OldieButNewbie - Getting It
I had a wonderful session with my mom last night, she’s really “getting it”. She’s surfing by herself, getting an idea of what’s available on the web. It’s a bit overwhelming. Her sound is still not right so we have to get the computer guy back to her place. Also, the keyboard’s been acting funky but it must be software because we sent her a new one and it’s very nearly the same. Also the printer isn’t working. It’s a good thing we have someone on her end that we trust to help her. Her tech is taking classes in Linux and is pleased to be working on a Linux system. Everybody happy.
I explained again what an URL is, an actual physical address for the page you’re viewing and suddenly it made sense, a big leap in understanding. Now she knows you can Google a subject and choose from the results or type in a URL to go exactly where you want to. This is progress!
I had her make a few more bookmarks in her Bookmarks Toolbar (FireFox personal links) to sites she visits often, to get her used to the idea of personalizing her computer. I had her browser set to keep no History, the same as I have mine. I rethought that decision for both of us. I had her set the Browsing History to her choice of 5 days. Once again, she made the decision so it makes her feel the computer is hers, not vice-versa. It also reinforces the idea that when she wants control over a function to go looking for how to make it happen.
The concept of tabbed browsing is beginning to sink in. I wanted her to learn it from the beginning. One of the most difficult things about surfing the web for me was keeping track of navigation. Not all sites are easy to navigate; getting back to a specific page can be very confusing, especially for a newbie. By opening new pages in new tabs, getting back to a specific page is no more complicated than clicking its tab.
Now this blew me away. She asked me if I’d heard of Wired Magazine and I said “Of course.” She had seen it in a doctor’s office and brought it home and read it many months ago. She didn’t understand anything but read it anyway, got a subscription and has been reading it for about 8 months. She just reads them and puts them away, hoping she’ll understand it someday. Now she can go back, read them again and glean more information out of them. I sent her to wired.com for the online version and had her make a bookmark, she was thrilled beyond words.
One last thing (as we always say after a couple of hours). She wondered what time it was and I told her to check the clock at the lower right-hand corner of her screen. The time was wrong so I had her reset her clock. I pointed out once again the inherent security of Linux systems-in order to do something even as mundane as changing the time, you have to type in your “root” password-establish your identity as the administrator of the system.
She told me a great story. She was in an auto parts store the other day and was chatting with the nice (young) clerk while looking for the item she needed. Of course she’s pumped about learning to use a computer and the talk gravitated to that subject. When she mentioned she had a Linux system, he said, “Oh, that’s old-fashioned stuff.” She proceeded to straighten him out on that subject and in short order he was asking, “Really, all the software is free? Anything you want?” That sounded really good to him, as it would to anyone. Even in this stage of her computer education, she’s a confirmed advocate of FOSS and PCLinuxOS.
That’s my mom *smile*
Tags: bookmarks, browsing history, keyboard, linux, preferences, printer, surfing, tabbed browsing, URL
