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I'm visiting my parents for the holidays and convinced them to let me switch them to Linux.

They use their computer for the typical basic stuff; email, YouTube, Word, Facebook, and occasionally printing/scanning.

I promised my mom that everything would look the same and work the same. I used Linux Mint and customized the theme to look like Windows 10. I even replaced the Mint "Start" button with the Windows logo.

So far they like it and everything runs great. Plus it's snappier now that Windows isn't hogging all the system resources.

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[-] demonsword@lemmy.world 99 points 1 year ago

set up some remote desktop in case you need to support them when your vacation ends

[-] Pantherina@feddit.de 44 points 1 year ago

Rustdesk! Its a GUI copy of Teamviewer but it works.

It has all the DynDNS stuff that miss in all the other options so they are unusable in countries where IP addresses change.

But no wayland, yet.

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[-] Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml 33 points 1 year ago

Already threw RustDesk on there and tested it.

[-] 1984@lemmy.today 73 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's so funny that having a different theme makes the computer hard to use for some parents. :)

Those people drive cars on the road!

[-] vsis@feddit.cl 48 points 1 year ago

UI/UX 101, my friend.

If people are used to see specific symbols for years is hard for them to use different ones.

There's a reason why floppy disk is still the icon for "save".

Those people drive cars on the road!

Imagine if they change all road signs designs suddenly before you go for a ride.

[-] corship@feddit.de 14 points 1 year ago

I wouldn't be overly harsh.

Some logos/images/designs are simply hardwired to the function that they can't remember where the apps are if the logo changes. I'm pretty sure I'll be the same if I use something for 30 years.

[-] Swarfega@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

My wife changed her Windows work laptop last week. Her Desktop is synced to OneDrive so really she just needs to login. Despite that she was panicking that her PDF's were gone. They weren't, it's just that the new laptop has a newer version of Adobe Reader which uses an updated icon.

Some people are just tech illiterate and the slightest difference can be upsetting. My mum's the same with her phone. Using Google Maps to navigate is an achievement for her and I've been telling her to use it for years. The first time she did she reached her destination literally shaking. She was also amazed with herself that she had done it.

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[-] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 49 points 1 year ago

I did that about 10 years ago because I got tired of removing malware for them. They haven't had any malware since then.

[-] onlinepersona@programming.dev 25 points 1 year ago

Same. And also because it kept getting slower for no reason. The only support requests at the beginning were "how do I install this" --> app store, and "it won't boot" --> that took longer because they had turned off the computer during a system update - by holding down the power button. The last one warranted a sticky note on the screen "NEVER turn off the computer during an update".

[-] d3Xt3r@lemmy.nz 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Same here. Not just my parents, but also some of my aunts and uncles. None of them are particularly tech savvy and none of them have had any major issues.

People who claim that Linux is difficult to use, or not suitable for newbies, have no idea what they're talking about.

[-] onlinepersona@programming.dev 20 points 1 year ago

Linux just needs to come preinstalled.

People, stop buying windows stuff and then installing linux! Buy Linux: https://linuxpreloaded.com/

[-] heygooberman@lemmy.today 41 points 1 year ago

An excellent choice to use Linux Mint! If my parents allowed me to switch their computers to Linux, I would've chosen Linux Mint as well for them. But, I probably wouldn't give them the Windows 10 look.

[-] Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml 24 points 1 year ago

My mom insisted that it look the same lol. I figured it was a small price to pay to get them off Windows. I still might change it secretly before I leave haha.

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[-] HubertManne@kbin.social 37 points 1 year ago

I wish linux was my parents.

[-] ARk@lemm.ee 11 points 1 year ago
[-] ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 18 points 1 year ago

We have Linux at home!

Linux at home: MS-DOS 5.0 on 5 1/4" floppies

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[-] 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works 29 points 1 year ago

I gave my mom a macbook with debian KDE and a mac OS theme.. I dont think she's noticed yet....

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[-] TheLobotomist@lemmy.dbzer0.com 27 points 1 year ago

At first I read i switched my parents FOR Linux...

[-] prof@infosec.pub 20 points 1 year ago
[-] Grass@sh.itjust.works 27 points 1 year ago

Welcome to the club. It's the don't need to remove malware from the parents computers every week club.

[-] Sterben@lemmy.ml 23 points 1 year ago

Good job on that! Linux is way better for average uses like you described. 😊

[-] TimeSquirrel@kbin.social 11 points 1 year ago

And that's the thing. It's great for casual users who do simple computing tasks, and it's great for the programmers, hackers, and IT professionals. But there's no middle ground for power users who know a bit more than the average users but can't be bothered to learn shell scripting.

[-] kpw@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago

I'm using Linux ten years now and I never learned shell scripting. Or do you mean running commands in the shell?

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[-] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 21 points 1 year ago

I did the same, except with Windows 7 look instead 😈

[-] Holzkohlen@feddit.de 21 points 1 year ago

Got my dad on Mint for a few years now. That me reminds me I have to check which version he is on. He might still be on 20 something.

[-] foster_hangdaan@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago

I did the same thing with my Dad. He's been using Linux Mint for a bit over 2 years now.

Linux Mint is more than enough for his usage: Email, internet browsing and word processing.

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[-] wabafee@lemm.ee 20 points 1 year ago

Get ready to address hard to debug issues in the future op.

[-] SigHunter@feddit.de 20 points 1 year ago

I switched my mothers Laptop to Gentoo with KDE some time ago and she did not even notice, because I placed the firefox icon at the same location it was in windows .. 😜 she noticed only that the wallpaper is different

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[-] KE0VVT@midwest.social 20 points 1 year ago

I don't believe in making GNU/Linux look exactly like Windows. It's a different OS, and any attempt to fool users will be in vain.

I tell family members: "I don't know anything about Windows/macOS." (Because I don't, at this point.) "I can only help you if you use what I use." Usually, they stop asking me for help, and that's great for me. If they say yes, I install Fedora with GNOME and whatever applications they expect to use. After a brief explanation of how GNOME works, people generally get used to it and are satisfied.

I share my laptop with Mom. It runs GNU Guix System with GNOME. She uses it to run Chrome for stuff she can't get on her tablet. She's used to it at this point.

[-] LordKitsuna@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

I mean I was with you in the first half, I also tell my family either to use it I'm used to or don't ask me for help. But I would not be so rude as to put gnome on it and force them to learn a completely different workflow.

Especially when 99.9% of what they do is in a web browser there's no reason to change anything on them. I just used KDE plasma as it's already extremely Windows 7 like in layout right out of the box couple more tweaks to make it a little more Windows 10 like and they don't have to relearn a bunch of shit.

They don't need to know how to install things, I have a tray applet helper for handling updates all they have to do is Click yes, doesn't matter if they understand the differences between Windows and that. They just need to be able to open the web browser, open libreoffice, and occasionally click print. There's no reason for me to force them into an entirely different workflow.

I'm glad that your mother figured it out and seems to be doing well, but to me it just feels like an unnecessary change

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[-] jacktherippah@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

Master....please teach me your ways.

[-] radioactiveradio@lemm.ee 20 points 1 year ago

Just uninstall your proprietary parent and install Linux.

[-] clay_pidgin@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 year ago

I'd just like to interject for moment. What you're referring to as Parents, are in fact, GNU/Parents, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Parents

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[-] bluetardis@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 year ago

Did you swap Word for Libre Office?

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[-] Yerbouti@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 year ago

My dad has a Surface Go. I've installed Fedora on one of those and it works really well. Dad is still unsure about this but I will try to convince him during the holydays.

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[-] yo_scottie_oh@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 year ago

Similar story—last year my mom wanted a new macbook for Christmas. I got her a refurbished Asus something or other for a fraction of the price, installed Linux Mint on it, and customized it with a Mac theme.

I was transparent with her about the fact it’s not a Mac, and taught her to use things like Keepass and Firefox. It took some convincing and persistence, but in the end she stuck with it and I’m kinda proud of her tbh.

Good on you for showing your rents there’s a viable alternative to Windows.

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[-] KillSwitch10@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

Not worth it. You will end up playing the h support when something goes wrong.

[-] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 34 points 1 year ago

My parents would ask me for tech support anyway no matter the OS. I have them update software and update Firefox and Chromium and their Netflixing will keep working, been very low stress generally.

[-] Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml 33 points 1 year ago

As if I'm not already doing that. Why do you think I was home working on my parent's computer in the first place?

Plus with how shitty Windows is getting, I'll likely be doing less tech support going forward.

[-] ardent_abysm@lemm.ee 23 points 1 year ago

I set up Mint on my parent's PC a couple of years ago, and the amount of support I have had to provide has dropped to basically zero.

[-] bertmacho@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago

Probably doing that anyway

[-] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago

I don't know, maybe?

I play support now, and have for decades. Sometimes windows can be a bear.

Maybe, for basic usage like this, Linux can make sense if it's well thought out?

I have an older (80's) family friend who recently switched from a laptop to an iPad, and seems OK with it (surprisingly).

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[-] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 13 points 1 year ago

You're a good offspring.

[-] h3mlocke@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago

Can u come over to my house next?!?!

[-] CylustheVirus@beehaw.org 10 points 1 year ago

Thinking about doing this for my parents is giving me an anxiety attack, thanks OP.

[-] Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 year ago

It went smoothly, even smoother than I was suspecting. I just made sure to backup all their data, and made sure they had all their passwords for accounts.

[-] jodanlime@midwest.social 9 points 1 year ago

I did this about a decade ago for my parents. Upgraded their computer last year and they told me they wanted to keep Linux on the new machine.

My dad wasn't convinced until his hoyle card games ran with wine though.

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this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2023
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