Ma and Pa Kettle on Linux

So Linux is cool, but can your Grandma and Grandpa use it? My answer may surprise you.

If they can use Windows, they can use Linux. Under the right circumstances, Linux is far easier than Windows for anyone to use.

Installation. The trickiest part about computers for newbies is installing the software. Windows has gotten on so many machines primarily by removing the choice from the home user; it comes installed by default on machines before you get the machine home. If you had to install Windows yourself as you do Linux, I doubt Windows would still have its reputation for being friendly to new users.

As it turns out, Linux is increasingly available as a preinstalled option on new hardware. For larger OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) such as Gateway and IBM, Linux is not yet as easy an option as Windows. This has to do with the nature of preexisting agreements between these companies and Microsoft. You normally have to pay for Windows whether or not it's installed on your hardware or not. In other words, you can't say, ``Please substitute Linux for Windows on my new GigaMeg PC, okay?'' You get Windows whether you want it or not on new PCs. And if you want Linux, you usually have to install it yourself.

Yes, this doesn't seem to be the ``official'' position of most OEMs, but it's the de facto position. Perhaps this will change in time as the Justice Department further investigates Microsoft and their stranglehold on new PCs, but only time will tell.

In the meantime, you will have to 1) get a qualified friend or group to install Linux, 2) buy a new PC from a smaller OEM who does support Linux, 3) or be adventurous and install Linux yourself.

Surprise, Mom! So, what about after Linux is already on the PC, can Mom or Dad use it? Sure. And they don't even have to be ubergeeks.

You have to remember that most people don't really care about what OS they run. They couldn't care less. The only time they care is when it gets in the way of their work. If they can get their work done with a minimum of hassel, they're happy. They won't stop to say thank you, they'll just expect that everything went as it should. And that's fine, because you shouldn't have to think twice about your computers when you're trying to play or get your work done.

Not thinking twice is really where Linux excels. It just runs and runs. You don't have to reboot it all the time. Some of my three-year old daughter's first words were ``reboot Windows?'' If she wanted to play her edutainment software, chances were that's what she had to ask Daddy to do for her: reboot. Meanwhile, Linux just keeps runnin'.

But the Command Line? It's not your father's Linux anymore. Newer projects have made the Linux/Unix interface much friendlier. The most advanced and complete of these is KDE. Several Linux distributions ship with this desktop environment by default. And it resembles rather closely the ``Common Desktop Environment'' that has shipped with industrial Unices for many years, such as HP, Digital, AIX, Solaris, and others. You don't need to fear the command prompt anymore.

KDE seems to be the best choice for a desktop environment for inexperienced users now. It's at least as attractive as Windows95 or the Macintosh, and it's very stable. The basic QT libraries have become open source software now, so the controversy surrounding them should die down a little bit, I hope. (Purist GNU software developers don't want to be restricted to libraries that are encumbered by commercial license restrictions. I agree with them, but these objections don't apply to someone who would otherwise be using Windows 95 anyway and who doesn't care about licenses.)

The ``K'' Desktop Environment (www.kde.org) comes with everything you need to be productive, pretty much. And there are lots and lots of tools in the works to fill what gaps are left. With the combination of KDE and something like Star Office (www.stardivision.com), a new user might not even realize he or she is running Unix. Check both of these URLs for nifty screenshots. Also, GNOME development has surpassed the 1.0 level, and you should check it out at www.gnome.org.

Comparing Apples. Brand new users, such as Ma or Pa Kettle, tend to call technical support to ask how to eject a CD-ROM, for example. They just don't know any better. So when talking about making Linux easy for them, you have to talk about technical support.

There are quite a few ways to get support for Linux now. First of all, when you find a place that sells Linux preinstalled on your computer, chances are good they'll support Linux and answer your questions. So now Mom and Pop have someone to call when their coffee cup doesn't fit in the CD-ROM tray, and they want to get a ``bigger'' one.

Also, one of the best ways imaginable to get Linux support is from your local Linux user's group. The Kernel Panic User's Group in San Diego, for example, has regular ``install fests'' where you bring your PC in, and you can go home with Linux installed and working. Not only is this service free, but you'll get lots of smiles and ``atta boys'' along with the experience. User's groups just about anywhere will offer the same service. Linux users are usually ``enthusiasts''; they'll be happy to make your day.

You also have to remember that you won't have the same problems with Linux that you will with Windows. That's because Windows has a poor design base. For example, Windows doesn't adequately segregate system memory from application memory; your MS Word macro could conceivably clobber a system bit somewhere, and the whole system could freeze. Also, all programs run with root authority, so nearly any virtual device driver can and sometimes does run away and steal CPU cycles, making your computer look like it's trying to compute Pi to the millionth decimal place. And then there's the Windows filesystem. Gag, it's like walking on broken egg shells. Did you know that you don't have to buy anti-virus software for Linux? Problems like the ones above don't exist in Linux and Unix, so Linux and Unix is far more stable than Windows. Consequently, Mom and Dad won't have to ask for help as often.

Conclusion. Yes, you can rest assured that Ma and Pa Kettle can live with Linux as easily as they could live with Windows. That's not to say they won't have problems. But they would have problems and questions with Windows too. And once you start to get comfortable with Linux (and this is relatively easy with environments like KDE), you'll be happier with Linux than you would be with Windows. Or maybe you just wouldn't think about it. And that's the way it should be.