One of the great Linux desktop myths is that it's hard to use. People still think that you need to be some kind of mad computer wizard to use Lin

If my mother-in-law can use Ubuntu Linux, anyone can

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2024-06-27 18:00:04

One of the great Linux desktop myths is that it's hard to use. People still think that you need to be some kind of mad computer wizard to use Linux. What nonsense. Desktop Linux has been as easy to use as any of the mainstream desktop operating systems for over a decade. How easy is it? My 79-year old mother-in-law, Hulvia, can use it.

She arrived a few weeks ago with her Windows laptop, but without her power cord. So, she needed a computer of her own. As I went down to garage/server room/spare computer storage locker, "What the heck, if Jason Perlow's father-in-law could pick up Ubuntu Linux in 2007 at the age of 71, why not my mother-in-law at 79 in 2012!"

So, I grabbed a Dell Inspiron laptop, and I installed the latest Ubuntu 12.04 beta on it. Canonical always claimed its Unity interface was easy to use and I thought it was too, but let's see how someone who's only used Windows could do with it.

Once installed and hooked into my Wi-Fi network, I sat down with her, and I explained how to open applications. Actually, she didn't need my explanation. She could see that she needed to click the applications on the left sidebar to start them at a glance.