Safe Computing For Teens

Not too long ago my daughter's outdated Pentium III Compaq laptop computer utterly died. This occurred close to Christmas so her gift checklist was a straightforward one. The issue was that I did not need to spend so much of money. The other drawback was that I hated her having a computer.

I hated it as a result of I always needed to work on it. She used the pc for homework, instantaneous messaging, and browsing. Each couple of months, I discovered myself eradicating spy ware and different junk from the computer. Occasionally it was simpler just to re-construct the computer by re-installing ALL the software, including the operating system. I monitor her internet usage by way of my router so I know that she has not been to "questionable" websites however this stuff continue to work their way into her computer.

I made a decision to consider something that I had never before considered. LINUX! I picked up another Pentium III (this one was a bit more highly effective than her old laptop computer) desktop for under $100.00. I added some outdated memory that I had sitting on a shelf. I downloaded SUSE Linux and went to work.

I was pleasantly shocked at how straightforward the set up was! There was little or no interaction and my decisions were very simple. In about 30 minutes, I had a working pc linked to the internet.

There are some things with which I was very pleased. It was operating very properly with the previous hardware. If I had used Windows XP I would have been pressured to get a more moderen pc and spend a whole lot of dollars. The working system got here with a browser (Firefox) and complete office software (OpenOffice - which is compatible with Microsoft Workplace products). There was additionally a really good instantaneous messaging tool that enables her to make use of many alternative IM clients in one piece of software. It had CD ripping and burning software program in addition to a number of audio programs. On prime of that, the operating system and all of the software have been FREE!

Now I do know the general public studying this are considering, "Okay, we've another anti Microsoft guy right here". That's completely not true. I'm a Home windows and net developer by trade and use Microsoft merchandise completely (aside from using Firefox as a browser when testing). I am an enormous believer within the merchandise that Microsoft produces simply because they work and in most cases work VERY effectively together.

The very best thing about this transformation of operating system is that my daughter's pc is now freed from spyware and isn't targeted by most viruses. The actual fact is that most viruses and spyware target Microsoft Windows only. Now I can relaxation straightforward realizing that I won't be rebuilding a computer every few months.