Linux and Stop-Sign questions

[rluhr]

From what I'm reading here:

(1) Kistler admits to being "technologically challenged"
(2) She had a severe problem with viruses on her Windows PC
(3) She wants an easy email provider

Based on that, I agree with AlanSD and RivetED on the recommendation to switch to a Mac. Any Mac would ready to go out of the box with hardly any setup at all. Also the advantage of not having virus worries, no pop-ups (the built-in Safari browser can be set to block them with one click), and no problem with compatibility with your old MS documents and files. For email, she can use Earthlink or the ".Mac" service.

If she sticks with MS products, especially virus magnets like Outlook and Internet Explorer, the problems will probably be back. At least, that's the experience I've had with other folks. You can give advice all day about not clicking pop-ups, deleting spam, not clicking attachments, avoiding certain websites, etc., but the challenges keep changing and I've found it's impossible to inoculate innocent users against the scourge out there.

Not to be too much of an evangelist, but I just switched to Mac two weeks ago after 23 years of PC use, and I was amazed at how easy it was, and how stable Mac OS X is. I will not be going back to a PC.

But Kistler, if you want to re-use the hardware you have, Linux might be your next best choice. If you do that, be sure to have a guru help you get set up, especially if you have a laptop. Linux is not so easy for the "technologically challenged."

Good luck!

[Pick]

Another alternative, if you want to stay on the Windoze PC platform is to use altenative web browsers, such as Opera, Mozilla, Mozilla Fire Fox. There are also alternative email programs such as Mozilla Thunderbird, Pegasus, etc., that are not "virus magnets". Go to a site such as Download.com and you will find many more.

[Chuck]

even a "guru" like myself can get whacked by the inherant insecurity of MS platforms. I have an old (but perfectly serviceable) laptop in the kitchen that is only capable of running win95, but its fine as a web-surfer/browser. but it was recently hijacked by some unscrupulous script, without having clicked on a popup, or having said "yes" to anything. simply going to a website did it. and now its "toast", and needs a complete "disc-ectomy".

If I ever find out where these people live, I'm going to their house to "enhance" their personal private property without their consent, and see how much they like it.

Linux and Mac are great, if you live in a vacuum. if you need to run anything out of the most absolute ordinary category, though...yer screwed.

[Kistler]

Thank you again, everyone, for the advice/recommendations. I have a call into Night Vision--my "guru" --but he is out on a call.

Brenda and I did the tutorial on Linspire and believe that we had better switch.

I will have to keep AOL a while longer; adjusting to Lindos or Linspire or Linux....OS is going to be enough for me/us to adjust to.....am going to go with EarthLink eventually.

Kistler

[Silvertwinkie]

Linux is a very solid OS. However, I'd compare it to the joke I heard a few years ago.

If airlines were like OSs.

Windows
You would just expect the engines to stop running mid-flight and have to restart them.

Mac OS
Sit in your seat, shut the hell up and let us do all the piloting...period.

Linux
Bring your own seat, bolts, etc and install them yourself.

Though the joke is clearly dated (except for the windows part), Linux is becoming more end user friendly. I would agree, as a novice, you'd be better served placing it on a secondary non production (bread and butter) machine. Once savvy enough however, Linux, like UNIX is like a rock!

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by rluhr

Not to be too much of an evangelist, but I just switched to Mac two weeks ago after 23 years of PC use, and I was amazed at how easy it was, and how stable Mac OS X is. I will not be going back to a PC.

Good luck!

Our school district (that I am the I.S. guy for) has only myself and another guy that manages all 600 of our Mac OSX workstations, 2300 users and about 20 xServes running OS 10.3.5. That's right, only two people.

One the other hand the high school which at the time had only one building and about 600 more machines had at the time about 8 people in the main I.S. department.

They took a big hit last year because one person got one of the new viruses that wiped out all the workstations and servers. They were down for days. Problem was that they were at the time 100% up to date with virus and OS patches. The speed of the internet delivered to them the payload of their destruction because the folks had not gotten the patches out in time for them to have their machines update automatically.

Since then they have gone to the Cisco client software that has helped limit their exposure since we all know virus software is more reactive than proactive.

At any rate, my main point is that Macs are very easy to run and maintain...and the total cost of ownership which few will admit is that regardless of what study they quote a PC tends to have more overhead and hand holding issues than the Mac....but don't get me wrong, the MacOS too has it's share of quirks, it's just that those quirks ususally have a work around and more times than not, do not effect the overall performance of the OS in general.

I think Windows is great. It takes all the lightning strikes that are out there to protect the other OSs.

[Kistler]

I guess MacIntosh-- was "nice" to the schools. That is how Brenda and I started

The problem for us, when we retired, was that it seemed like there was not the software choices there are today...so we switched in 1992 to Windows and a PC (by the way, I still don't understand why a Mac is not a PC)

Now it seems we are paying (Night Vision -- the "guru" comes tomorrow to install it) to go back to sort of a MacIntosh type operating system....yikes.

I do not wish to pay $3-4,000 for a fancy Mac....this thing is almost new.

Kistler

[Silvertwinkie]

Kistler,

You can get a fairly good Mac desktop for between $1500.00 and $2000 depending largely if you want wireless, bluetooth a gig of RAM and a 3 year warranty...also the $2k machine get you into the 17" Flat panel iMac that has the G5 chip.

Not that I advocate running out and spending that money on a new Mac, but the reality is that spec for spec, the old notions that Macs cost thousands more is not as true as it once was.... if you get a comp equipped PC, you'll find that Apple is now only a few hundred $$ apart...then you might be able to rationalize it by thinking that you're getting some great pieces of software for that extra few hundred $$. Like iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie. I'm not much of an iMovie freak, but iTunes and iPhoto are way up there.

I'm told some of the good PC software titles that do what iTunes, iPhoto and iMove come at an additional cost to the PC. I also understand that some of it comes with Windows, but folks tell me that it isn't all that good. Of course, I can't say for sure.....one thing I can say is that we don't have folks coming to the house to fix out Macs.

[CanoeStream]

I'm middlin' home-based tech savvy but agree with Silvertwinkie's post at 4:39PM. Windows is out there in large number to serve as the distraction for the anonymous challenged software hacker. I do not follow this seriously but have heard of one loser who targeted Macs earlier this year. Regarding the Linux and other platforms I read this over the past weekend: Tabbed Browsers Can Disclose Confidential Info

I have but am not thrilled by Windows. McAfee's or Norton's online-updating antivirus programs are very good and I have zero virus probems. Yes, it does require an annual fee on the order of $35. Malware is still a big issue and depends on how far the Windows user delves into websites that have unscrupulous business practices (I believe gaming sites were mentioned before. Porn anyone?). Ad-Aware is a start and Spybot is better, though more difficult to understand.

My Linux-based super smart in-law has at times been set up so he couldn't receive email in anything but the most basic fonts. I'm not going there myself. Mac is still the easiest minority user route. It's just that I'm not ready to buy Photoshop all over again...

[Kistler]

Coming under the heading of "it doesn't matter now" but I paid $160 for a visit from a man from a company here in Oro Valley to "fix" my Windows XP OS PC ......he sold me Stop-Sign....and so far the computer seems "fixed"...it is faster and I don't get sex ads on my sign-in screen, PLUS an icon of a rather nice looking girl's face.

BUT, now Brenda (especially Brenda, she pays the bills) wants Linux. The "guru" is going to put Stop-Sign on my laptop which also has Windows XP....it'll stay that way.

We have another desk top HP that is not really that old and has our "archives" on it....will, communications, income tax documents, --you name it....before the scare of the internet it was The Household Computer.

What I am getting to finally is....I don't mind in any way going back to a Mac....it is just that computing in this house (there are only 2 of us) is becoming a real mess.

Guess I a bemoaning the days of one computer for everything. Am also concerned about the cost of "subscriptions"......everything thing has to be renewed, subscription, I guess.

Kistler

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Kistler

OK, then the decision is made! Thank you fellows.

Kistler

There is a Linux-based windows-like OS called Lindows. It has most of the look and feel of Windoze, but is a much cleaner operation, less susceptible to viruses (because no one bothers to make them for it), and will run most windows-based programs, after a fashion. It is something to ask your guru about, as it may be easier for a technically-challenged person to deal with.
Terry

[Silvertwinkie]

As for any computer "novice" I would re-think the Linux direction. Linux is a solid OS, however, it is NOT by any means for the weak of heart. We have a few machines here and though we are comfortable with them, they do have their own personality making things a bit awkward at times. Being terminal window junkies, most can be overcome, but unless you know your way around the terminal window using pure command line, you better think twice. One reason the Apple is so appealing is that it's GUI floats on top of a UNIX kernel making it easy to use and rock solid. There are however limitations in some of the software, so if you have special needs, chances are, unless it runs in UNIX or via the MacOS, you're pretty much S.O.L. unless you run a windows emulator...in which case you better have to have a powerful machines as the windows emulators do take a hit on performance.