Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Just installed Mint for my elderly in-laws (midwest.social)

submitted 3 weeks ago by falk1856@midwest.social to c/linux@lemmy.ml

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When I was visiting my wife's family for Thanksgiving, my father-in-law told me that his laptop was telling him that if he didn't upgrade to Win11 he be vulnerable to all sorts of malware. They're both retired and on a fixed income so he was panicking over buying a new machine. I put Mint on his existing laptop and walked him through its use. Fingers crossed that he'll be able to handle it. I haven't had any support calls from him yet but I'll find out how it's going when I see him in a few days.

Does anyone have any tips for supporting older family members on Linux if they have absolutely no experience with it?

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[–] piranhaphish@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago

I wasn't aware of RustDesk. I've looked for usable solutions in the past and was never saw it or anything else like TeamViewer.

The nature of the problem seems to require a hosted service. So TeamViewer fit the bill and was free for this use case. But I'll have a look at RustDesk now that I'm aware of it.

All that being said, I don't mind closed-source. I'm an open-source zealot, but I'm not Richard Stallman. I use Linux at work so I'll use whatever software gets the job done at the end of the day. I'm just glad to see more software work on Linux.