Dear Parents of school-aged children,
Dear Parents of school-aged children,
Chances are you have a computer. Possibly a notebook computer provided by your workplace, maybe even a desktop computer that you bought yourself for the whole family to share. Whatever the case may be, you are probably running Windows XP and your children use your computer more than you do.
Evidently most children use computers for chatting to friends and the odd browse of some cool websites. Some of them install random applications from the internet or even have their own webpage. They will inevitably screw up your computer.
You proudly tell everyone you know that your children are good at computers. You are sadly mistaken.
Desktop computing has undergone extreme change in the past 20 years. Gone are the days of command line's, orange tinted monochrome monitors and spending days configuring devices. This grueling process results in a customised computer and more importantly you will have to learn how your computer works (at least to some degree).
These days, everything is too easy. Installing your operating system takes under 1 hour (in most cases), almost all of your hardware is automatically detected and supported but when it isn't, there's windowsupdate. Installing applications often requires 3 clicks of the next button and nothing more. Updating your system requires a visit to a website and a reboot or two. Its too easy. The end results obviously being that you don't learn anything useful about computers. This is a very desirable solution for us adults who lead a demanding, fast-paced lifestyle.
But think of your kids man!
They are growing up discovering a world where computers are an entertainment device, just like you did with your TV and/or Radio. While this is just fine and dandy for some people, in my opinion it would be a disservice to the next generation by denying them the opportunity to learn about the very technology which took off in the same decade they were born.
But how? Here is what I propose:
"Linux is too hard for me" I hear you saying, it won't be for them :)
Chances are you have a computer. Possibly a notebook computer provided by your workplace, maybe even a desktop computer that you bought yourself for the whole family to share. Whatever the case may be, you are probably running Windows XP and your children use your computer more than you do.
Evidently most children use computers for chatting to friends and the odd browse of some cool websites. Some of them install random applications from the internet or even have their own webpage. They will inevitably screw up your computer.
You proudly tell everyone you know that your children are good at computers. You are sadly mistaken.
Desktop computing has undergone extreme change in the past 20 years. Gone are the days of command line's, orange tinted monochrome monitors and spending days configuring devices. This grueling process results in a customised computer and more importantly you will have to learn how your computer works (at least to some degree).
These days, everything is too easy. Installing your operating system takes under 1 hour (in most cases), almost all of your hardware is automatically detected and supported but when it isn't, there's windowsupdate. Installing applications often requires 3 clicks of the next button and nothing more. Updating your system requires a visit to a website and a reboot or two. Its too easy. The end results obviously being that you don't learn anything useful about computers. This is a very desirable solution for us adults who lead a demanding, fast-paced lifestyle.
But think of your kids man!
They are growing up discovering a world where computers are an entertainment device, just like you did with your TV and/or Radio. While this is just fine and dandy for some people, in my opinion it would be a disservice to the next generation by denying them the opportunity to learn about the very technology which took off in the same decade they were born.
But how? Here is what I propose:
- Buy a second-hand computer for your children
- Order a copy of Ubuntu
- Set up an email account
- And bookmark this link
"Linux is too hard for me" I hear you saying, it won't be for them :)
posted by n @ 12:19 PM
39 Comments:
At 30/6/06 7:40 PM,
Luke Parry said…
Proud Linux user, all the way, only aged 15 aswell and have dipped for two months into gentoo. I see it in school, where there are people who pretend they know everything about computers. Even though to me they seem like idiots.
At 30/6/06 7:45 PM,
Keith said…
Absolutely agree! For computer user nowadays, the Windows operating system has made it far too much idiot-proof, as compared to 15 years ago, when all of us were playing around with DOS and Windows 3.1. The next version of Windows Vista is likely to extend such convenience in a way new users (kids) would really know what is underlying the program or softwares.
Linux, is now, perhaps the best chance to make them learn more about computing.
At 30/6/06 7:45 PM,
Anonymous said…
I agree, most people think they are good with computers and once you give them a task outside the world of aim and myspace they suddenly don't know anything at all. Installing linux is a great way to get a pc user to think and work things out.
At 30/6/06 7:48 PM,
Anonymous said…
I ironically installed slackware linux the day after my 4 year old installed his first program on windows. He's 7 now and we use Archlinux. He still asks me to put windows back on the box so he can play games but I just don't want to. I have cedega so he can play what I put on there. (Only if it supported all games. :/)
At 30/6/06 7:49 PM,
Anonymous said…
Without a doubt, the greates learning experience I ever had was putting myself through a Gentoo installation from scrath. I had muddled with Linux for a few years, but had little understanding about how it all hung together. Gentoo, from scrathc is a brilliant way to learn the nuts and bolts of linux. Its like you're booting up in lots of small, and incredibly well documented stages. Installing Gentoo is a learning experience in itself. A must for anyone wanting to learn.......
At 30/6/06 7:50 PM,
Mr Frosti said…
"Good" is a relative term. Even if a child becomes proficient at installing Ubuntu, or even compiling a custom kernel, the term "good" is just too broad a category. Sure it will teach them how a computer works at a hardware / low software level, however this doesn't learn essential skills about maintanance, data backup, or how to use Adobe Premier, etc.
That being said, I work at a helpdesk and the most proficient analysts we have are the analysts who work in multiple operating systems.
At 30/6/06 7:50 PM,
Anonymous said…
Ubuntu may be TOO easy!
At 30/6/06 7:50 PM,
McFlynnTHM said…
Amen! When we got our first computer, it was running DOS 4 or some such fun. Back when computers had learning curves. I feel it better prepared me to work with computers than the GUI- and Wizard-filled computers of my younger siblings.
At 30/6/06 7:50 PM,
Stephen Silber said…
I'm 14, I am running XP Media Center, Wndows Vista, many versions of Linux and mac. I also have a blog, personal webpage in which i code myself using SELF TAUGHT HTML and CSS, I design websites in Flash, I love photoshopping pictures and I can write some mini-programs...I teach myself all of this, so tahnk you for encouraging parents to do this with all of their kids, it will really help the kids in the future.
-stephen, 14, vermont
At 30/6/06 7:51 PM,
Anonymous said…
What you propose is ridiculous. I'm a young linux sysadmin and I have been using various GNU linux distributions my whole life, but the fact of the matter is that computers are meant to make life easier, not more difficult. How many times have you used a cell phone, tv remote, or radio without knowing how it works? You don't need to know how something works in order for it to be found useful. Granted that computer users do indeed need some level of technological education, linux isn't necessarily the answer. Linux zealotry makes linux users look like a bunch of freaks with one-track minds. There's a time and place for every operating system whether we like to admit it or not.
At 30/6/06 7:51 PM,
Stephen Silber said…
I'm 14, I am running XP Media Center, Wndows Vista, many versions of Linux and mac. I also have a blog, personal webpage in which i code myself using SELF TAUGHT HTML and CSS, I design websites in Flash, I love photoshopping pictures and I can write some mini-programs...I teach myself all of this, so tahnk you for encouraging parents to do this with all of their kids, it will really help the kids in the future.
-stephen, 14, vermont
At 30/6/06 7:52 PM,
Jonathan Zencovich said…
I agree completely with you!
I would probably add on that buying a hard drive and burning a CD of a linux distro would be a more feasible option.
Ubuntu? NO. Get Slackware for some REAL computer learnin ;)
--Jon Z
At 30/6/06 7:55 PM,
Anonymous said…
I'm sorry, but Ubuntu is not a good distribution if one wishes to "learn Linux."
Someone who can surf the web and use GUI based package management tools on Linux doesn't necessarily "know computers" any more than someone who uses Internet Explorer and Windows Installer on Windows.
Distributions such as Ubuntu (and all its derivatives), LinSpire, etc. are designed to win over converts from Windows. This means that they are as easy to configure as they possibly can be. There's a GUI for every possible configuration, just like with Windows (and OS X for that matter).
If one really wants to learn the ins and outs of Linux, download and install Slackware (or Damn Small Linux or any other "stripped" distribution). With minimum configuration GUIS, users are forced to open a text editor to change configuration files.
More importantly, most problems can't be solved by clicking a series of buttons and things can and will get messed up, often requiring hours of searching and experimentation to fix.
Don't get me wrong, I do applaud what you're trying to do. It's just that there are better ways to go about it.
At 30/6/06 7:57 PM,
Anonymous said…
How about Linux from scratch rather than Ubuntu.
At 30/6/06 8:01 PM,
Anonymous said…
yeap ... teach a hardway ... install Linux
:-)
At 30/6/06 8:03 PM,
MH said…
What does it matter? If they can use the computer then *gasp* they have computer skills. They need to use the command line except for specific reasons. And, if they did know to use it, they would screw the computer up.
What's wrong with making computers easier on the user? Are you just jealous because you've had to suffer through something the next generation won't?
At 30/6/06 8:04 PM,
Brian DiMaria said…
Just get the kids MS Visual Studio Express Editions (FREE), and teach them to program in windows and then evolve them into linux.
At 30/6/06 8:05 PM,
Anonymous said…
Actually, the ease of use you are describing IS Ubuntu Linux. If you want them to learn something, have them install Linux From Scratch, or gentoo.
At 30/6/06 8:08 PM,
Bob said…
Good way to promote linux in general is to just use it. A lot of people like myself have a hard time with it, however, as once we get it installed we don't know what to do. Nice article however.
www.bookscholarship.com
At 30/6/06 8:12 PM,
Anonymous said…
Gmail is beta you can't set up a mail account there
At 30/6/06 8:12 PM,
Kris said…
I see this as comparable to the modern state of cars. Even a decade or so ago, you weren't necessarily considered savvy if you knew a bit about the details of your car's inner workings and something about diagnosing it yourself. Modern technology has removed the need for the average person to know how their car works, but it has also made it harder for the average person to learn how to repair their own car. The things are just that much more complicated under the hood than they used to be.
That said, modern cars run well. Modern computers, on the other hand, will run like bloated crap unless you know a little bit about working with one on a more technical level. But I don't think that means everyone should have intimate knowledge of computers - it simply isn't for everyone.
At 30/6/06 8:13 PM,
Anonymous said…
I agree. Kids have it too easy. I've also taken all the ball bearings out of my son's bicycle wheels.
At 30/6/06 8:14 PM,
Hudson said…
I started with Windows 95 way back..I used 98, 2000 and XP when it came out. The only reason that I know a great deal (too much, sometimes) about computers is due to using a crappy computer for gaming: I tried to eek out the highest performance I could, and that caused me to learn much more about how computers work. Now, at the age of 17, I can work just as easily in any OS as I can in Windows, though my choice is OS X (nice GUI and UNIX base).
At 30/6/06 8:21 PM,
TJ said…
I agree that teaching your children how to use Linux can definitely help them in the long run and it can be more than just a box that goes to cartoonnetwork.com or yugioh.com. Everyone may not agree but I want to get my children using Linux because I want them to get hands on and dirty with what they are doing with the computer. I want them to be able to think about what they are doing and be able to apply that to what they want to do. Of course them being able to "think" isn't based off of whether they know Linux or not but it is one step of many.
As for a list of a couple distros to look at:
Edubuntu or maybe Debian Jr and be sure to throw in Frozen Bubble!!
At 30/6/06 8:24 PM,
Anonymous said…
Good call! Linux is the wave of the future, after Vista takes a dive like Millenium Edition did.
At 30/6/06 8:26 PM,
Nathan Matthews said…
I'm a 28 year old dude... running XP and Vista beta 2 on a dual boot system. A true tinker'er.
Years ago, I installed linux (redhat) that came with a book (bible) about (preaching) the joys of linux. What a mess. The entire process took days, and I was never truly satisfied with the end result.
I decided to give Ubuntu a whirl yesterday. The whole process took under an hour - including re-partitioning my harddrive, and making a few adjustments to some settings. I was impressed!
Besides the whole partition setup and the way that "volumes" are handled, there isn't much in the way of learning curve. You burn the CD, boot from it, and install...
At 30/6/06 8:28 PM,
Technotyrant said…
How true. I grew up using a Commodore 64 then a 386 25mhz/8Mb/20Mb hd (yes that is MB not GB). No kid today who is a "computer whiz" whould be able to figue out those beasts.
I totally agree with your proposal to get a second system to let the kiddies learn technology for real instead of the bumper car/training wheels way they do with Windows.
However, bank account permitting, I would suggest having them build one from parts, I always seem to learn something new with each system I build.
At 30/6/06 8:29 PM,
gnuman said…
I couldn't agree with you more than what you are saying. Parents only say their kids is good with computers because they use it more than they do is like saying my kid is the prettiest kid in the world eventhough s/he could be downright ugly.
Just because someone uses a computer doesn't mean they know how to fix a problem, installing viruses and spyware without knowing, etc...
I grew up on DOS and when Windows 95 came around I learned Windows, and got to know things. Now I know Linux (not to say I'm an expert) and I know Mac OS 9/X. Just because a kid can click a few things qualifies them as an expert in their parents' eyes then maybe the parent is just computer illiterate.
At 30/6/06 8:36 PM,
Josh said…
This is a great idea, although depending on how much of a challenge/learning experience you want for your kids it might be worthwhile to choose a more difficult distribution. Something like Gentoo that would force them to actually get their hands dirty just to get everything working the way they want.
I've used all the most popular distributions both professionally and as a hobby, and I have to say that I learned the most by far about Linux from using Gentoo.
Of course if they're not the sort of kid that likes to take things apart to see how they work, Ubuntu might better.
If/when I ever have kids, I think I'll probably have to take a similar approach.
At 30/6/06 8:37 PM,
wing-wing said…
"These days, everything is too easy. Installing your operating system takes under 1 hour (in most cases), almost all of your hardware is automatically detected and supported but when it isn't, there's windowsupdate. Installing applications often requires 3 clicks of the next button and nothing more. Updating your system requires a visit to a website and a reboot or two. Its too easy."
Well, shouldn't it be easy? Why should it take an hour and complex calculations to install a simple app? I've nothing against learning the ins and outs of an operating system. The purpose of a computer to get complex and mundane tasks done quickly and easily and not the other way around. It's not about working harder, it's about working smarter.
At 30/6/06 8:37 PM,
Anonymous said…
It is a little ridiculous to say that windows is too easy to use, no operating system can be “too easy” they can be “too restrictive”… but not too easy. The major problem with linux (and arguably one of its strengths) is that the operating system is, in most cases, not user friendly and forces you to work with the command line. Why would anyone want to spend time fighting with that stuff? It’s better to use those "easy" installs and focus on learning something less arcane?
At 30/6/06 8:37 PM,
wing-wing said…
"These days, everything is too easy. Installing your operating system takes under 1 hour (in most cases), almost all of your hardware is automatically detected and supported but when it isn't, there's windowsupdate. Installing applications often requires 3 clicks of the next button and nothing more. Updating your system requires a visit to a website and a reboot or two. Its too easy."
Well, shouldn't it be easy? Why should it take an hour and complex calculations to install a simple app? I've nothing against learning the ins and outs of an operating system. The purpose of a computer to get complex and mundane tasks done quickly and easily and not the other way around. It's not about working harder, it's about working smarter.
At 30/6/06 8:48 PM,
Mr. T said…
So instantly the question becomes: should I teach my children the in's and out's of computers, by making them suffer with (as you yourself claim) non-user-friendly software, or should I teach my children through the existing channels (university, college, etc.) the "cool" stuff behind computers.
A 3-year old kid who can install Dungeon Siege (and cannot read the installation instructions) is still a smart kid. Besides, at three years of age, it's much more fun to play Dungeon Siege, than program a QT environment, or develop his own sockets, or for that matter, figure out how to get the X-server running!
My opinion: leave Linux to the computer-programmer-lovers, and let the kid learn the fun stuff, the stuff those computer-programmers make!
At 30/6/06 8:48 PM,
Anonymous said…
I like it better this way. More IT jobs for the rest of us. The smart kids still learn how their stuff works, but now all the dumb kids can still get to MySpace.
At 30/6/06 9:03 PM,
muhammad said…
There is nothing wrong with "ease of use" computing. Wake up man, today's tech innovations are all about separating the end-user from the burden of prerequesite technical knowledge. I'm referring to the prerequesite knowledge which often prohibits the casual user from getting maximum enjoyment or immediate results out of their devices, programs, or services.
There will always be the people that want to have control over every last aspect of something, but the majority actually goes out of there way to avoid having to deal with the details of things; that's what makes the newer technology so easy to embrace for them. The children and adults that are genuinely interested in gaining "real" computer skills don't have to be pushed into learning them, they will pursue it on their own.
At 30/6/06 10:07 PM,
Anonymous said…
Come on, if HW is supported by linux, to
instal Linux is faster and easier than
Windows - have done both myself.
At 1/7/06 2:09 AM,
Brad said…
I think its a great idea!
At 1/7/06 2:15 AM,
Anonymous said…
Well, I'm twelve, run an iBook G4, a couple Debian boxes, and do some coding. Not much of that razmatazz Photoshop or Flash.
At 1/7/06 2:52 AM,
lazy said…
And then when they think they're great because it's so easy to get printing working with CUPS and so easy to browse the web with Firefox, install OpenBSD or NetBSD.
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