Hi everyone,

Can you help me convert my neighbor to Linux? I don't know what forum to put this request in, so I picked this "general" forum.

He is your typical, clueless, baby-boomer. He has a 3+ year Windows XP install without ever re-installing and without ever using anti-virus / firewall. He does not have the original XP install CD.

As far as distros go, I already have a few easy "newbie" friendly distros in mind. What I actually need help with are his: 1) dial up internet connnection and 2) HP Deskjet 3620 printer

1) He uses dial-up (Netscape) and probably can not afford to go up to broadband (nasty divorce). So, he is content with his $10.00 / month Netscape fee. Of course, Netscape won't work with Linux.

2) He has an HP Deskjet 3620. I am assuming HPLIP would take care of this.

In summary, could you please give me your ideas on: 1) how to find decent dial-up service for Linux (he probably can't afford broadband) and 2) If HPLIP is appropriate.

I look forward to your replies related to my two (2) queries. Thank you!

The first question is, Does you neighbor *want* to switch to Linux?

With regards to your questions most ISP's offer dial-up (Earthlink is advertising $9.95/mon but they're also advertising DSL for $12.95/mon for 6 months) and I'd say that any ISP should work. Similarly, HP printers have a very good reputation for Linux compatibility, and I would fully expect the printer to work. Have you checked LinuxPrinting.org?

As he seems to have no interest in computers at all, why bother converting him? XP works.. so leave him to it!

I thought of linux because he needs something that is cheap and workable. Since he doesn't have an XP install CD, anti-virus and firewall, I figured linux would clearly be much cheaper. I imagine an XP install CD, anti-virus and firewall would set him back several hundred USD.

All he really cares about are his dial up internet and printer. As far as actually "wanting" Windows or Linux, I don't think he really cares. He just wants something that works and, given his recent divorce, cheap. Honestly, if you switched his current XP set-up with some Linux distro that would still let him use both his dial-up and printer, I don't think he would even notice.

I like the thoughts / suggestions so far....any others (from anyone reading this)?

Thanks!

OK, he needs a very easy Linux distro. On Dec 7th, Suse 10.2 is released. Suse is a very easy distro to use and is not hard to learn. Go for that.

As for his internet connection, we have 'free' ones in the UK in which you just pay for the phone call. Do you have those in the US?

Just pay for the phone call? Hmm...never heard of that. That is not to say we don't have it, but I haven't heard of it. I will have to check it out.

SuSe...yuck...Novell should die in a fire. LOL.

BTW...I've banged my head well over one million times...but I have yet to produce any useful literature. Should I go for two million?

I think you can probably help out your friend a great deal by just doing a few things for him. Here's what I'd suggest, knowing that budget is a major concern:

1. Leave him on XP. If his PC is working normally and is suitable for his needs, there's nothing gained by spending money on a fresh copy of XP (not to mention that you'd be feeding the Redmond machine. Ick.)

2. If he has no firewall, XP has one built in, so make sure it's enabled. It may not be as heavy duty as commercial alternatives, but it's better than nothing. Similarly, make sure to run a security update, and install any Windows patches. Give him the choice to enable Automatic Updates, or if he prefers, he can do it manually, just as long as he does it on some regular basis.

3. Educate him on basic safe surfing practices... no opening attachments, no 'validating' information from a 'bank', no reading spam, etc.

4. Install and run the following 3 free programs for him:

Spyware Blaster
Ad-Aware
Spybot Search&Destroy

I use all three of these, and would recommend them. If your friend wants to spend a little money, Symantec Anti-Virus is ~$30 I believe, which is not too much.

Obviously none of the above is guaranteed to be a cure-all, but as an outside observer I think the above steps would be pretty useful. Good luck with it

To help him decide whether or not to stick with windows, he needs information about alternatives, as a basis for comparison.

I'd recommend burning Knoppix or Kanotix to cd, then let him boot those and try them out. Nothing gets installed to hard drive until he takes directed action to make it happen. He can check out the hardware detection capabalities in the process. If his 'puter is hooked up to the dial-up line, it may even suprise him and correctly make a config file that lets him click on the Firefox icon and connect to the outer world without doing anything else.

A picture is worth a thousand words. So, show him some pictures, as in a liveCD!

J.W.

I like those ideas. I use some of those programs for my M$ hdd on my dual boot set-up. Certainly, for his basic needs, those programs would suffice and allow him to keep using his current set-up. Currently his Netscape isn't letting him online (it keeps complaining about some file not matching the index....his machine is definitely infected with stuff though). I had him call Netscape to send him a re-installation CD because it looks like Netscape simply needs to be re-installed. Once he can get back online, I will try those out and post the results here.

Thanks again.

bigrigdriver:

I don't know why I didn't think of that myself...LOL....liveCDs are how I first learned Linux.

Thanks for the reminder....LOL.

Well as for the dial up connection I am sure he pull out 2-5 dollars more a month for DSL. most companies have it goin for 12-15 bucks a month.

I am sure the printer will work ( I have never had a problem with printers) but you never know. The only way to find that out is to try using it with linux (live CDs help).

For a distro... choose any of the most popular that are considered "easy to use". My suggestions would be openSUSE, Ubuntu, or Linspire/Freespire. (I personally only suggest Linspire/Freespire because of CNR and off of what people say about it since i cant install either b/c they dont detect my HD). Ubuntu (I'd think he'd like Kubuntu since its more windows like) and openSUSE are very good for new users. My first distro was suse. I am using Ubuntu right now but planning on switchin back to suse when 10.2 comes out in about a week.

This may be a bit anti-climactic, but I would be very cautious about setting up Linux for someone who is going to take no interest in learning anything about it. You would be setting him up for the eventual encounter with some help-desk drone who will not lift a finger once he hears "Linux".

Interesting experience with a family friend: I offered her a P3 that we no longer use. I told her that I could install Linux for free--or she could go buy XP-Home for ~$100. She uses Linux regularly at our house, so it was not a new concept.
Without discussion, she opted for XP---and I did not push it.

I'm looking for intelligent ways to spread the word, but I don't think setting up PC-illiterate friends will ever be an option.