I haven’t touched Word in almost a decade because I’ve been fortunate to work in companies that don’t pay for Microsoft suite, instead using Google suite. And I’ll tell you, not only I need to use it very very little but also it’s much easier to get things done than Microsoft products.
What do I use daily? Slack and confluence. But we don’t need to talk about those, do we?
Gen alpha beta whatever will need those Microsoft skills when they enter workforce in corporations full of genz, because that’s pervasive cyber tools in those pieces. You can talk all you want about libre Office, but that’s not what man child ceo of big companies do, because they’re affairs of their man child friends peer pressure. Hive mentality.
So my oldest is almost to the point where I’m going to want them to have something for schoolwork and writing. They use a classroom Chromebook at school, but I have no idea what would make sense for them here at home. I’m an engineer who daily drives Linux, so I’m probably overthinking it. I do have an old laptop that will easily handle a lightweight distro, and as long as I don’t give them sudo it will probably be ok? Though I haven’t looked at parental controls for Linux accounts.
I am also an engineer, so my kids have had contact with advanced IT equipment since early childhood and are quite proficient by now. :-)
We also have a Chromebook with touchscreen at home, mainly so they can comfortably use some Android apps in a controlled environment (the 9 yo doesn’t yet have a smartphone of her own). Chromebooks in school are not really a thing here in Germany afaik.
Both kids have an account on our Linux desktop in our work/office room.
This is set up with a special German DNS that provides age-group appropriate filtered hostlists (“jusprog”).
To integrate that I used dnsmasq, which lets me easily modify the filters if needed.
It’s not perfect, as it could be easily circumvented, but we talk openly about it and I try to minimize severe restrictions, so they feel no need to tamper with it.
The kids are sometimes a little annoyed when something new doesn’t work directly, but know that this is the way that allows them to use the PC relative freely, so they are quite happy with the arrangement for now.
We also have a Linux Laptop and a tiny Mini-PC with Linux Mint attached to the TV, both of which they are only allowed to use with some supervision.
Edit:
They have some games that can be used with their accounts (the usual, Luanti, Supertux, Tuxracer).
The more complex Games are on a special account for which they don’t have the password themselves, but have to ask for access.
Older kid just got really involved in playing Oblivion, so proud! ;-)
Meanwhile Gen Alpha:
“What is Word??”
I get the joke but tbh this comes across as boomer humor
Nope, neither a joke, nor Boomer.
GenX with late GenZ and early GenAlpha kids.
So no humor, just empiric observation.
Just this week my GenZ son told me to my astonishment, that out of his class of 30, only 3 still have a printer at home.
For my daughter in elementary school it is even worse.
Mobile phones and tablets essentially have completely replaced PCs and Laptops at home.
First time the kids come in contact with a text processing program is sometime during secondary school in class if they are lucky.
Unlucky I’d say.
I haven’t touched Word in almost a decade because I’ve been fortunate to work in companies that don’t pay for Microsoft suite, instead using Google suite. And I’ll tell you, not only I need to use it very very little but also it’s much easier to get things done than Microsoft products.
What do I use daily? Slack and confluence. But we don’t need to talk about those, do we?
Gen alpha beta whatever will need those Microsoft skills when they enter workforce in corporations full of genz, because that’s pervasive cyber tools in those pieces. You can talk all you want about libre Office, but that’s not what man child ceo of big companies do, because they’re affairs of their man child friends peer pressure. Hive mentality.
So my oldest is almost to the point where I’m going to want them to have something for schoolwork and writing. They use a classroom Chromebook at school, but I have no idea what would make sense for them here at home. I’m an engineer who daily drives Linux, so I’m probably overthinking it. I do have an old laptop that will easily handle a lightweight distro, and as long as I don’t give them sudo it will probably be ok? Though I haven’t looked at parental controls for Linux accounts.
What do you recommend?
I am also an engineer, so my kids have had contact with advanced IT equipment since early childhood and are quite proficient by now. :-)
We also have a Chromebook with touchscreen at home, mainly so they can comfortably use some Android apps in a controlled environment (the 9 yo doesn’t yet have a smartphone of her own). Chromebooks in school are not really a thing here in Germany afaik.
Both kids have an account on our Linux desktop in our work/office room.
This is set up with a special German DNS that provides age-group appropriate filtered hostlists (“jusprog”).
To integrate that I used dnsmasq, which lets me easily modify the filters if needed.
It’s not perfect, as it could be easily circumvented, but we talk openly about it and I try to minimize severe restrictions, so they feel no need to tamper with it.
The kids are sometimes a little annoyed when something new doesn’t work directly, but know that this is the way that allows them to use the PC relative freely, so they are quite happy with the arrangement for now.
We also have a Linux Laptop and a tiny Mini-PC with Linux Mint attached to the TV, both of which they are only allowed to use with some supervision.
Edit:
They have some games that can be used with their accounts (the usual, Luanti, Supertux, Tuxracer).
The more complex Games are on a special account for which they don’t have the password themselves, but have to ask for access.
Older kid just got really involved in playing Oblivion, so proud! ;-)
I’d like your take on Slide Deck vs PowerPoint :)
Archaic shit.