About Box

There doesn't seem to be too much written about how to set up a Linux system for use by kids and non-expert adult family members, who may each have their own interesting requirements. In this blog, I hope to cover topics to let these users participate in the home and on the Internet safely.

Linux is not for everyone, but it definitely presents some advantages over Mac OS and Windows:

1. Minimal malware concern. At the moment, malware is mostly a Windows phenomenon where clicking on the wrong thing in an email or web browser will infect your machine in seconds without your knowledge. After that point, your machine may become a zombie spam factory, broadcast your personal account information to its masters, or attempt to infect other machines on your network. Happily for Linux users, for the moment, Linux systems are reasonably secure so it's safe to let a beginner loose--with some common sense--and they can't hurt much.
2. Antivirus. Along with (1), no antivirus software subscription is required.
3. Cost. You don't have to pay for the operating system (Windows or Mac OS), or Office either. Most of what you need for home use can be downloaded for free. Web browsing, mail, light office work, and roughly 30,000 other programs, all free to use.
4. Machine. If you have an older, slower machine, Linux is very modular and can be pared down to deal with fewer resources, removing the parts you don't need. If you have an old virus infested Windows box, you can clean it off and put Linux down. Old boxes might not be the best for large screen video but will do fine for light web and mail.
5. Customization. Linux makes it easy to customize its look and feel, behavior, almost everything. This comes in handy when setting up for kids to help keep them out of trouble.
6. Easy setup. Starting with any old machine, you basically download a CD, boot it, answer a few questions, and in a few minutes you have a running machine that can get on the net. Customizing it further will be the subject of future posts.

Linux may not be for you if need Windows-proprietary software. If you must have QuickBooks, SAP, Netflix videos, full Outlook and Office, or the latest PC game, then Linux might not be for you. If you have some unusual hardware that has Windows-only drivers--watch out especially for printers here--then you might need at least one Windows machine in your house to talk to it.

I'll keep comments open on posts so we might get some dialog going.