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As someone who does this, you’re not wrong, but I don’t know how many lightweight Linux distributions your typical person who can’t manage to install Linux woul

As someone who does this, you’re not wrong, but I don’t know how many lightweight Linux distributions your typical person who can’t manage to install Linux would be able to, or want to use, even with some support. The only thing I could see working is if you basically made it like ChromeOS, a locked down, web browser based machine. Which actually wouldn’t be the worst idea considering most people just use their computers to go on the internet.

milesward 5y ago
cough neverware cough https://www.neverware.com/ https://www.neverware.com/
- makeitdouble 5y ago
  Unrelated, but I thought it was a satirical site for a minute, and it took me time to get convinced otherwise. There is something about the low stakes design and cookie cutter writing that makes it sound so off. On what they do, yes, it seems to be a valuable service for companies that don’t directly manage their devices.
sokoloff 5y ago
I installed lubuntu on a comically low powered AMD E-350 computer for my grandmother when her old desktop died. Gave her a simplified desktop with a weather display and big icons for her email, her Facebook, and the obituary page of her hometown newspaper. She transitioned to it just fine and only once in five years did I have to walk someone through the fsck process from what was probably hundreds of unclean shutdowns.
mxuribe 5y ago
No doubt that there would be a wide spectrum of levels of acceptance...some folks even given a good optioon for support might choose to recycle their old machine because they're genuinely interested in getting the shiny newness...so offering any lightweight option with even cheap support won't be accepted by some folks...but i have to believe that there are folks out there who when *informed* that "hey, you know what? your computer is still usable for a little while longer..." might think twice before getting rid of their old machine. And, BTW, if you're doing this already, then good on you! Kudos for helping avoid machines hitting the landfills, recycling centers unnecessarily!

milesward 5y ago

cough neverware cough https://www.neverware.com/ https://www.neverware.com/

makeitdouble 5y ago
Unrelated, but I thought it was a satirical site for a minute, and it took me time to get convinced otherwise. There is something about the low stakes design and cookie cutter writing that makes it sound so off. On what they do, yes, it seems to be a valuable service for companies that don’t directly manage their devices.

sokoloff 5y ago

I installed lubuntu on a comically low powered AMD E-350 computer for my grandmother when her old desktop died. Gave her a simplified desktop with a weather display and big icons for her email, her Facebook, and the obituary page of her hometown newspaper. She transitioned to it just fine and only once in five years did I have to walk someone through the fsck process from what was probably hundreds of unclean shutdowns.

mxuribe 5y ago

No doubt that there would be a wide spectrum of levels of acceptance...some folks even given a good optioon for support might choose to recycle their old machine because they're genuinely interested in getting the shiny newness...so offering any lightweight option with even cheap support won't be accepted by some folks...but i have to believe that there are folks out there who when *informed* that "hey, you know what? your computer is still usable for a little while longer..." might think twice before getting rid of their old machine. And, BTW, if you're doing this already, then good on you! Kudos for helping avoid machines hitting the landfills, recycling centers unnecessarily!