windows after 4 years of it 'poisoning' my mind, that i just had to install WINE, even if i didnt plan on using it. Heh.

[farfrompuken]

Looking to swap my current laptop for an iBook. An alternative, as far as I see, is SuSE 8.2 personal. Could this somlve my windows phobia, or should I just go for Mac.

Total beginner....

[SkyNet]

Well, you can still run Linux on a Mac, so the choice is yours.

[farfrompuken]

SkyNet;

You have made my life so much clearer-not.

Just someone answer my question: is Linux a better setup than Mac OsX?????

[SkyNet]

farfrompuken,

Linux doesn't need people like you. Stick with OsX.