G+_John D. Hawkins Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 I'm thinking about setting up a Pi 3 with an old monitor and keyboard for my kids to use for school. Is the OS simple enough for my wife to help them when I'm not home? This kit looks like it might fit the bill well. I'm thinking my little girl 7 (and maybe my son 5) is gonna be a maker to some level. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C6Q2GSY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=16L8H471HO8FD&coliid=I6CBEPJ63C77T https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C6Q2GSY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=16L8H471HO8FD&coliid=I6CBEPJ63C77T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 It's hard to know how "techy" your wife is or what you plan to run on it. The desktop experience is pretty similar to Windows I think you can install Chromium and/or Firefox to give a more familiar browsing experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_David Wiggins Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Raspbian, the most common OS, is pretty straight forward. It has an a start menu, er,app launcher at top left, rather than bottom left. The only hangup I can think of is if the school stuff uses flash content. I don't know how chromium wild handle that on pi. As Ben implied, must of what people do on computers is online, an doesn't need much processing power. It still may be slower to render some pages. It also has some cool till as part of the base install. If memory serves, there is an education subset in the app launcher. Also, I'm a fan on the CanaKit bundles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Eddie Foy Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 I think you could get a refurbed desktop/laptop for a few bucks more and be vastly more powered/happier. (Unless of course this is your way of getting the Pi purchase 'approved') Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Ben Reese Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 I hadn't clicked on the link yet, but that does look like a pretty good kit. I've seen older i5 laptops on Craigslist for $150 range and would have a ton more power, but it's not a Pi. My only concern is that a lot of non-techy people won't be willing to click around and try stuff. I don't know your wife, my most wives aren't super techy. Good thing is, she can't really mess it up bad - and if she does, wipe and start over in 30 min. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Tyler Pearson Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 I thought about doing the same but didn't have a spare monitor handy. I ended up buying my Son a Chromebook for $250 and he loves it. We already have another Chrome OS box my kids used for homework but the older one is needing it more and more for homework and projects. The Chrome box was about $150 and runs great. May be another idea if you already have a spare monitor and keyboard. Very easy to use and compatible with most website and things they will include get without the issue of viruses and them screwing something up too bad. My kids are 8/11 by have been using the Chromebox for a year or two with no issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_John D. Hawkins Posted October 7, 2016 Author Share Posted October 7, 2016 Sorry guys totally over looked the comments. I've been (and still am) in Alaska working 72 hour weeks. I basically put the kit together, plugged it in, loaded Raspian, got it on the network and came here. They are having a lot of audio and freezing issues with PBS kids and the sites the school is sending them to. I think the sites are pretty Flash heavy. My supervisor suggested Ubuntu then finds packages to better handle streaming. Thoughts? Oh and I've still got another week up here before I can try it out. Thank you so much for your input. This was totally an excuse to get a Pi after listening to Padre messing with them all of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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