When it comes to Ubuntu, we have the flash, we have the solid operating system, we have major suppliers — but now we need even more users. Are those users going to come because of Dell or Hewlett-Packard offering Ubuntu pre-loads? Nope. Here’s what Ubuntu (and Kubuntu) really need to go mainstream.
The answer, of course, is an audience that is used to the operating system and is not scared of change. Windows users are ingrained in their world and generally fear change. Mac OS X users are a little more open to change, but are often stuck in the ‘Apple is God’ mindset.
So, whom do we convert? The simple answer: Children.
The Kids Are All Right
Hear me out. Kids are extremely open to change, love the flashiness of the rotating cube/snowfall, and have possibly not been induced to brand loyalty on personal computers yet. As a bonus, Linux can offer everything children need for school in a completely free way (OpenOffice, games, Internet access).
My children have been using Kubuntu for the past three years without any complaints, save one. The network administrator forgot to install Flash so that Nickjr.com and PBSKids.org would work properly after a fresh install awhile back. After I got their games working properly, they have used the desktop with great success doing everything they need.
When I asked Erich (my oldest) if he noticed any difference between our computer and the one at school he replied, “Our computers at school are way slower, Dad.” One night at an open house at his school, I checked out the systems and they are no slouches (Windows XP on Pentium 4s with 1GB RAM) — roughly equal to my home machine. Another plus to Linux, and evidence that children will evaluate things on use instead of ingrained OS dogma.
Familiar Story
Ironically, the situation is similar for Joe Panettieri, editorial director and co-founder of WorksWithU. When System76 sent him an evaluation laptop running Ubuntu, his kids (pictured) gave it a try — and they didn’t want to send it back. (Memo to System76 President Carl Richell: Don’t worry, the kids touched the system for 15 minutes and the laptop finally is on its way back to you.)
While this argument is far from perfect or without fault, I believe the children will be our path to promoting Linux use for the future. The Helios Project seems to be making great headway in this direction, and mirrors what I believe to be a great path toward Linux adoption – get Linux to the children. The Helios Project is more specifically aimed at helping those in need, but where do you think those children will place their loyalty, with Linux or some restrictive OS/software they have to use as someone else designed?
While there will be a long wait for return on this investment, it should be worth the wait. Microsoft has a monopoly built by succeeding and then familiarity. Linux is a success at being ‘pretty’ and solid, now we need the familiarity that can easily be supplied by getting Linux into the hands of children.
Contributing blogger Dan Voyles is a junior network admin for a small environmental company based in Mount Vernon, IL. He has used Kubuntu since 2005. Follow Dan on Twitter, or his personal blog: blog.danvoyles.us
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Well… This article is pretty similiar to the “Get the gamers to try Ubuntu” one. For the first look, it does sound okay. Kids like stuff they could “hack”. (At least I loved messing with Win 3.1 in my time. XD Fave game was creating an empty program group, maximiseing it, and creating a platform game level in it out of the icons.) And most modern distros have to option to customize it to all eternity.
But it will not convert the children, at least not all of them. Why not?
1. Children are the target audience of the games. If Linux won’t play the game the kids want’s it to, the kid will hate it. And won’t understand why can’t the family have a machine that plays it.
2. Let’s say you completely convert the kid. … But later he could get forced in to using software that does not run on Linux at high school, at college or finally at work.
Don’t missunderstand me. It’s okay to show Linux based OS to the children. It’s okay to convert them, if you can. But i think the main priority should be elsewhere. (Like somehow getting hardware companies to create useable drivers. Creating compleatly compatable alternatives to de facto industry standard software. etc.)
kids is “a new hope” because kids can learn fast and the grow up in this technology world so its easier for them to use anything.
and for the games its solved, any one can buy PS3 instead of a full PC and install linux on it so to play games u can boot to ps3 and play games then for work just boot to linux, and i think the next step Sony will do is to try to push game companies to make a linux version, so its just a matter of time.
My kids have been using Linux (Edubuntu 7.10 but I’m trying to upgrade to Ubuntu 8.04 or 8.10) for a while now. At first I wondered if it would cause them any problems with Windows being taught in school and Linux at home.
While my daughter isn’t as interested in computers, it isn’t because of the OS as it is that she doesn’t like computer! My son is the opposite.
At this stage, I don’t worry too much about games because most of their games are Flash-based ones online. For the game my son got over Christmas I used CrossOver Games to get it installed.
Getting the kids onto the computers so they grow up and become consumers (or good community citizens) has been a long-time plan by Microsoft AND Apple! Apple has put a lot of effort into the education market.
I love it, though, when parents come to pick up their kids after a play date and hear the kids want the games that we have on our Edubuntu and/or the parents asking questions about it.
Re: CruelAngel
I think your two points against conversion are actually in favor of it. Kids are very creative and agile. If a game or software tool is not available on Linux they will be more likely to port it or write their own if they are initially comfortable with Linux. Especially after trying Windows and seeing all the ways in which it does not stack up.
My daughter uses Linux. She likes it (happen to be using OpenSUSE at the moment).
But I agree with the games comment above. The vast majority of the games my kids play are on the Windows platform. Sure, we have a console, but even though my son has linux on his computer he never boots into it. Why? Most of the time he boots his computer he’s planning on playing a game (or at least possibly playing one).
The only reason I keep Windows on my desktop is for this very reason. I am an avid gamer myself, and most of the games I play are not console games, they’re Windows game.
If you want to bring over kids in any kind of large number, especially teens, the games are the major issue as far as I can tell. Despite what Seif writes above, the issue isn’t close to being solved.
@somethingkindaweird:
If you think the vast majority of kids, from teens on down, are going to port a tool or write their own, I think you are seriously overestimating things. This simply is not the case. You will have a few, yes, who are very into computers who might do it. The vast majority will have absolutely no interest at all in it. The tool, game, etc. will either be available to them in Linux or it will not, and if not they will use something else if it is important to them.
One thing I think we need to do as both Linux users and also people who are technically proficient and love computers, etc., is to step back and put ourselves in the shoes of the average person. That’s one thing that really holds Linux back. When you go to a Linux forum and mention that something is easier in Windows, or what have you, in a constructive manner, you get back comments about how people need to lean to use the terminal, or need to learn X, Y, or Z.
That’s not helpful. I try to convert people over to Linux. Not only my kids, but others who are very computer illiterate. Linux is tough for those people, and if I tell them “Oh well, you just need to learn X, Y and Z,” the response is “Why bother?”
If you think the answer to the gaming problem is that kids ought to just port or write their own apps, I think you’re well short of addressing the issue.
I wrote a reply to a post on OpenSourceSchools this morning. Here’s the relevant bit below, but there is more to this comment so I recommend you go and read the whole thread too…
My sons, who are 4 and 8, have a PC in their bedroom. It runs Edubuntu. It has a very effective content filter running locally called Dan’s Guardian (it is a root task so my son can’t do anything about it even if he knew how, or wanted, to). It also has a little app running in the background that will only allow them to log on for a maximum amount of time per day (and you can even specify “session” intervals within that total period). In my case that is 2 1/2 hrs max. And I have also set it so it won’t allow them to log on between 19:30 and 06:30 either. It has Firefox, OpenOffice.org, Tuxpaint, Gimp, Inkscape, loads of games, a full 3D graphical desktop that blows his mates away when they see it and this is running on an old Dell machine that I got 2nd hand for £40. The software costs nothing. And oh yes, he doesn’t have to worry about viruses/malware and other junk either.
James, my eldest, happily switches between school (Windows) and home (Linux) with no issues whatsoever. My 4 year old is enjoying the wobbly windows
Linux is a piece of crap when we talk about gaming,
we want to play Crysis/ not crap 2D stupid games, and occasionally to crash xfreecrap.
Morelol: Comments welcome but please watch the language. We patrol comment areas to make sure the conversations are at least business-professional.
Agreed. My sister uses Ubuntu just fine too.
Btw – please fix your html. It’s horribly broken, and Liferea is being picky and not displaying it. “.” inside the body is not valid
My kids have been using Linux for about 2 years and are loving every minute of it.
My Son draws great art with GIMP and the Wacom tablet, uses openoffice.org and gmail Documents for school projects, and plays all sorts of games both on the local machine and online. The games that are his favorites are(to name just a few): Teeworlds, regnum.com.ar, runescape.com, miniclip.com, supertux, and Battle for Wesnoth.
My Daughter enjoys tuxpaint, gcompris, supertux, super maryo chronicles, and webkinz.
I am confident that anytime my children are faced with using a different OS, they will be able to do so with no problems, but will yearn to return to their Linux machines.
Also, since the children are logging into their own private accounts on our Linux machines – they are already exercising the usage of secure passwords and the importance of keeping things secure when they are on the computer.
Finally(and of the most important), by using GNU/Linux – my children are learning that computers are meant to help people everywhere to be more effective communicators, collaborators, and purveyors of technology.
Should you decide to empower your children with the philosophy of GNU/Linux, you are giving them Freedom, a sense of healthy competition, a sense of caring for others, a sense of technological ingenuity, and a great sense of self-confidence.
Go GNU/Linux, go Freedom, Go technology as an enabler for humans!!
Shannon VanWagner
http://humans-enabled.com
My kids have been using Linux for about 2 years and are loving every minute of it.
My Son draws great art with GIMP and the Wacom tablet, uses openoffice.org and gmail Documents for school projects, and plays all sorts of games both on the local machine and online. The games that are his favorites are(to name just a few): Teeworlds, regnum.com.ar, runescape.com, miniclip.com, supertux, and Battle for Wesnoth.
My Daughter enjoys tuxpaint, gcompris, supertux, super maryo chronicles, and webkinz.
I am confident that anytime my children are faced with using a different OS, they will be able to do so with no problems, but will yearn to return to their Linux machines.
Also, since the children are logging into their own private accounts on our Linux machines – they are already exercising the usage of secure passwords and the importance of keeping things secure when they are on the computer.
Finally(and of the most important), by using GNU/Linux – my children are learning that computers are meant to help people everywhere to be more effective communicators, collaborators, and purveyors of technology.
Should you decide to empower your children with the philosophy of GNU/Linux, you are giving them Freedom, a sense of healthy competition, a sense of caring for others, a sense of technological ingenuity, and a great sense of self-confidence.
Go GNU/Linux, go Freedom, Go technology as an enabler for humans!!
Shannon VanWagner
Shannon,
I cannot agree more with your comments. The important thing is to teach children the philosophy of FOSS and let them experience the beauty of knowledge sharing / collaboration.
This is already happening. When I was in high school (early 90s) even the geekiest of us hadn’t heard of the then infant Linux, nor had resources to gain any *nix experience (the lucky ones had dial-up at home).
Nowadays a high-schooler can’t call himself a geek without some Linux experience. Same with college students. They prefer FOSS for it’s hackability, community, and a myriad of reasons. And these are tomorrows employees, who will promote the advantages of FOSS, and seek out jobs where they can use FOSS.
My two oldest neices use Acer Aspire netbooks with Linux installed with no problems. My oldest nephew effortlessly moves between Windows XP and Ubuntu.
But so far as he is concerned Ubuntu is better. He loves the cube and the fact he can paint with fire on the desktop.
Ubuntu also needs to change it’s appearance drastically.. Sure, you can slap on a stupid dock, but do you see any Windows XP user using Windows Blinds at a starbucks? No. Windows is usually pretty by default, and no one feels like changing. Someone sees Ubuntu, looking like a slightly shinier version of Windows 98 without the Windows 98 icon, they see all of the grayishness, they see that Pidgin is missing so many features that the regular AIM has (such as the new status updates) that it can give you a stroke just knowing that you’re missing out on what your non-Linux friends are doing on it, you will feel like an idiot and think it’s not worth it to download.