One of my biggest challenge! And I have been trying for years but not succeeded; now I think I am finally going to achieve this goal.

The goal is “To get my father-in-law to run Linux on his system”
A few weeks ago, I bought the “Exploring the JDS Linux Desktop” book (remember I have been using JDS for a while now) and it was the first Linux book I have read that speaks to the user rather than the technical audience. It's the kind of book that the entire community has needed but no one has ever written before. This is the book you give your fifth grader, grandmother, employee in my case “Father-in-law”.
It was also unusual because you don't need to buy the software to learn JDS. It came with a completely live version of Linux that runs from a one's CD Rom drive. It doesn't disturb the existing software on your hard drive. That's important to me because I am able to try everything out without having to make a commitment to changing my system.
I as I already had JDS installed I did not use the Live CD, but my “Father-in-law” has been running Windows for years so he had his first experience on Linux using the Live CD provided with the book.
I thought the authors did an unusually good job of writing to the non-technical audience. They explained what they needed to and allowed the reader to get right into working with the system. It also allowed me to see the similarity between Linux and Windows. I think it proves than someone can go from Windows to Linux without much pain.
So at the end when I finished the book I thought this was my opportunity to get my “Father-in-law” to try out Linux, so he is still going through the book and playing with JDS Linux, and here is where I believe I finally succeeded. Last night although he has not yet finished the book he has asked me “IF” he decides to move over from Windows to Linux would I setup his system for him, as he likes JDS but he does not want to set it all up.
So you can imaging what my response was: YES!, OFFCOURSE!, WHEN?, NOW?
Anyway, not just yet as he wants to finish the book first!
BUT I AM GETTING THERE!

Kind Regards,

Ricardo W.

Awesome!

Congratulations!

I'm doing the same thing with my father-in-law... I have been a linux distro junkie since i started a little over a year ago now... I have consistently showed him cool features in various distro's I have tried. I am the IT Admin for his business and we recently got a T1 installed. This was the perfect opportunity for me to move away from the workgroup to a domain. I am using 3 servers. 2 Windows 2000 Advanced servers for Active Directory and a Slackware 10 server for file serving. I would like to move away from the windows servers entirely.. But alas.. I am an MCSA and thus know server MUCH better than linux still..

The ironic thing is that the Slackware box really didn;t convince him of much. I did, however, also install a SmoothWall box as a Router/Firewall... Which is very cool I must say... After 1 week.. I was showing him all the features of SmoothWall I have set up... just basics like port forwarding so I can Remote Desktop to my servers from anywhere... and also the Firewall Logs a mile long for blocked access EVERY DAY... (of course it's not all malicious, but it's still nothing that needs into my network)

He's like, "Wow... so all of our data that we thought was secure, really wasn't very secure before?" I was like, "No, it wasn't that's what I've been telling you! But it is now... "

My firewall box is just an old IBM Aptiva, 200 MHz Pentium MMX, 64 MB RAM, 3 GB hard drive...

Now he wants me to replace the linksys router at his house with a SmoothWall box... and he's also thinking about giving linux a try.. I'm thinking I'll give himan easy distro first.. I really want to try JDS, but I haven't yet.. so I obviously can't stick him ons omething I've ever used.. But I think I'll start him off on either SuSE or Fedora 3 when it comes out here in November...