I experimented with Ubuntu by giving a laptop running plain Ubuntu to my retired parents. They are new to computers and their needs are simple. * Video calls -

I experimented with Ubuntu by giving a laptop running plain Ubuntu to my retired parents. They are new to computers and their needs are simple. * Video calls - Skype or FaceTime * watch youtube. * Transfer pictures from digital camera to laptop and view them (many times ;-) ) * local newspaper's website * play their local music library * Not confuse them. But, Ubuntu failed them miserably. They had a hard time using because, their words - "what works one time, doesn't the next time." When my dad closes the lid, he expects the laptop to go to sleep mode, and again open the lid to wake it, just doesn't work all time, give some kind of messages only a tech person would understand. Their observation - "text is not sharp". I checked it on their laptop display, Windows is rather sharp and usable while Ubuntu's default font rendering is too soft and they need to squint a bit to read. internet connectivity - There are so many issues with the default wifi setup on their laptop. Dad gets frustrated if it shows him a dialog box with information he does not understand. So, often times the laptop lies there gathering dust until I or a friend goes to their house to "fix it" - often times just reboot the damn thing. After this struggle, they bought a Windows laptop.