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Old 11-20-2019, 01:19 PM   #16
keithpeter
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kgha View Post
What she needs is access to a browser, e-mail, an office suite, an image viewer and a video viewer - nothing more complicated.
How much of an office suite is required?

Opening Word documents and writing letters, perhaps some expenses claims in a spreadsheet? Sounds as if a chromebook would be good or neverware.com for existing hardware (suspend a bit of a lottery with neverware). Google apps can do the basics for office.

Excel jockey hacking pivot tables? Book author working with complex layouts and track changes in Word? Big Publisher user? Probably looking at Windows 10 alas...

Above assumes internet connectivity mostly always on of course. Best of luck
 
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Old 11-20-2019, 01:30 PM   #17
svim
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I don't think your sister will have any real problems switching away from Windows. Installing a Linux distro now is a pretty easy task, just as easy as installing Windows. And once the install process is done, there's a desktop with a bunch of icons to click on -- the same result whether it's Linux, Mac, or Windows. In tech circles we all get wound up about the different platforms but for most people as long as there are familiar icons to click on, that's all they need. Mint is a good choice for the uninitiated, have her install something like TeamViewer on it too and being 100 miles away you can just log into her computer to initially help her get used to things, and later if you need to do some basic maintenance.
Put some pressure on her as far as being very wary of Win10. When Microsoft was pushing so hard for everyone to move to Win10 a few years ago and implied there would be just singular Win10, the reality is the situation is just as fractured as it was previously. There's Win10 Home, Win10 Pro, Win10 Enterprise, etc. that each have different versions themselves (1807, 1903, etc.) and add in the multiple horror stories with update/upgrade patches creating serious issues (i.e. deleting user data or disabling online access) not just a one-time occurrences but multiple times. If she does still insist on staying with Windows, help her choose just which version with forethought to her typical computer usage needs, a lot of basic functionality is restricted in the Home version, and be sure to set up a good automatic backup solution for her. (... well that should be done anyway, no matter what OS she ends up using.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window...mparison_chart
 
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Old 11-20-2019, 02:08 PM   #18
fatmac
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MX Linux - has all she is likely to need, easy to use & maintain, has its own manual & forum for help, (should she ever need it).

https://mxlinux.org/
https://forum.mxlinux.org/

Last edited by fatmac; 11-20-2019 at 02:10 PM.
 
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Old 11-21-2019, 05:49 AM   #19
kgha
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Thanks for insightful comments. As upnort writes, there's no panic. Considering my sister's internet habits and the fact that she's not connected to the internet at all for long periods (she relies on a 4G connection), a really disastrous security leak in Win7 must appear before upgrade/cange becomes unavoidable. I guess there are still a few million XP users out there, maybe even Win2000 users.
upnort's reminder that "Many people rely heavily on memory muscle" is also important. I'm one of them - still haven't become accustomed to the 'ribbon' design of MSOffice2007. My sister would love if everything looked exactly as it did on her first PC (Win95/Office97). In this case I don't think it's a big problem. As many of you have pointed out, it's not difficult to set up a familiar desktop using e.g. MATE. And most programs would be the same as the ones she uses now (e.g. palemoon, openoffice).
What might cause issues is upgrading. However, mint's upgrade manager seems pretty OK and if I blacklist at least kernel packages during setup not much can happen.
Mint also provides a good user manual in Swedish, written for the not so experienced.
Can't remember right now the HDD size, but it's probably possible to keep a Windows partition just to be on the safe side. I'm tempted to do this on the desktop at home, too - but that would involve persuading my wife which would be another story...
 
Old 11-21-2019, 10:48 AM   #20
cwizardone
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A windows 95 theme in GTK3 for Mate and Xfce,

https://www.xfce-look.org/p/1184663/


Last edited by cwizardone; 11-21-2019 at 11:14 AM.
 
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Old 11-21-2019, 01:17 PM   #21
kgha
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cwizardone View Post
A windows 95 theme in GTK3 for Mate and Xfce,

https://www.xfce-look.org/p/1184663/

That's nice! Can't say I've missed the system sounds, though
 
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Old 11-21-2019, 01:54 PM   #22
hazel
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I don't understand. Don't Microsoft have copyright on their logo?
 
Old 11-23-2019, 04:12 AM   #23
Gerard Lally
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kgha View Post
My sister is currently running Win7 so maintenance/upgrades will be discontinued shortly. For various reasons I don't think upgrading to Win10 is the best option. Maybe I should persuade her to switch to Linux instead?
What she needs is access to a browser, e-mail, an office suite, an image viewer and a video viewer - nothing more complicated.
There are a few snags: the system must be easy to use and next to foolproof with the possibility of setting it up in a way that eliminates (as far as possible) nasty surprises.
Q4OS. For Windows refugees I also recommend buying a Softmaker Office licence. The interface is professional-looking, unlike the Libreoffice interface, which remains clunky and off-putting for Windows users.
 
Old 11-23-2019, 05:32 PM   #24
fixer1234
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I just went through the same thing with my wife, who has been using Windows 7 since it came out, and has no technical interest or inclination. Win 10 isn't an acceptable alternative, so the plan was always to migrate to Linux.

There were two primary considerations:

- the learning curve; ease of transition
- stability; it's hard enough to make the transition when everything works as it should, bugs really complicate things.

The Windows UI has changed from version to version. Precisely replicating that isn't all that important as long as the UI is generally Windows-like and intuitive.

I spent some time making the transition easy for her. One of the major problems with migrating from Windows to Linux is having to learn everything new all at once. That can be overwhelming. Over the course of time, I installed Windows versions of the major Linux applications she would be using for most of her work. The browsers were already the same. I installed Thunderbird to replace Outlook, and LibreOffice to replace Microsoft Office. She got familiar with each one. After a few weeks, she was already using most of what she would be using in Linux and comfortable with it. She even liked some of those applications more.

As for the distro, I had planned on using Mint or Kubuntu, but Ubuntu (and Mint) seem to have gotten a little buggier than is easy for a new, non-technical Linux user; enough minor bugs to be distracting and make the transition harder. She also didn't need or want a lot of customization to deal with initially, so KDE was overkill.

I fell in love with MX Linux, myself, and used that. It's on a rock-solid Debian base and problem-free. Xfce is very similar to Windows 7, and can be customized to the same layout, plus features like smart docking toolbars that Windows 7 didn't have. It's also fast and responsive. Windows 7 had gotten like molasses, so just having a responsive OS, that starts and shuts down quickly was something she appreciated, and provided a benefit over what she had been using.

Her reaction after a couple of days was to ask why we waited so long to switch, so I'd call that a success story.
 
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Old 11-23-2019, 05:44 PM   #25
ferrari
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Thanks for sharing that "Windows to Linux" migration story. Well executed on your part.
 
Old 11-23-2019, 07:42 PM   #26
Slackware_fan_Fred
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I'd suggest looking at Deepin Linux I've used it for a couple weeks and liked it, fast & stable, there are a few minor things that bug me but that is only on the Deepin GUI not the OS.
 
  


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