I've been reading around different stories about how we're not making our systems enough "grandma"-proof (that is to be "easily" used by grandmas. Sorry grandpas, you're probably not too appealing for the cause).
Full story »
Read contents from Free Software Magazine
Anybody up to writing good directory software?
Tue, 2007-02-20 11:17 — David JonathanSince the very beginning, directories (of any kind) have had a very central role in the internet. (I have recently grown fond of Free Web Directory. Even Slashdot can be considered a directory: a collection of great news and invaluable user-generated comments. As far as software is concerned, doing a quick search on Google about software directories will return the free (as in freedom) software directories like Savannah, SourceForge, Freshmeat and so on, followed by shareware and freeware sites such as FileBuzz, PCWin Download Center and All Freeware (great if you're looking for shareware and freeware, but definitely less comprehensive than their free-as-in-freedom counterparts).
Is better education the key to finding better software?
Sat, 2007-03-03 03:25 — Edward RusselI read David Jonathon's article Anybody Up To Writing Good Directory Software? the other day, which got me thinking about software directories in general. As David mentioned, many of the software directories one finds when doing a quick google search are free as in beer, not as in freedom. But what interests me is the software directories that already exist, providing a combination of both free as in beer software, and open source software. Sites such as Freeware Downloads and Shareware Download don't advertise themselves as providing free as in liberty software, but each of them have a good selection of open source software available... if you know where to look.
Categories
Best karma users
From the staff of FSDaily: Comedians in Perth, Magicians in Perth, Bands in Perth
candtalan
4 years 35 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago
Age or possession of grandchildren
Age or possession of grandchildren is probably not the fundamental factor. I have begun thinking in terms of computer user 'novices' and also 'vulnerable' novices. At any age some users remain novices perpetually. They just (hopefully) arrange to get more help from their friends or family members(FOFM). If they are lucky the fofm uses linux. I regard them as more vulnerable if they remain novices while not realising they are. The implication here is that they do not want to, or are unable to, gain more skills.
Although Linux (I choose kubuntu or edubuntu) is not perfect in these cases it is a huge improvement over windows. That is why after successfully setting up and running (for 3 years) an older persons internet cafe in a large town in UK for a national charity, I resigned after I realised the implications for vulnerable people using windows. Friends and charities that I help now get Kubuntu or Edubuntu.