I'm considering getting new computers for the twins. Tayler has my old Shuttle PC, a 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 with 1GB RAM. Tyler has Carina's old 1.8 GHz Pentium 4, also with (I think) a gig of RAM. With the price of PCs these days, it seems almost silly not to buy new ones, and enjoy dual core processing.
I grudgingly permit the twins to use Windows XP on their desktops. They like to play the occassional game of Sims 2, or some other PC game, as well as a variety of web-based games. All of these web-based games use Flash, and most of them now use the new Flash 9. Alas, Flash 9 is only available in beta format for GNU/Linux, and my limited experience with it was less than stellar.
The kids' machines are currently dual-boot, with GNU/Linux installed on the off-chance I need to do some hefty computing on these boxes. The girls almost never boot into GNU/Linux, so the dual-boot is more a distraction for them than anything else. Any new machine(s) I purchase will be required to run GNU/Linux, though I'm willing to continue to permit Windows for the kids as needed.
I've been fiddling with VMware at work, and I've been eyeing Parallels (due largely to Bob's continuing advocacy of their product), which got me thinking about how I might use a virtual machine for the kids' computing environment. I could construct the kids' profiles such that when they log in, it immediately launches the VMware instance of their Windows image. I could give the kids administrator privileges inside their VMs, if I felt like it, without worrying about them trashing the system as a whole. The only (immediate) challenge is how to shut the computer off when the kids log out of the virtual machine (they're notorious for leaving their computers on unattended). Owen suggested I configure the hardware to hibernate when the power button is pressed. I wonder if that would work...
Tayler received a Palm handheld for Christmas from her biological father, and some of the support utilities require administrative privileges for full functionality (SplashPhoto being the worst offender, requiring admin rights for any functionality!) The SanDisk MP3 players I purchased for the twins for Christmas also seem to require admin privileges in order to load music onto them.
The virtual machine solution has a lot of appeal. It allows me to continue to use GNU/Linux on their computers, should I need it (Kino to crunch video of Christmas morning, for example). I can grant administrative privileges to the kids' virtual accounts, and it gives me some control over how to recover from any malware that might infest their computers. It allows me to provision specific amounts of resources to their use, leaving the computer(s) still usable to me via remote access.
I can't help but feel, though, that just maybe I'm over-engineering the solution.
I would say that you're not wrong about over-engineering. How many computers do you really need (Linux installed on)? :)
The boys' computer here runs WinXP as well because of the games. It too is an old shuttle though only running an AMD 2800 or 2000 if I remember correctly.
My solution: Install Windows and their games. Make an image of it and burn to DVD. Leave their PC disconnected from any network and isolated from the world in every way. And if something goes completely wrong (which it has), I just reimage it to its pristine state.
Though if you are checking out the virtualization route, that'd be interesting as well. Wouldn't mind hearing about your experiences...
As much as I'd like to keep the kids offline entirely, it's too late for that. Tyler sends eleventy billion emails to her boyfriend every evening. For reasons unknown to me, she refuses to talk to him on the telephone. Instead they carry on conversations -- one sentence at a time -- via email. I'm also keen to let the girls play at CartoonNetwork, and some other web-based entertainment and edutainment sites (MathBrain was a big favorite when they were younger). So internet access is mandatory.
Making a standalone snapshot (absent any kind of virtualization) of the system isn't a bad idea; and one I hadn't really considered. What tool(s) do you use for that purpose, RoudyBob?
As for GNU/Linux systems, Kent: in my ideal world, all of the computers in our house would be running GNU/Linux! ;)
I've heard that normal people don't have GNU/Linux on any of their computers. I'm not sure whether to believe this or not. It must suck to be normal.
I agree with Bob's comment. I would look at Symantec Ghost for a gui version.
But then again, couldn't you do this in Linux using dd on the Windows partition? You prolly couldn't burn it to a DVD, but you could throw both of their images onto a spare hard drive.
I'm a bad dad. My kids aren't allowed to use the computer un-attended until such a time as they have the ability to learn the command line. Then they will have to learn python and write their own GUI and games. Muhahahahaha
Rick: Symantec Ghost is not FREE! I barely tolerate Windows on their computers -- I'm not about to further taint the house with more proprietary software!
pat: it's enough of a struggle for me to get my kids to clean their rooms; I don't want to have to argue with them about object construction and sanitizing user input!
Desktop virtualization is interesting, but in a context where you want to run Sims 2 etc. the virtualized GPU (especially on VMware Server/ESX) probably won't handle it properly. VMware Workstation offers a better virtual graphics adapter, but thats not free nor is it really good enough to play games on.
web/flash/email etc. shouldn't be a problem, and using Snapshots would make it really easy to revert any changes done in the VMs.
http://www.osalt.com/ghost
I know you want to be an all Linux house. I respect that you like Linux a lot and feel passionate about it.
For what it's worth, though, I still want to run Windows. I think I've said this before.
I like Linux, but the fact remains that many cool applications (namely games) are not made for Linux OR, for that matter, console game systems as you have suggested several times in the past.
I am unwilling to give up the Neverwinter Nights and Icewind Dales of the world- these types of games are my favorite, and they just don't make games like them for console game systems or Linux. Sure you can run them through a Windows emulator, but you have already experienced lock ups that I find unacceptable.
I know you hate it, but going without Windows is just not practical, if we're going to consider what the rest of the family wants.
DrBacchus: I've heard that normal people don't even have more than one computer!