What is Digg?110 Comments
- AttroPheed, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11Unless those teens want to play a video game.
- coredump0x01, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"Unless those teens want to play a video game."
But then there's other factors including a suitably powerful video card, sufficient memory and a newer cpu. There are several bloody, gory deathmatch and fps games that I (a teen) enjoy on linux, like doom 3, quake 4, nexuiz, postal 2, apocalypse weekend, UT2004, and cube. - coredump0x01, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4forgot to mention all the windows native games i play on linux via cedega like GTA 3, vice city, san andreas, red faction 1 and 2, mafia, and need for speed 5 and underground.
"An advertisement for WHAT?"
an advertisment for all that _free_ software. I'm tired of people always advertising and trying to get me to buy that FREE software, they act like it's free or something. - toffe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"I track her internet usage through my router"
Is it only me who thinks it's not ok to spy on your kids? - Pasty745, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2But Linux still has a long way to go before it can be used by the mainstream. I know there is no way the bulk of computer users are going to want to learn how to install stuff from source. And Linux is bad about stuff like video files in random formats. I still can't get all the crap I need to play my anime/movies on my Fedora Core 4 system. That alone is enough to keep me using Windows just because all I need is 2 things. 1) A codec pack, and 2) A good media player that both install in just TWO clicks of my mouse.
- Arevos, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"I still can't get all the crap I need to play my anime/movies on my Fedora Core 4 system."
Try MPlayer. I haven't yet found a video file that it couldn't play. Download the MPlayer RPM and Win32 codec RPM and install. - UGM2099, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2What about most teens who want to send kisses and smileys over MSN?
- Stormwave0, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Of course it's safe for teens. They don't know how to do anything on Linux. Therefore, they can't install anything - good or bad.
- troublemaker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Teens learn faster than adults, it's a fact. They can easily adopt top Linux without any problems. If you whiners keep nagging about "ooh, Linux is too hard to use", then shut your pie holes for a moment. Place a teenager in front of a Linux box, and he/she will get used to it in no-time.
And why do you girls keep whining about "it must install in a mouse click"? It's not Windows! When will you slip out of your diapers and TRY and touch that scary keyboard? It takes one day or two to adopt to Linux, that's all you need.
As for the gaming issues, hell - why do you own a console? It's for GAMING. Use it. It's a PC for Personal Computing, not PG for Personal Gaming. - timsco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1A Safe Bet for Teens? Perhaps...
What I really want is a safe bet for my parents so that I can concentrate on cleaning out their fridge instead of uninstalling a random toolbar everytime that I walk into their home. - Robotsu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1troublemaker: Jesus christ, you're like everything that is keeping linux from mainstream adoption :P
"""Teens learn faster than adults, it's a fact. They can easily adopt top Linux without any problems. If you whiners keep nagging about "ooh, Linux is too hard to use", then shut your pie holes for a moment. Place a teenager in front of a Linux box, and he/she will get used to it in no-time."""
That is the most insane thing I've ever heard in my entire life. If instead of "teenager" you meant, "average, run of the mill adolescent nerd who is periodically locked in his/her room with too much free time", then you just might be half correct. The truth is that people don't have to, and -shouldn't- have to, go as deep into linux as they do to accomplish things like installing new software, modifying software, and updating software. Playing mp3's, getting .WMA video to work. Average, real, "teenagers" __won't__ get linux right away. They will just say, "well why do I have to know all this crap just to use ____." Normal folks who just want things to work. Probably not within 3 weeks.
"""And why do you girls keep whining about "it must install in a mouse click"? It's not Windows! When will you slip out of your diapers and TRY and touch that scary keyboard? It takes one day or two to adopt to Linux, that's all you need."""
Wow. Yay for preteniousness. Did you ever stop to think that the average user doesn't give two flying ***** about computers and even less of a ***** about Linux? Why should a thousand dollar machine they just bought be that complicated to use. If they want one-click installation, they should get it.
"""As for the gaming issues, hell - why do you own a console? It's for GAMING. Use it. It's a PC for Personal Computing, not PG for Personal Gaming."""
Oookay, this is another incredibly absurd comment to make. I mean I can barely tell if you're serious or if this is some kind of joke. But anyway, the next time someone like you tells me how I can cannot, what I should and should not, be doing with my computer that I purchased for myself and my family... well, I'm probaly going to kick you in the face. PC's aren't for gaming??? Since when. Just because you have some functional fixedness about electronic devices and what they should and should not be used for doesn't mean the rest of the world shares your strange dellusions. thank god.
And how, you may ask, do I know these things. Is it because I myself am a Linux user (which I am currently running, free of windows entirely), programmer of various assembly and scripting and compiled languages, designer and professional programmer? Or is it because I have actually given 3 different teens such Linux distributions as Ubuntu, and their experience was absolutely terrible? Yeah, I think that's the one.
And this is something that has always irked me about some of the linux fanboys (read: as I stated I -like- Linux, a -lot-, but some people are just absurd with their fanatacism), they seem incapable of realizing (or simply don't care) that average people just want things to work.
It's like if you had two cars: One car was like most cars people drive today; you put the key in, turn it, the car runs. The second car requires you to understand how the engine itself runs, what and where the crankshaft is, how the car shifts gears, et cetera just to run down to the store to grab some penut butter or a loaf of bread. (forgive the horrible analogy and car comments, I know -nothing- of automobiles, it was just the only thing that came to mind, I hope my meaning was clear :P)
If Linux users say, "well, we just don't care about average users. We're developers and enjoy the operating sytsem; it works great for us", I would have absolutely no quarrel with it at all. I mean good linux users finding something that works really well :). But on the other hand, I just can't stand when people pretend it is in some way "easy" or "obvious" or "user friendly". I simply won't ever swallow that. - Robotsu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"""So Linux now supports iTunes & the iPod?"""
Look up gtkpod, it's pretty nifty. Although there is no purchasing store (which some might argue is a plus), it has the basic read/write/playlist functionality as iTunes. I've been using it with my Nano and things are working great :) - Dren, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Not just teens, but parents too!
- BobWoodshed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Unless those teens live in an extremely Windows-centric society such as Korea. Teens especially wouldn't switch to Linux because they couldn't access Cyworld (pretty much a Korean Myspace). The majority of its features require IE on Windows and literally every younger person I know in Korea has a Cyworld account.
Articles that make broad statements like that are stupid. I'm not trying to pimp Windows in any means as I hate it just as much as the rest of you, but sometimes switching operating systems (regardless of age) can severely effect the way you experience something like the Internet that isn't supposed to be OS-dependent. I do appreciate this guy sharing his story though. - Imagist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Testimonials are annoying regardless of what they are for, and this is coming from a fan of Linux. Besides, everybody on Digg already knows that Linux is more spyware-resistant than Windows. This isn't news to anybody.
- pHr34kY, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I believe that a linux system is great for retards that know nothing about security.
I used to work in retail electronics. In this store was an internet bar. The machines ran Win98 (gasp!). Despite running antivirus software and doing a spyware scan each month, the machines still needed to be reformatted each month (because they stopped booting).
Then I installed Mandrake on them, along with K3B and FireFox. Over a year later, the machines still stand working without any maintenance (I have not worked there for 7 months). They fall nothing short of invincible.
The guy in this article is right... and I'm also running Linux on my PIII laptop, because the hardware sucks for gaming anyway (although I dual-boot DOS for old-skool gaming goodness). - webdwarf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I would have to agree, Alot of my clients get me to fix their home computers which their teenage kids use, and I have found that teenagers and computers are the worst possible combination.
Linux may be hard to use for someone who is used to the way windows works, but for someone who doesn't know anything, a properly set up Linux computer can be 100 times better. I haven't however tried installing Linux on a clients computer yet, so I can't speak from experience on that behalf. - barbobot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"untill you want to install software, or change a system setting"
I dont understand how either of these are hard, at least most linux distros have a centralized repository for software, easily accessible from the command line (apt) or gui (synaptic) whereas windows and os x have none. - barbobot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Don't you hate it when people try to give you an (arguably) better item for free.
As for the article, its nothing great, but it does have some good points. For a low maintence easy way to bring that old computer back to life linux is the choice. - zarathud, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Of course games can be an issue, but there are plenty of teens out there than game mainly on consoles and just use their PC for web/email/office. In this situation, I think linux can be a clear win.
- nugget, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Hey Robotsu the car analogy about shifting gears does not work too well. I don't know much about cars, they get me around if they have gas, take them in when they make noises or lights start flashing. However I do know how cars shift, and I drive a manual and I love it. So I think that if anything it would be better suited to be said like this...
"Windows is like an automatic car, put the key in turn it put it into gear press gas. Pretty simple to get it to move. But anything Unish (UNIX like its from Radio Freak America) is more like a manual car, put the key in turn it, change to the proper gear and give it just enough gas while letting the clutch out to move forward smoothly and then make sure you change gears as your speed changes too. Now not everyone gets it right off the bat and it takes many people a bit of time to get the hang of it, but If you try hard enough you will get it."
But that is my .02 cents to the topic... I love my car its so fun to drive :) - spinesplitter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0linux is just right for teens? or non IT savvy teens that wanna stay stupid, even when i wasnt a power user i knew how to repel spyware, phishing and such, if this guy didnt grasp the concepts untill he was past 20 then that would explain the articles stupidity.
you dont need to know much to be protected, i wonder if he has told his daughter to not click on those click here to enter sites LOL (the system message kind) - shooby, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Okay look.
I'm 14 right now, and yes, I am a self-proclaimed "geek".
But see, my cousin, 14 as well, has a pretty outdated PC from 2001 with 256mb of RAM and a 900mhz celeron (I think). Anyways, the computer so damn bloated with all this ***** she downloaded from Limewire...which handily came bundled with spyware, viruses, and other stuff. So, I got her Suse Linux and Fedora Core Linux...she happened to like Fedora Core Linux (I installed both versions and asked her what she liked best). So, now she uses Gaim for AIM, Limewire (which works on linux) for stuff, OpenOffice for homework, and firefox for browsing the net. Voila! Spyware? Gone! Viruses? Gone! The incredible "slowness" of the computer blasted as well. Linux takes much less system resources and stuff. She couldn't be happier with a "brand new" computer that "runs so so so much faster!" and allows her to do as much as she did on windows on linux.
Linux is a good idea for teens who fit in the following category
1. do not use an ipod/itunes
2. are spyware and virus-prone
3. just want to use a computer
4. just use a computer for word processing, browsing, and chatting
Yeah, it's a good idea for someone low on money and can't buy a mac...
oh yeah, start flaming you digg flamers ;) - troublemaker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Robotsu:
Hello, my little ignorant friend. Let's begin the debate.
"That is the most insane thing I've ever heard in my entire life. If instead of "teenager" you meant, "average, run of the mill adolescent nerd who is periodically locked in his/her room with too much free time", then you just might be half correct."
You're telling me that you need to be a nerd (ie: have higher computer skills) to slap a RedHat CD into the drive, install the OS and play around with it? Have you used Linux lately? You can do almost everything with the mouse. Personally, I hate it, but thankfully I have options; I can drop down to the shell if I want to. But literally eveyrthing can be done by guiding the mouse around in the GUI. You're telling me that's more difficult than Windows? Maybe it's different if you've only worked with Windows before, but if you started out with this as a teenager, you wouldn't have any problems.
"Average, real, "teenagers" __won't__ get linux right away. They will just say, "well why do I have to know all this crap just to use ____." Normal folks who just want things to work. Probably not within 3 weeks."
Well, see, there you go on again, comparing everything to Windows, like that's the only right way to do it. Mplayer plays wma/wmv just fine. Click the icon, and the application starts. If there's an easier way to do this in windows, then please, let me know.
"Did you ever stop to think that the average user doesn't give two flying ***** about computers and even less of a ***** about Linux? Why should a thousand dollar machine they just bought be that complicated to use. If they want one-click installation, they should get it."
Why the ***** should Linux be any more difficult than Windows? If you lived nearby to witness it, I'd be willing to bet a hundred bucks that I could convert my 60-year-old mother to Linux within - tops! - a couple of days. And she doesn't even know how to USE a vcr. I'm not ***** kidding here.
As for the teenies, well - let's be fair and look away from the games for a moment, because I can't deny that gaming under Linux is a veeery limited area - let's say you use a PC for surfing, email, irc, instant messaging, word processing ... in short, everything but games, you get it under Linux.
"And this is something that has always irked me about some of the linux fanboys (read: as I stated I -like- Linux, a -lot-, but some people are just absurd with their fanatacism), they seem incapable of realizing (or simply don't care) that average people just want things to work."
Don't get me wrong, I'm no linux fanboy myself. I ditched Linux in favour of MacOSX :-) But I love Linux too, and think that if people could get out of their little nutshell and see that "Linux is hard to use" is now a myth, they'd be surprised how it has matured since 1995.
"It's like if you had two cars: One car was like most cars people drive today; you put the key in, turn it, the car runs. The second car requires you to understand how the engine itself runs, what and where the crankshaft is, how the car shifts gears, et cetera just to run down to the store to grab some penut butter or a loaf of bread. (forgive the horrible analogy and car comments, I know -nothing- of automobiles, it was just the only thing that came to mind, I hope my meaning was clear :P)"
No, that's a good comparison actually. Let's take it a little further: In the US, as I understand it, automatic transmissions are quite common, and when people get into a car with stick shift, they get confused and wonder how it works. Not everyone, but most people. In Europe, where I live, it's the other way. Almost every car is equipped with a stick shift instead of automatic drive, but IMHO it's easier to adopt that way than the other. One's more difficult to use, but gives you more "freedom", while the other may be more comfortable but less... uh.. freedom..ish.
I understand what you mean and your points, but I think you're stuck with the 1990's definition of Linux, with a green text-only screen and lots of mysterious commands. But it isn't that way anymore. Some like it, others don't.
(In case you're wondering why I ditched Linux: Curiosity. Needed to learn more about the OS for a job) - spinesplitter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Linux is a good idea for teens who fit in the following category
1. do not use an ipod/itunes"
what is it with the missinformed rants. - spinesplitter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0im only doing this for the sake of the misinformed populous.
"Unless those teens live in an extremely Windows-centric society such as Korea. Teens especially wouldn't switch to Linux because they couldn't access Cyworld (pretty much a Korean Myspace). The majority of its features require IE on Windows and literally every younger person I know in Korea has a Cyworld account."
IE can be run under linux, w/ wine, but hey it works and pretty damn fine on my comp - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"As for the gaming issues, hell - why do you own a console? It's for GAMING. Use it. It's a PC for Personal Computing, not PG for Personal Gaming."
Are you 50+ years old you codger? PCs far outweigh a console in terms of gaming. That may change with PS3/Revolution, but you cannot beat a FPS or RTS on the PC not to mention the modding communities for said games. - LoaTao, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Unless those teens want to play a video game."
Try dual booting. I have my 10 year old son set up with a dual boot machine: W2k for games and Xandros for everything else. Windows has all networking disabled. All he has lost is the online gaming option, but most of his gaming is on PS2, GameCube and GBA anyway. - chiizu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Seriously. This guy is a jackass. Instead of teaching his daughter about the computer, he's going to give her a crappy computer she can't even use?
What a solution. - tsupersonic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Some distros. are easy to use. I remember I tried Ubuntu to try linux for the first time and I liked what I saw. I think teens could use Ubuntu, it's very simple and their slogan is "Linux for human beings" or something like that.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Warez are perfect for the poor folk, especially those in college.
- sedgemonkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Ugh, this is lowest point ever for the digg front page. 500+ diggs for an article that is basically one guy saying "I like Linux". What a freaking revelation. Alert CNN.
Before you Linux fanboys jump all over me... I used to run a game server on Linux and I had an old box running Linux too so save your zealot breath. - anti-net, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I'm 16, i use both windows and Linux, but the only reason why i use windows is i got it with a Dell, if i had to go out and buy it at standard trade price simply as a student in full time education with no job I could not do this, that's why OS like ubuntu and edubuntu is such great ideas! perfect for the poor folk of this world :-)
- Rajio, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"When did teens become the borg? I thought teens had individuality just like the rest of the humanity?"
agreed - meembo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I dugg it because yesterday I dusted of an old Dell from the basement and ran a live CD of Damn Small Linux for my teenage son. It was painless, and a good use for an ancient machine. I'll install some flavor of Linux on the hard drive this weekend.
- blackax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0barbobot hes not useing debian he's got FC4
- MonkeyLord, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yet another "Yay... Look what Linux can do" article. Most people here already know the wonders of Linux and it does nothing for the beginner. This article is just another fluff piece and gives no one any real information.
- rain9441, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Hate to say it, but guy's daughter now has a 100$ pos laptop running an OS she knows ***** about. It took 30 minutes to install linux sure, but prolly 3 hours to teach her how to play an mp3. (ok so im exaggerating). Perhaps the better alternative would have been an old g4 mac laptop.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Linux? Which one of the 2394728 versions of it?
Lets face it. 90% of mainstream software and games work in Windows 2000/XP. Some have a few workable quirks and sometimes you just need to patch Windows.
How is an OS like Linux that needs hacks and workarounds to get software running any easier than Windows? Honestly, I've wanted to learn Linux, but with so many distros I never knew where to start. I'm better off with XP. But when it comes to servers and hosting, Linux hands down. MUCH better site performance overall vs Windows server. - firehydra2k, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Linux is growing rapidly. There is a growing community of people developing software and scripts that support each MUCH better than tech support in the Windows world (ex. forums).
Linux isn't really there yet in terms of user friendliness and gaming, but it definitely saves a ton of money and time.
However, if you're a newb, stay with windows and deal with the slow performance. Unless you pay alot of money, you won't get anything unless you research and work at it... - Canuck, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0For my kid I setup an XP machine with all the software that he needs, including MSN and MSN Plus (ya I know spyware blah, blah, blah, if I didn't install it he would), Firefox with No Script Extension, then ghosted the machine.
Now when he bricks it again (happens about every 6 months), I simply restore the image, which takes < 1 hour. I'm sure that most people running Windows will reinstall their system every year or so anyway, just to get rid of all the programs etc that they tried once.
Linux would not work for him, simply because of no Messenger. Sure there are other chat programs, but they don;t all all the things that MSN does. And with teens, it is all about fitting in. If their friends have it, they need it too.
Since using Firefox and the No Script extension, I have virtually elliminated spyware from my systems. If the site is working and you can view everything properly, there is no need for the script to be running. - Meshyf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I tried Knoppix for the first time yesterday on my machine. Its amazing to boot an OS from a cd.
Of course I'm a teen and I play video games so you can boot all you want from that 700mb cdr I still need Counterstrike and mp3s :D
For the record MSN messenger is a POS and so is YIM - superdigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0maybe it should be "linux is a safe bet for stupid teens that can't do heir own adware and virus maintenance".
no digg, just because it's not really news :/ - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0shell=/bin/login
is all i say :P
hahaha
lame article btw - docmanhattan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0While the article paints the switch as buttercups and roses, I would think that a teenage daughter may protest a bit. Although, perhaps given the choice of having a computer with Linux or no computer at all, there was little difficulty.
I will say this, I switched my wife and son's (20 months old) machine to Edubuntu. I like the fact that I don't have to worry about spyware and virii. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0As a teen I had always enjoyed the LATEST games and the latest version of Adobe Photoshop. Both these items don't work in Linux. Even though I have not been a teen for some years I still enjoy these things...
Let me know when I can play FEAR, battlefield 2, call of duty 2, etc and use photoshop CS2. - comrademikhail, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"What about most teens who want to send kisses and smileys over MSN?"
It's called amsn or gaim. Both have msn support, and amsn has a lot of the normal MSN features..
As for the argument.. Linux is a great learning experience. Windows is probably best for them, but if they're using such an outdated computer, they're probably not gaming anyways. Linux, with proper instruction, can be a great learning experience and operating system. And, like someone else said, is a lot less vulnerable to spyware. - j0keR, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Are they trying to say that teens are more likely to get spyware/viruses? Last I checked, my parents barely even know how to check their email. I've been wiping their computer free of spyware since I was 12-years-old. I'm 18 now.
If you know how to use Windows properly it isn't so bad, but I'm tired of people telling me to switch all the time. For computer novices, they don't feel like learning a new OS. For people like me-- I just want to play games. I used to dual-boot linux until my hard drive crashed, but I would always end up using Windows. It's just a lot easier for me to do the things that I do on Windows. I'll switch to Linux when I need it in special instances, otherwise Windows is staying as my primary desktop OS. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I think linux is for everyone. In many cases teens are actually smarted then adults (excluding ones with computer degreess....some of them atleast). Being a teen I know the number 1 thing kids do online is talk on MSN Messenger and play flash/java games aswell as games you install, the flash and java games you can probably play fine on linux. But all of the MSN alternatives (aMSN Gaim) are not flashy and cool looking and don't have all of the same features as the micro$oft version of the client. If you're really really worried about your teen loading crap on your computer, which I encorage you to let them do (good way to learn), you can give them a Limited Account, or if you're really desperate partition the hard disk into 2 partitions and give them their own XP install so they have complete controll and can mess it up however they like.
- diggdeeznutz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Old news.
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