4 ms·

For people ugrading from w7, it's much easier to adapt to Cinnamon than W10, especially older folks

by boyce 9y ago

lucb1e 9y ago
I myself had an easy time adjusting, and I'm planning to give my grandma either a Debian or a Linux Mint system with Cinnamon once it's finally time for a new laptop. It's curious how a "supported" OS like Windows 7 mysteriously only runs on old hardware and cannot be bought anymore. You'd almost think they're trying to force you to upgrade.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
overcast 9y ago
Except the whole not running any normal software they see in day to day use. Older folks are definitely not going to understand why their version of Office 2016 isn't installing on their "Linux machine" their grandson setup for them. I went down this route before with my own, and it ends in either installing Windows, or getting a Mac/iPad.
- reacweb 9y ago
  I have migrated my parents from a slow laptop (windows XP) to a miniPC with ubuntu gnome. It was easy to say that there were less differences between their old "word" and open office than between their old "word" and the new one with the ribbon. It is 4 years ago. The main used applications are Chrome, thunderbird, microsoft powerpoint viewer (using wine) and the default video and picture viewers. They receive many mails per days containing powerpoint files (probably like many old people). The powerpoint viewer is free and works very well (slow start) on ubuntu. You just need to spend some time for file associations.
  - overcast 9y ago
    See, all of that setup, and configuration. For what? Just to have your grandparents running Linux? Trust me, I attempted this multiple times, no one wants to deal with it if something goes wrong, or setting up special configs, or using an emulation layer just to view a powerpoint. I applaud your patience, but I've got better things to do. With that said, I dropped an iMac on my fathers lap ten years ago, and without any instruction, both of my parents were up and running, and they used Windows their entire life.
- KGIII 9y ago
  I am an older folk. You know, we've been using computers since the seventies. Not only do I know why Office 2016 doesn't work, I know quite well why it doesn't work. I also know how my hardware works, quite well. If I need to, I'm even comfortably modifying much of my software. I even know why, and how, to compile a custom kernel. These older folks built the very things you used. As for the "definitely not going to understand" bit, there's a not insignificant chance that I understand it better than you.
  - theWatcher37 9y ago
    Surely you realize you're the exception, not the rule.
    - KGIII 9y ago
      There are a lot of us and the statement was "definitely not going to." It's not my fault that the post contained absolute statements.
      - theWatcher37 9y ago
        Ok? And there's "a lot" of people in wheelchairs who mountainclimb... from the perspective of the 5 people who do. It's immature word games at best, and insecure egoism at worst, to act this way in the face of overwhelming rhetorical truth. The vast majority of "old" people had zero use for the tech as we know it in their daily lives for most of their lives. As such, most of them have no idea what is going on. This is common sense, well understood fact.
        KGIII 9y ago
        Yay! Ageism!
  - overcast 9y ago
    Again, anecdotal. You're an "older folk", talking on Hacker News. If I asked most older folk, or most any folk in general. They wouldn't have a clue about anything of what you just typed. I deal with end users all day. Most don't know copy and paste exist, or shift select, or how to add a printer automatically, or how to get to anything that isn't a silly mapped drive, or how to get to an internal website without a shortcut on their desktop, or "where did the internet go?" because the blue e isn't there. The vast majority of people, even ones who have been working on computers their entire life, are absolutely, undoubtedly clueless. I'm glad you're capable, but please be realistic.

For people ugrading from w7, it's much easier to adapt to Cinnamon than W10, especially older folks

by boyce 9y ago

For people ugrading from w7, it's much easier to adapt to Cinnamon than W10, especially older folks

I myself had an easy time adjusting, and I'm planning to give my grandma either a Debian or a Linux Mint system with Cinnamon once it's finally time for a new laptop. It's curious how a "supported" OS like Windows 7 mysteriously only runs on old hardware and cannot be bought anymore. You'd almost think they're trying to force you to upgrade.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

overcast 9y ago

Except the whole not running any normal software they see in day to day use. Older folks are definitely not going to understand why their version of Office 2016 isn't installing on their "Linux machine" their grandson setup for them. I went down this route before with my own, and it ends in either installing Windows, or getting a Mac/iPad.

reacweb 9y ago
I have migrated my parents from a slow laptop (windows XP) to a miniPC with ubuntu gnome. It was easy to say that there were less differences between their old "word" and open office than between their old "word" and the new one with the ribbon. It is 4 years ago. The main used applications are Chrome, thunderbird, microsoft powerpoint viewer (using wine) and the default video and picture viewers. They receive many mails per days containing powerpoint files (probably like many old people). The powerpoint viewer is free and works very well (slow start) on ubuntu. You just need to spend some time for file associations.
- overcast 9y ago
  See, all of that setup, and configuration. For what? Just to have your grandparents running Linux? Trust me, I attempted this multiple times, no one wants to deal with it if something goes wrong, or setting up special configs, or using an emulation layer just to view a powerpoint. I applaud your patience, but I've got better things to do. With that said, I dropped an iMac on my fathers lap ten years ago, and without any instruction, both of my parents were up and running, and they used Windows their entire life.
KGIII 9y ago
I am an older folk. You know, we've been using computers since the seventies. Not only do I know why Office 2016 doesn't work, I know quite well why it doesn't work. I also know how my hardware works, quite well. If I need to, I'm even comfortably modifying much of my software. I even know why, and how, to compile a custom kernel. These older folks built the very things you used. As for the "definitely not going to understand" bit, there's a not insignificant chance that I understand it better than you.
- theWatcher37 9y ago
  Surely you realize you're the exception, not the rule.
  - KGIII 9y ago
    There are a lot of us and the statement was "definitely not going to." It's not my fault that the post contained absolute statements.
    - theWatcher37 9y ago
      Ok? And there's "a lot" of people in wheelchairs who mountainclimb... from the perspective of the 5 people who do. It's immature word games at best, and insecure egoism at worst, to act this way in the face of overwhelming rhetorical truth. The vast majority of "old" people had zero use for the tech as we know it in their daily lives for most of their lives. As such, most of them have no idea what is going on. This is common sense, well understood fact.
      - KGIII 9y ago
        Yay! Ageism!
- overcast 9y ago
  Again, anecdotal. You're an "older folk", talking on Hacker News. If I asked most older folk, or most any folk in general. They wouldn't have a clue about anything of what you just typed. I deal with end users all day. Most don't know copy and paste exist, or shift select, or how to add a printer automatically, or how to get to anything that isn't a silly mapped drive, or how to get to an internal website without a shortcut on their desktop, or "where did the internet go?" because the blue e isn't there. The vast majority of people, even ones who have been working on computers their entire life, are absolutely, undoubtedly clueless. I'm glad you're capable, but please be realistic.