A few months ago I setup a new computer for my 73 year Mother and instead of installing Windows I decided to put Linux on the box. I wrestled with doing this for a while as I didn't want to have my Mom getting confused with a new interface. Previously windows had been installed on the old box. Another factor was that I am in Johannesburg while my Mom and Dad are in Durban.
Linux and the desktop
I have always thought that the noise around Linux not being ready for the desktop was plain bunk but reasoned that as I am a computer professional maybe there was something I am missing. Maybe "ordinary" folk will find it difficult to use? Still I had my doubts.
These doubts, combined with the desire to provide my Mom with a secure environment with which to surf the net without fear of internet scams, bots,trojans, browser security holes and the rest; lead me to the decision to put Linux on the new box.
Distribution selection
It came down to which distribution to use. My Mom really likes to buy CDs from the Amazon store and, in particular listen, to the sample music that is available. This requirement lead me to select Xandros. Xandros already has the necessary codecs licenses and come with real player, a requirement from my Mom. The other contender was Ubuntu.
With Ubuntu it is possible to install all the relevant codecs and, since South Africa doesn't recognize software patents, there is no legal issue here. Real Player is not available natively in Ubuntu however and so it was eliminated from the selection list.
Six months on
That was six months ago. Over Christmas I went to visit my folks and found that there was now a demand to install Linux on my Dad's machine, he is 77 years old, and my brothers laptop. The later was full of trojans,viruses and other nasties.
For these machines I used Ubuntu as it is more cutting edge than Xandros and there was no real player requirement. I also setup skype for my Mom and Dad so they can talk to my brother in Canada and me :)
So now I have my own empirical evidence that Linux is more than ready for the desktop. I am more convinced now than ever, If given a choice consumers are likely to choose Linux.