Foolproofing Fedora

Mark Knecht markknecht at gmail.com
Sat Jan 15 13:08:52 UTC 2005


On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 04:50:17 -0800 (PST), Ryan Turner
<ryanjturner at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I am seeking tips and advice on how to set up an idiot
> proof fedora installation.  My mother just purchased a
> new PC to replace her aging iMac and ancient Win98 PC,
> and I suggested she try Linux.  Of course, she's not
> an idiot; but after having to explain the difference
> between Linux and Microsoft Word, I think a few extra
> steps are in order.  We purchased a computer that came
> pre-installed with Linspire, but, distasteful of the
> notion of paying for free software (through their CNR
> service), I opted for Fedora Core 3.
> 
> Specifically, I'm seeking for help with a two things:
> I want to remove the Red Hat Network update icon in
> the system tray; and run up2date from a cron job.  I'm
> comfortable with automatically installing everything
> up2date suggests (including new kernels, so I'd like
> to remove that mask if its imposed at the up2date
> level).

Right click, then configuration, then 'remove from panel'. (I think -
haven't tried)

> 
> Secondly, I'd like to modify what appears in the
> Applications menu (in Gnome).  Some of the things
> listed there are totally extraneous for new Linux
> users.  I'd like to simplify the interface so that
> Applications she needs will stick out, so she won't
> have to go hunting for them.

I myself would liek to know how to create submenus. My wife's machine
has both Gnome and KDE games and the Games menu is too large. Where is
this stuff kept? (I don't use Gnome much.)

> 
> Finally, as a bonus, is it possible to remove the
> "Open Terminal" command from when you right-click on
> the gnome desktop?  Though I didn't like Linspire
> myself, I was amazed at how well they "protected"
> completely ignorant users from the power of the
> terminal.

I don't think this is a good idea. My dad has used Linux for the last
year. He's in his 70's and lives 400 miles from me. I sometimes need
him to open a terminal and type 'ps', or 'df'. I'd suggest you leave
it.

BTW - he switched to Linux 16 months ago and has never looked back. 10
months after switching he jsut threw the old Windows box away. (After
stripping the hard drive.)

Other things - make sure the machine responds to ssh logins if you
want to look at it from some other location, and that ssh is set up to
forward X trafic.

Cheers,
Mark




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