The Great Ubuntu-Girlfriend Experiment
I’ve toyed with Linux since 2002, when I first installed Mandrake. With the latest release of Ubuntu, I was interested to see how far Linux had come since then in terms of being used easily by the mainstream. So, I tricked my grudging girlfriend Erin into sitting down at a brand new Ubuntu 8.04 installation and performing some basic tasks. It’s surprising how many seemingly simple things become complicated and even out of reach for someone without a knowledge of Linux. There are a lot of little things that could be done to make the experience a lot more friendly for non-computer-literate people – some of them easy to implement, others not at all.
May 1st, 2008 18:44
I tried the same experiment with my 8 year old daughter, but using Kubuntu (the KDE desktop) instead of Ubuntu (the Gnome desktop).
She has been using Windows XP for about 2 years, mostly for games, school projects, looking up stuff on the Internet, graphics and posters (for science fairs and stuff).
I set the menus in Kubuntu to look nearly identical to Windows.
She transitioned wihtout batting an eyelash.
When I had tried the experiemtn with Ubuntu (Gnome), it was frustrating for both her and for me.
The experiment with the afrorementioned girlfirend was the wrong experiment.