[vox] re: a dual boot system?

[Cylar Z]

Hey all,

First, thank you to all who wrote and put in their
$.02 worth. I appreciate it.

FYI (to those who didn't know) Fedora Core includes
KDE as well as GNOME in its version 4 free
distribution. GNOME is the default, but it's just a
matter of selecting which one you want to auto-start
when a person logs in. I personally have used both and
have no preference between one or the other, though
like some of you, I have friends that prefer KDE.
Based on that and what I've read here, it is likely
I'll go with that one.

I must concede that the GUI's available are remarkably
Windows-like and easy to use - I just wanted to hear
if everyone agreed with me on that.  My dad will
*never* be using a command-prompt. I hadn't planned on
training him to do so, as I cannot foresee the need. 

And this box is a workstation only, which doesn't need
to accept any kind of incoming connection. It doesn't
need to run Apache or most other server-related
daemons. That being said, what packages should I
install besides a GUI (of course) and OpenOffice? I'd
like to keep it to a minimum.

Question: Some posters mentioned SuSE and Debian as
alternatives to Fedora Core. Are SuSE and Debian two
separate Linux distros, or are they one and the same?
(I know that some distros, like Xandros, are actually
Debian...or was it BeOS? I can't remember.)

In any case, can I get SuSE/Debian free like I can
Fedora Core, or are those commercial distros that I
have to buy? Someone said that Debian includes a large
set of native drivers and this I found extremely
appealing. If available free, what is the best mirror
for the download?

Another question. Windows has many
antispyware/antivirus programs available for it.
Is/are there comparable programs available for Linux
which I can download? 

I know that Linux is less suceptible to this sort of
thing than Windows, but I'm told that some Linux
malware does exist, and I want my father's computer to
be as secure as absolutely possible. While he does
have a DSL connection, I have already taken the
precaution of putting his computer behind a
router/firewall.

In short, I'm sick and tired of the Internet "messing"
with it and screwing it up so he can't use it to get
work-related communiques. In all honesty it's partly
his fault for clicking on popups, so I need to put the
kabosh on those as much as possible so he isn't fooled
into installing any more trojans.

Thanks,
Matt

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> Today's Topics:
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>    1. a dual-boot system? (Cylar Z)
>    2. Re: a dual-boot system? (Marianne Waage)
>    3. Re: a dual-boot system? (Rod Roark)
>    4. Re: a dual-boot system? (Bob Scofield)
>    5. Re: a dual-boot system? (Bob Scofield)
>    6. Re: a dual-boot system? (Richard S. Crawford)
>    7. Re: a dual-boot system? (Bob Scofield)
>    8. Re: Call for volunteers: Flyer posting this
> weekend
>       (Bill Kendrick)
>    9. Re: a dual-boot system? (Bill Kendrick)
> 
> 
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 12:35:37 -0800 (PST)
> From: Cylar Z <cylarz at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [vox] a dual-boot system?
> To: vox at lists.lugod.org
> Message-ID:
> <20060310203537.96546.qmail at web52813.mail.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> I'm considering something and would like to solicit
> your feedback and ideas.
> 
> Background. My dad is 60 years old, which means he
> is
> from a generation that didn't grow up around
> computers.  I bought him a computer some years ago
> and
> trained him to use it to check his email and surf
> the
> web. He has since learned to download pictures from
> a
> digital camera, print documents, install programs,
> and
> use the Web as a research tool. His experience is
> with
> Microsoft OS's only.
> 
> Here is the problem. His computer keeps getting
> infected with spyware, viruses, trojans, etc. (Hold
> your comments until I finish.)  I've attempted to
> combat this problem by wiping his hard drive,
> installing various antivirus & antispyware programs,
> and training him not to click on popup windows.
> Unfortunately, his experience is still so limited
> that
> he has trouble distinguishing between "legitimate"
> popup windows from his programs, and "malevolent"
> popups from trojan horses and other malware. As a
> result, his computer frequently becomes overrun with
> these popups, to the point of becoming unusable.
> 
> And now I'll mention what this has to do with you
> guys.  I'm exploring the possibility of making the
> switch to Linux on Dad's computer, since it is my
> understanding from discussions on the vox-tech list
> that most distros are far less vulnerable to
> viruses,
> trojans, and other assorted malware. I'm hoping that
> training him to use Linux instead of Windows will
> add
> another layer of protection to his computer.
> 
> Most likely I would accomplish this by converting
> his
> computer to a dual-boot system, offering the option
> of
> either Windows XP or Fedora Core 4 w/ GNOME.
> 
> At this point, let me say that I am already aware of
> Linux's superiority to Windows in terms of stability
> and vulnerability to security exploits.
> 
> My hesistation to implement Linux stems from two
> potential problem areas:
> 
> 1. I'm concerned about how smoothly an inexperienced
> user such as my dad will make the transition from
> Windows to a Linux-based GUI such as GNOME.
> 
> 2. I'm concerned that the devices attached to the
> system (digital camera, CD burner,
> printer/scanner/fax
> unit) may not function properly under a Linux OS.  I
> would imagine that many people can and do use a
> Linux
> workstation with these devices, and that it's mostly
> a
> question of finding the correct drivers. It seems,
> however, that most manufacturers' driver download
> pages don't include drivers for Linux OS's, only
> Windows and sometimes Mac.
> 
> Open query: Is Fedora Core the best choice of the
> available Linux distros given the background I've
> laid
> out?
> 
> I wanted to use a dual-boot system because of #2,
> and
> because I've recently learned to set one up. I
> figured
> in a worse-case scenario, my father could use Linux
> for day-to-day websurfing (he uses DSL), then reboot
> into Windows for the infrequent occasions that he
> wants to hook up his camera or print something.
> 
> As a third potential problem area, I'm only a novice
> Linux user myself. I'm taking night classes on the
> subject and reading books to try and improve my
> skill,
> but at this time I'm going to have trouble fixing
> any
> technical issues that arise from the use of Linux,
> having been a Windows user for years before
> beginning
> to dabble with Linux.
> 
> So I'm soliciting your comments on these issues, as
> well as anything I might have left out. Any links
> you
> can suggest would also be appreciated.
> 
> Thanks, Matt
> 
> 
> 
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> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 12:58:11 -0800
> From: yamara at plush.org (Marianne Waage)
> Subject: Re: [vox] a dual-boot system?
> To: LUGOD's general discussion mailing list
> <vox at lists.lugod.org>
> Message-ID: <20060310205811.GA17331 at plush.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> 
> On Fri, Mar 10, 2006 at 12:35:37PM -0800, Cylar Z
> wrote:
> > Background. My dad is 60 years old, which means he
> is
> > from a generation that didn't grow up around
> > computers.  
> 
> That's funny. My dad is 60 years old, and he's
> dabbled with punch
> card computers and such since college. You might
> want to be more
> careful with broad sweeping statements :)
> 
> > I bought him a computer some years ago and
> > trained him to use it to check his email and surf
> the
> > web. He has since learned to download pictures
> from a
> > digital camera, print documents, install programs,
> and
> > use the Web as a research tool. His experience is
> with
> > Microsoft OS's only.
> > [...]
> > 1. I'm concerned about how smoothly an
> inexperienced
> > user such as my dad will make the transition from
> > Windows to a Linux-based GUI such as GNOME.
> 
> He'll likely find it frustrating, just as anyone
> using 
=== message truncated ===




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