Putting Open Source to the Mom Test

However the following does not suggest to me that she is smart, or, as she puts it, "not an idiot".

Quoting:I am a decorated Army Veteran, I teach Religious Education Classes, and I take courses in Theology through the University of Dayton....

I suspect she is, but the first suggests to me that she's brave, very brave, the rest suggests to me quite the opposite of smart.

On account of her faith? She's in good company - Pascal, Newton, Gauss - and modern day physicists like Gerald Schroeder. Clearly, the presence of faith is no impediment to scientific or technical achievement.

Nonetheless, I understand that some here view the whole idea of God as a fairy tale - and that's fine, I have no quarrel with them, their life is their own. We just live in different worlds.

I'm reminded of the book "flatlands" - it's a quick read. The 2 dimensional inhabitants of that world might well hold all sorts of differing views about the existence of a mysterious 3rd dimension!

I've already broken TOS, so I'll stop here.

Here's a Link to the first of her blogs http://amber.redvoodoo.org/2009/02/ubuntu-and-mepart-1.html

Quoting:My goals for tonight were to Install Ubuntu Linux (Done), Connect to the Internet (Done), Connect to my Dell 3110 CN Color Laser Printer wirelessly (Done). After that I wanted to be able to get to my Website (Done), get to FaceBook, I am an addict (Done), access my classes at Dayton (Done), and write my Blog (Done).

It took less than 2 hours to get all the stuff listed above done.I really thought it would take a few days. I am pleasantly surprised to say the least. I am very happy that I was able to do this myself and NOT have Pete help me at all. I was able to stick to my initial position of NOT having him help me. :)

In short I want to be able to do all the stuff I can do on my Mac on the Dell using Ubuntu.

I actually think setting up networking is somewhat easier on Ubuntu, than on Mandriva, by virtue of the fact that to set up networking on Mandriva requires that you log in to DrakConf first then find networking. Whereas on Ubuntu you simply open the networking application from the icon in the panel. In other words it's not quite as obvious on Mandriva.

Yes Tracy, you have...please be careful.

Sorry Scott but biting my tongue just hurt too much.

From here second blog.

Quoting:Let's see, I managed to get videos to play, CD's, MP3's, etc..to work (which required installing extra software which I couldn't do on Red Hat. I did it myself). Installed 247 updates (on my own) and guess what once they were installed NOTHING broke everything still worked. The other cool thing was it took less than 30 minutes.

Interestingly one of the major peices of FUD about Linux in general is how you can't play media, or that to do so requires the installation, after the fact (of actually installing Linux), of extra software. She seems to think it's no big deal.

Quoting:This weekend I want to transfer my photos from i-Photo to F-Spot and see if I can do all the stuff I can do with iPhoto. I am wondering what I can use in the place of iDVD and iMovie, I am not seeing anything in my menu on Ubuntu that will allow me to do this.

One thing those of use who've used Linux for any extended period of time, forget, is that it's not always obvious what applications do what. On a Mac iPhoto and IMovie actually suggest what the application does, as does Windows Media Player on Windows, for example. But what does VLC do? or Kaffeine? or Amarok? for example

These are exactly the kinds of articles I'd like to see way, way more of: People who aren't already waist-deep in this stuff deciding to give it a try.

That's why GNOME decided to call it "Text Editor" in the menu, even though the program is called "gedit".