Linux for Dummies

“The installation painlessly takes care of everything: my
monitor functions, the sound works and I’m connected to the
Internet. And once I’m in, it’s easy to figure out where to go
next. The taskbar — docked to the left by default — gives me four
giant icons to choose from. They’re so big, they remind me of the
old person phone my Grandma has with the comically oversized number
buttons. The icons are for Firefox, IM, Skype, File Manager and the
Application Store (more on that soon). At the bottom the taskbar,
there are some slightly smaller icons for turning the computer off,
controlling the volume, seeing all of the programs I have open,
adjusting my screen resolution and informing me of my network
status. Basic stuff. Visiting my favorite web sites, checking
e-mail and IMing with friends is a cinch. OpenOffice is also
installed by default for creating and editing Microsoft Office
documents (as well as non-Microsoft Office docs, of course).

“But what if I want to do more? I pop into the Application Store
and simply download new programs ala the iPhone. Within minutes of
installing Presto, I’m streaming my music collection from Last.fm
and drawing mustaches on friends in the Gimp photo manipulation
program (think Photoshop, except 100-percent free). The app store
is loaded with tons of games, utilities and productivity software,
most of which is free. Otherwise, I can download a free trial.”

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