On Monday 12 January 2009 18:56:56 Florian Mickler wrote: > What are the big Do's and Don'ts if you setup a linux desktop for > senior beginners?
I do the following: Set up the look of KDE to suit the particular difficulties of the individual. (Large print, brightly coloured mouse pointer, whatever.) Then "hide" everything that you don't want the individual to alter or get flummoxed by. I find out what the individual wants to do (usually email, letters, browse the web). Now first set up the desktop. Get rid of all the icons on the desktop and every applet and icon on the panel. Now put icons for the applications that the individual will want on the desktop. Rename them. E.g. "email", not "Mozilla Thunderbird". Choose applications that have clear labels on every icon. OpenOffice.org is a good word processor for newbies because it can be set up to have a few clearly labeled icons. (Get rid of any that confuse rather than help.) Set it to go to your chosen directory by default. Set up the browser to go to Google as the home page, and don't shudder too much when the newbie can't distinguish between a browser and a search engine. Let him/her put the web address into Google's search bar. It will get him/her there and that is all that matters. Put an applet for lock/logout on the panel. I also add the clock, showing date as well as time. Leave the system so that it is impossible to get at anything else via the mouse. If you need to access anything else, do it via Alt F2 or the command line. And read: <http://thelinuxbox.org/?p=21#more-21>, or listen to: <http://www.archive.org/details/HampshireLinuxUserGroupDADDesktopAdaptedforDAD>, or even better, both. HTH Lisi -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
