So... My plan to build a Linux laptop for my mom didn't go exactly as I hoped, BUT: my mom is using Linux, and she's very happy with it!
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So... My plan to build a Linux laptop for my mom didn't go exactly as I hoped, BUT: my mom is using Linux, and she's very happy with it!
I had an elaborate plan prepared to install Debian root on ZFS, setup remote access, automated snapshots, remote backups, etc. See my two previous polls for the idea; thanks again for your valuable help! It did give me a lot of ideas, and also made me realise that it's okay not to have the "perfect" setup right away.
On install day, a few things happened: a) I wasn't having the best day (thanks long covid!), b) the drive configuration was less ideal than I had hoped (dual boot with Windows on same drive, instead of separate disks), c) there was more data and programs to configure than anticipated, and I had some trouble there as well. d) of course, I had to explain how it works as well.
Basically, I ran out of time and energy.
So I went with plain ext4 in the end, but was able to configure a functional setup for her at least. All in all, not too bad. If she continues to love it, I can always make small (or big; perhaps FreeBSD is ready next year?) tweaks in the future.
But the key takeaway: my mom is a proud Linux user now!!
#Linux #Debian #LaptopLinux -
D drajt@fosstodon.org shared this topic
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So... My plan to build a Linux laptop for my mom didn't go exactly as I hoped, BUT: my mom is using Linux, and she's very happy with it!
I had an elaborate plan prepared to install Debian root on ZFS, setup remote access, automated snapshots, remote backups, etc. See my two previous polls for the idea; thanks again for your valuable help! It did give me a lot of ideas, and also made me realise that it's okay not to have the "perfect" setup right away.
On install day, a few things happened: a) I wasn't having the best day (thanks long covid!), b) the drive configuration was less ideal than I had hoped (dual boot with Windows on same drive, instead of separate disks), c) there was more data and programs to configure than anticipated, and I had some trouble there as well. d) of course, I had to explain how it works as well.
Basically, I ran out of time and energy.
So I went with plain ext4 in the end, but was able to configure a functional setup for her at least. All in all, not too bad. If she continues to love it, I can always make small (or big; perhaps FreeBSD is ready next year?) tweaks in the future.
But the key takeaway: my mom is a proud Linux user now!!
#Linux #Debian #LaptopLinux@ruben I put my step-father on Debian over a decade ago. My sister-in-law over 5 years ago and my mother-in-law last year. In all cases they took to it from day one without a problem.
I tweaked the desktop, fonts, colours etc, and always used KDE. I've got remote access, but I almost never need it.
It takes a while to configure something up, but it's worth it as the out of box experience isn't perfect. Windows 11 is pretty dire, I can't comment about MacOS.
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@ruben I put my step-father on Debian over a decade ago. My sister-in-law over 5 years ago and my mother-in-law last year. In all cases they took to it from day one without a problem.
I tweaked the desktop, fonts, colours etc, and always used KDE. I've got remote access, but I almost never need it.
It takes a while to configure something up, but it's worth it as the out of box experience isn't perfect. Windows 11 is pretty dire, I can't comment about MacOS.
@drajt great to hear that it's working well for them!
