chill's Journal: Linux for Grandma - Part I, OS and Hardware

The refrain has been that Linux will be ready for primetime when the mythical "grandmother" can use it without issue. Well, I'm about to put that to the test. My 84 year old grandmother has had enough of hearing she needs a computer and finally asked me to set her up with one.

Why Linux and why not a Mac? After all, aren't Macintosh computers supposed to be super user friendly? Two reasons. The first, and by far the biggest, is that I don't have one and I'm the one that will be providing her with training and support. If she has a Mac, I can't do that. The second, and smaller, was that I had an extra PC that I could use and keep costs to a minimum.

Why not Windows Vista or XP? Vista is too new, too raw, too much of a resource hog, and in general just too much of a problem. While XP is much better, it still brings with it all the problems and headaches of a Windows system -- spyware, viruses and malware in general. The second issue was cost. I don't believe Windows XP (or Vista) is worth what Microsoft is charging for it. If they wanted to charge $20-40, then I'd consider it. But $195 on up for retail, non-upgrade, didn't-buy-it-with-a-new-PC versions? I don't think so.

I have Kubuntu 7.04 installed on my laptop and my kids' PCs at home. It has served all of us well, and I believe it will be a good fit for my grandmother. Her needs are very simple: browse the Internet, send and receive e-mail, and maybe print a few things. I can strip a Kubuntu system down to the basics and not have to worry.

For hardware, I have an extra PC from a project that I have stopped working on. It is a Mini-ITX system, so is very small and super quiet. The motherboard is a Via DP-310, which has dual-1 GHz nanoBGA processors, 1 Gb of RAM, a 40 Gb SATA hard drive, slot-loading DVD+-RW drive and built-in graphics. The OpenChrome driver provides 3D acceleration for Via systems that will be acceptable for grandma. You wouldn't want to play anything more visually challenging than Tux Racer on it, but she isn't going to be doing that so it is more than sufficient.

To round it out, I added an Acer 19" widescreen LCD, USB keyboard and wireless USB mouse. For Internet connectivity, AT&T DSL (6 MBps down, 768 Kbps up) was my choice.

Next time, the choice of software and configuration.