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"Linux switch saved city millions and reduced user complaints"

computerworlduk.com

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Re: "Linux switch saved city millions and reduced user complaints"

#11

Post by ajuc »

vibrunazo wrote: post #4

On a parallel anecdote. Installing Ubuntu on my parents PC sure did reduce the amount of assistance they needed from me with crashes and malware. I'd recommend it to anyone who needs to spend some time helping non-tech friends with computer problems :)

My parents use my old PC with Athlon 2000 and 512 MB RAM, I've instaled last Kubuntu with KDE 3.5 a few years ago, and never needed to touch it since then :)

The only problem so far is - once a year they need to use free windows-only application, that doesn't run in WINE, to calculate taxes. They just go to neighborns for a few hours.

My sister also has Kubuntu on her laptop, but she knows how to update it, so I don't know which version she runs now :)

If your relatives only use computer to browse web and write simple documents - linux requires less maintanance. At least that's my experience.

Re: "Linux switch saved city millions and reduced user complaints"

#12

Post by rbanffy »

dagw wrote: post #8
vibrunazo wrote: post #4

On a parallel anecdote. Installing Ubuntu on my parents PC sure did reduce the amount of assistance they needed from me with crashes and malware. I'd recommend it to anyone who needs to spend some time helping non-tech friends with computer problems :)

I did the same thing on my mothers laptop a couple of years ago, but switched back to Windows a few month later after far too many complaints of "I can't view this document/power point someone emailed me" and "people can't view the document/power point I e-mailed them".

Interesting... My mom seems perfectly happy with LibreOffice. I also set her up with Gmail, so she can view the PowerPoint files without launching LO.

Re: "Linux switch saved city millions and reduced user complaints"

#13

Post by sarvinc »

dagw wrote: post #8
vibrunazo wrote: post #4

On a parallel anecdote. Installing Ubuntu on my parents PC sure did reduce the amount of assistance they needed from me with crashes and malware. I'd recommend it to anyone who needs to spend some time helping non-tech friends with computer problems :)

I did the same thing on my mothers laptop a couple of years ago, but switched back to Windows a few month later after far too many complaints of "I can't view this document/power point someone emailed me" and "people can't view the document/power point I e-mailed them".

I imagine this is exactly how it would go down if I installed Linux on my parent's computers. I think the key here is administration (at least until Linux is supported by 3rd party consumer companies). You can't move a company to a different OS without great IT support.

Re: "Linux switch saved city millions and reduced user complaints"

#14

Post by rbanffy »

jiggy2011 wrote: post #9
vibrunazo wrote: post #4

On a parallel anecdote. Installing Ubuntu on my parents PC sure did reduce the amount of assistance they needed from me with crashes and malware. I'd recommend it to anyone who needs to spend some time helping non-tech friends with computer problems :)

Until they call up asking how to get netflix to work

I'd then buy my mom a more modern DVD player. Watching movies on the computer is not for my mom at least and her TV is 9 times larger than her current computer screen (sadly, her 21" Integraph started to misbehave after 15 years)

Re: "Linux switch saved city millions and reduced user complaints"

#15

Post by mattbriggs »

duncans wrote: post #5

For counter arguments there's some fascinating stuff at http://limuxwatch.blogspot.co.uk/ although it hasn't been updated for a while, so maybe they've finally succeeded?

Yeah, if you read that site you'll see that the Munich switch was really mismanaged and underestimated. This press release sounds more like pr spin then anything, since they we supposed to be done a very long time ago

Re: "Linux switch saved city millions and reduced user complaints"

#16

Post by rbanffy »

maarty wrote: post #6
vibrunazo wrote: post #4

On a parallel anecdote. Installing Ubuntu on my parents PC sure did reduce the amount of assistance they needed from me with crashes and malware. I'd recommend it to anyone who needs to spend some time helping non-tech friends with computer problems :)

Agree. I Installed Ubuntu to my girlsfrind and it was running 1 year without destruction. On the other hand I've taken away administration priviledges from my dads windows 7 and its holding pretty well ...

For my wife, I advised a move to Mac. She needed perfect MS Office compatibility for professional reasons and the computers are much prettier.

Re: "Linux switch saved city millions and reduced user complaints"

#17

Post by keithpeter »

Argorak wrote: post #3
icebraining wrote: post #2

The article says it's based on Ubuntu, but the LiMux page linked by it says it's based on Debian (Sarge, no less, which is ancient nowadays).

Since LiMux 3, its Ubuntu. https://www.desktopsummit.org/sites/www.desktopsummit.org/fi... They are now on 10.04.

Should be fun when they upgrade to 12.04. And I say that as one who quite likes Unity

Re: "Linux switch saved city millions and reduced user complaints"

#18

Post by keithpeter »

Disclaimer: I'm not a programmer and have been a bystander in medium sized IT projects.

Does anyone think that large organisations will tend to move to Web-browser based business applications over the next few years?

If so, will that make it easier to switch the client device without major change in the central plumbing?

Re: "Linux switch saved city millions and reduced user complaints"

#19

Post by Argorak »

keithpeter wrote: post #17
Argorak wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since LiMux 3, its Ubuntu. https://www.desktopsummit.org/sites/www.desktopsummit.org/fi... They are now on 10.04.

Should be fun when they upgrade to 12.04. And I say that as one who quite likes Unity

Its not a standard Ubuntu. For example, they use KDE 3 :).

Re: "Linux switch saved city millions and reduced user complaints"

#20

Post by aerique »

ajuc wrote: post #11
vibrunazo wrote: post #4

On a parallel anecdote. Installing Ubuntu on my parents PC sure did reduce the amount of assistance they needed from me with crashes and malware. I'd recommend it to anyone who needs to spend some time helping non-tech friends with computer problems :)

My parents use my old PC with Athlon 2000 and 512 MB RAM, I've instaled last Kubuntu with KDE 3.5 a few years ago, and never needed to touch it since then :) The only problem so far is - once a year they need to use free windows-only application, that doesn't run in WINE, to calculate taxes. They just go to neighborns for a few hours. My sister also has Kubuntu on her laptop, but she knows how to update it, so I don'…

There's always VirtualBox for such things, but it might perhaps not run well enough on a slow, old PC.
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