Topic: Ubuntu 10.04 delivers usability, strength

[sam]

Here's what finally convinced me that Ubuntu was worthy of the average desktop user: I installed it on my Mom's computer. Clichéd, but true. Actually, this happened quite some time ago, so this is not necessarily news. But it's key to note that I indicated "average" desktop user. While I was very willing to recommend Ubuntu for users who just needed to handle day-to-day operations like surfing, e-mail, word processing, and the like, I was personally holding back from using it myself, preferring instead to use openSUSE, which enabled me to complete more advanced tasks, like video editing and conversion, pretty easily.

http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2010-04-19-001-35-RV-UB

[Simon]

It would be an interesting experiment to get two people who have never sat in front of a computer before, give one of them a Ubuntu machine, and the other a Windows machine, and see who got further with it on their own. 

[sam]

I've used Ubuntu before with the pensions at my church and they seemed to like it but then again all they really wanted/ needed was a big button that said internet and that it was secure without thinking.... so maybe something just firefox only os would work best... they seemed to get on well with ubuntu though.

[Simon]

Interesting.  I wonder if perhaps more 'older' people who haven't used a computer before, would find Ubuntu easier to use than Windows?

[Rik]

If you have to start learning from scratch, there's probably not a lot to choose.

[Simon]

True.

[sam]

If you have to start learning from scratch, there's probably not a lot to choose.

apart from the internal waiting around for windows todo things isn't an issue... 

[Simon]

That depends on the hardware as well though, doesn't it?

[sam]

of course, but then again Ubuntu uses the hardware better (well more efficiently)... and doesn't get clogged up in the same way windows can. Of course end of the day the average Linux user probably has a better knowledge of things and so tends to buy a better machine not the crap you can get from Curry's. Then again my laptop came from pc world, but it was well researched.

[Simon]

For the average user, PC World is OK, but you can nearly always better their prices by shopping round.

[Rik]

Especially online.