Edubuntu is really impressing me! The installation was easier than Windows. The interface is pretty. The pre-installed applications are fun and intriguing; some, like the movie editor, I want to use before passing the machine onto Noah. What impressed me the most is that after the installation I rebooted and it immediately prompted me that updates were available; exactly as Windows would have done! I expected that Linux was going to be an administrative nightmare. I was wrong!
I’ve partition the harddrive so that Edubuntu will take half. Noah will use this as his primary operating system. Linux will be used for his Internet exploration, research and browser games. Linux will be used for his productivity-school reports, video projects, spreadsheets, email and so forth. Linux will be used for education except when the educational software requires Windows. The Windows partition will be used for Windows specific games that have not been ported to Linux. The Windows partition will be used for websites that require Internet Explorer. The Windows partition will be used for educational software that has not been ported for Windows. He will also use it to become familiar with the Microsoft Office Suite although OpenOffice should make him comfortable enough.
I am really tickled with this setup. I am debating doing Sarah’s the same way.
Edubuntu sounds great! I had a similar experience with Ubuntu, Breezy Badger release, but then discovered I couldn’t install OpenOffice.org (the next version) or Thunderbird. This is because, at least with that version, Ubuntu didn’t use .rpm, a standard installation tool, and some C++ libraries were the wrong kind. I called on my ubertechy SuSE friend to come over and give me something I could install those two programs on; didn’t have time to try a new version of Ubuntu due to various issues.
Anyway, glad you’re doing this, but if you have problems installing new programs, I just wanted to let you know what I encountered.
Solveig
Excellent! Thanks for the heads up.
I have Ubuntu on one of my VitualPC Partitions.
I am looking at Xandros Desktop however now for my daughter’s machine. This way I don’t NEED a Windows Partion. The Home Premium Edition ($) comes with CrossOver Office which allows you to run Windows Applications on the Xandros Desktop.