Yeah I set up my mom with GNOME 3 on Fedora. All she does is browse the internet and play solitaire. That's pretty much a zero maintenance computer right there.
Anyone in here working in Africa in the kind of project the OA mentions?
I'm wondering about bandwidth for updates and installing software. Ubuntu 15.04 is good for 6 months with updates. Debian current stable with a three DVD iso download (and a DVD drive!) would provide access to the whole software repository offline. There is a delta update DVD for each incremental ISO set.
For the same reason Windows did not become a mainstream OS for tablets and phones. There is a much greater distance between a finger-touch UX and a mouse UX than most people imagine.
There is also probably a hardware dimension to the answer: There is a greater distance between a heavy "convertible" part-time touch laptop/tablet-ish device and a real tablet that can be carried like a sheaf of paper than most people appreciate.
Because we have lot of Linux distros lot better than Android. Debian, Arch, Fedora, Ubuntu, etc. BTW, there's is a Linux distro called Android x86 for PCs, based on Android.
So this has to be said again : Linux is NOT an operating system, Linux is a Kernel. Android, Debian and OpenWRT are operating systems. Debian even support other kernels than Linux.
Respectfully, I don't think it needs to said again. This is English - meaning is determined by common usage, and for quite a while now the Linux has meant both the kernel and the OS to almost everyone (disambiguated by calling the former the "Linux kernel" when need be).
Is it logical? Not really. But the horse is well out of the gate at this point.
Debian (Linux) and OpenWRT are distributions. They're super-sets of applications, the GNU tools and the Linux kernel (or HURD). You only need the last two to form an "operating system".
Android is a little different in that it doesn't sit on a GNU stack. I'm happier calling Android an operating system than I am Debian and OpenWRT.
Great point BTW. EDIT : May be the writer of this article talking about operating systems based on Linux kernel and he called them all simply Linux as we all do.
[+] [-] zxcvcxz|11 years ago|reply
Somehow they always manage to destroy windows.
[+] [-] maskedinvader|11 years ago|reply
this. Sigh. The number of times I have to clean up all the things she (my mom) manages to install 'tool bars and what not'.
[+] [-] keithpeter|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] 5h|11 years ago|reply
I hope this is a short lived trend.
[+] [-] ldiracdelta|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] timdiggerm|11 years ago|reply
As usual, FOSSers confusing ethics & principles with marketing. He's right, but that doesn't make it effective (sadly).
[+] [-] keithpeter|11 years ago|reply
I'm wondering about bandwidth for updates and installing software. Ubuntu 15.04 is good for 6 months with updates. Debian current stable with a three DVD iso download (and a DVD drive!) would provide access to the whole software repository offline. There is a delta update DVD for each incremental ISO set.
[+] [-] ExpiredLink|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Zigurd|11 years ago|reply
There is also probably a hardware dimension to the answer: There is a greater distance between a heavy "convertible" part-time touch laptop/tablet-ish device and a real tablet that can be carried like a sheaf of paper than most people appreciate.
[+] [-] Enindu|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] stymaar|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] badsock|11 years ago|reply
Is it logical? Not really. But the horse is well out of the gate at this point.
[+] [-] oliwarner|11 years ago|reply
Debian (Linux) and OpenWRT are distributions. They're super-sets of applications, the GNU tools and the Linux kernel (or HURD). You only need the last two to form an "operating system".
Android is a little different in that it doesn't sit on a GNU stack. I'm happier calling Android an operating system than I am Debian and OpenWRT.
[+] [-] Enindu|11 years ago|reply