Two new elderly people converted to linux

[munkle]

512 kilobytes? You sure you guys don't mean 512 megabytes?

Depending on what you are doing, 512kb will be sufficient (kilo, not mega), for some kind of networking equipment just moving network data around that would work, for the fpga I made into a crappy game console I think I only had 1kb of ram to work with (maybe it was more than that, I don't remember it was a while ago), but for a desktop for a person no it wouldn't. I haven't tried to use modern distros with 512mb (mega) but I have a feeling that it wouldn't be too pleasant of an experience.

Edit: when I say desktop, I mean what a normal everyday person would use to get on the internet or use to perform basic tasks such as document editing.

 

[wizzi01]

Posting my opinion is not trolling. Taking someone elses text out of context and flamebaiting on it is. If you can't see the difference then sorry.

Windows10 IMO is only good for gaming. It's not safe to use online, it's not safe to use at the office where you need to plug USB:s, download attachments of windows users etc. activities. It lacks basic unix compatibility (although I read it's going to finally get a native SSH client lol).

It is plenty safe, but you don't want to hear that all you want to do is troll.

 

[wizzi01]

You do understand that practically none of the attacks work for linux? She can click anything she likes and she won't do any harm. Especially since she doesn't know the root password. Like I said she's been using Ubuntu for years without a single issue. Single. And no antiviruses etc running to hog the resources.

So you are admitting that the way she uses a computer gets her in trouble. Give her the root password and let her get full control of the computer if you aren't worried about her doing something stupid.

 

[crusty_juggler]

Angry Linux troll reporting people while confusing kilobytes with megabytes.

Great thread.

 

[Deleted member 126051]

Listen, my mother was the first one I converted. She was extremely negative towards it and she was literally angry to me when I announced that this was the last time I'm cleaning up her windows and she's going to switch to linux.

Once I had installed the very basic stuff she actually used, including links to the web sites she visited, she adopted linux in a couple of days. She had the false belief that linux would be hard to use and she wouldn't be able to do what she used to do on Windows. Once I showed her how OOO opens up her office files (mostly powerpoints with kittens on them) and how she could print, scan etc just like before it turned out to be no problem at all. Just fear of change.

I laughed a bit when a couple of months ago she bought a 8.1 laptop and after a week of use she said to me: I don't mind if you put linux on this one too

In that week 8.1 was already full of malware by the way.

My mom's a lot more circumspect. She does a bit of minimal browsing (Amazon, Sears, JCPenny, and webmail, that's it). The main use for her laptops are Skype terminals (she gots GRANDBABIES and the prospect of talking to them makes her lose her mind). Beyond that, she's got a mapping/route planner program, Office, a genealogy program, and I dropped Steam on there for a couple games.

 

[B00nie]

So you are admitting that the way she uses a computer gets her in trouble. Give her the root password and let her get full control of the computer if you aren't worried about her doing something stupid.

She wouldn't know what to do if she wanted to. She uses the computer just as millions of people around the world use. Reading e-mails, opening attachments from friends, visiting news / tv websites etc.

That sort of activity is indeed dangerous and no-no on windows. I wouldn't do it personally and I don't recommend it to anyone.

 

[B00nie]

Angry Linux troll reporting people while confusing kilobytes with megabytes.

Great thread.

Angry Windows troll confusing linux with windows. A linux can be customized to run at 512kb - of course you don't get GUI and flashy things, just a task oriented setup (such as configuring a router).

 

[B00nie]

It is plenty safe, but you don't want to hear that all you want to do is troll.

LOOOL plenty safe???? With millions and millions infected as we speak how can you even write that?

People run all sorts of antivirus, antimalware, antirootkit... and kaboom their boxes get owned. That's not safe by a margin. Even if linuxes security model would be based to security through obscurity (even if) it keeps you very safe in practical world.

 

[B00nie]

My mom's a lot more circumspect. She does a bit of minimal browsing (Amazon, Sears, JCPenny, and webmail, that's it). The main use for her laptops are Skype terminals (she gots GRANDBABIES and the prospect of talking to them makes her lose her mind). Beyond that, she's got a mapping/route planner program, Office, a genealogy program, and I dropped Steam on there for a couple games.

Out of those only the genealogy program might require running through Wine (which is naturally not to say it wouldn't work), everything else except the games will run native with linux. To my mom I had to install pipelight too because she wants to watch tv shows using a website that's stupidly built on DRM enabled silverlight. It works however.

She has been very happy with linux and I've been even happier with not having to fix her computer constantly.

 

[Dr. Righteous]

Today I installed Ubuntu linuxes on both my mother- and father in law. They were enthusiastic to try the new OS and loved the wobbly windows animations of the Compiz.

So now my mother, mother in law and father in law all use linux at 70+ lol.

Problem with the elderly is they think a computer should be a like a toaster or coffee maker.
An appliance. The idea you have to LEARN a lot to use it is a deal breaker to most.
Reminds me when dad was talked into the latest laptop by a salesman. Dad found it would record video and audio. So he started recording himself telling an old story we have all heard 100 times, then he fell asleep. After that he got up and walked away and forgot the whole thing.
The next time he needed to use the laptop, it was rather sluggish because of a massive video file filled up much of the HD.
When he tried to play it back, it crashed the laptop. So you try to explain you "just don't do thinks like that".
The response is "Well, what good is it then??"

Well, the one saving grace is the TABLET. Unlike a smart phone the screen is big enough they can see it. Dad has a iPad now and loves it; he won't touch his laptop again.
That is good, because I think the dog pissed on it and it wouldn't work anyway.

 

[B00nie]

Problem with the elderly is they think a computer should be a like a toaster or coffee maker.
An appliance. The idea you have to LEARN a lot to use it is a deal breaker to most.
Reminds me when dad was talked into the latest laptop by a salesman. Dad found it would record video and audio. So he started recording himself telling an old story we have all heard 100 times, then he fell asleep. After that he got up and walked away and forgot the whole thing.
The next time he needed to use the laptop, it was rather sluggish because of a massive video file filled up much of the HD.
When he tried to play it back, it crashed the laptop. So you try to explain you "just don't do thinks like that".
The response is "Well, what good is it then??"

Well, the one saving grace is the TABLET. Unlike a smart phone the screen is big enough they can see it. Dad has a iPad now and loves it; he won't touch his laptop again.
That is good, because I think the dog pissed on it and it wouldn't work anyway.

Heh my father in law is a retired civil engineer and he has worked with windows laptops for an extended time. He is quite interested in learning new things even at this old age probably also to keep his mind active. They also have android smart phones and a tablet. The tablet is mostly used by my mother in law to play candy crush

 

[game14]

wish i could get my old man to use Linux. But well, his laptop came with windows7 preinstalled...

 

[B00nie]

wish i could get my old man to use Linux. But well, his laptop came with windows7 preinstalled...

All the people I converted had preinstalled windows. It was a routine to disinfect / remove malware from them every time I sat on the computer. So one day I had enough and first forced my parents to use linux, then when they actually started liking it I did the same to my in-laws and they're happy to surf infection free now.

 

[game14]

well BOOnie he is over 70 years old now, he used windows98 on my old machine before. Got him a new laptop 3 years ago with windows7 on it. As long as its still working hes gonna stick to it, specially since there is no real alternative for skype on linux yet.
But basically i agree with you that for basic computing needs linux got way more to offer right now than windows does.
My kids kinda growing up with Android. Another pain in the .... , kinda need to fix it on a daily basis.

 

[heatlesssun]

But basically i agree with you that for basic computing needs linux got way more to offer right now than windows does.

For a lot of basic needs now there is the Windows Store and modern apps which are FAR less prone to malware and generally easy to install and use.

 

[B00nie]

well BOOnie he is over 70 years old now, he used windows98 on my old machine before. Got him a new laptop 3 years ago with windows7 on it. As long as its still working hes gonna stick to it, specially since there is no real alternative for skype on linux yet.
But basically i agree with you that for basic computing needs linux got way more to offer right now than windows does.
My kids kinda growing up with Android. Another pain in the .... , kinda need to fix it on a daily basis.

My father in law is 72, he had no problem at all. And there is Skype for linux, why would you need an alternative?

http://www.skype.com/en/download-skype/skype-for-linux/

 

[B00nie]

For a lot of basic needs now there is the Windows Store and modern apps which are FAR less prone to malware and generally easy to install and use.

Everyone hates the modern apps with passion and you know it. They're clumsy and ugly.

 

[heatlesssun]

Everyone hates the modern apps with passion and you know it. They're clumsy and ugly.

I know what I hear from folks that spend more time trying to remove store apps than using them. For a lot of basic stuff they're fine because they are basic. For things like email, photo viewing, Netflix, Twitter, Facebook, causal gaming, etc. they're perfect even on a desktop or laptop for people that just need basic stuff. One interesting point about store apps from Microsoft's event last week. More people on 10 now use the Netflix app than the website. I can't remember the last time I've used the Netflix website.

 

[flu!d]

I can't stand linux for the desktop use. I work as a contractor for IBM, and they have all thinkpads now run Redhat. Its a bloated mess, they only provide you with 4GB of RAM.

I have to support network switches for clients, that require windows to access their networks. So we have to run virtual windows. And it runs awefully slow.

Its really stupid what IBM has done.

Can you not RDP into a Windows machine? I find RDP from Linux to Windows substantially faster than RDP from Windows to Windows. Why do you need Windows to access their networks? Even if the network was set up as a domain environment you don't have to be part of the domain to access the network? And Linux machines can access a Windows domain anyway - However, it would be time consuming and a major PIA to find it necessary to physically join a domain every time you need to provide maintenance to a client's network whether the OS be Windows or Linux.

My Laptop is dual boot and I mostly boot into Linux to access client networks as there is a far lower chance of infection transfer either to my client's network or my own laptop due to the nature of the OS itself.

specially since there is no real alternative for skype on linux yet.

Skype is available natively for Linux, you can download it either off the Skype site itself of via your distro's software manager.

For the record, I run both Windows and Linux and I find Linux to be an outstanding OS, in many ways just as good if not better than Windows. I also make a living repairing malware infested Windows machines and as a result my inlaws, in fact many of my relatives, now run Linux and they love it due to the fact that malware as the result of some game they play on Facebook is no longer an issue (or something I have to fix as a love job for free).

Bias is pointless, so is ignorance.

 

[munkle]

I know what I hear from folks that spend more time trying to remove store apps than using them. For a lot of basic stuff they're fine because they are basic. For things like email, photo viewing, Netflix, Twitter, Facebook, causal gaming, etc. they're perfect even on a desktop or laptop for people that just need basic stuff. One interesting point about store apps from Microsoft's event last week. More people on 10 now use the Netflix app than the website. I can't remember the last time I've used the Netflix website.

Not going to lie I agree with boonie on the modern apps. They are very poor replacements. The modern movies and tv app pauses the video if you minimize the window and as far as I can find there is no option to turn that crap off. I have a lot of videos that are informational and I don't need it on the screen I just want the sound but I can't minimize the video without it pausing. I have to resort to the old windows media player.

There's lots of little issues like that with all the modern apps that just make them crap tastic. Sure there may be one or two that are better than their desktop counterpart, but for the most part the majority are sub par.

 

[game14]

i know skype is available for linux. Thanks for the link though. But its only available for 32bit and not for 64bit OS. I was trying to install it on 64bit Debian, needed to pull a mountain of dependencies and never really got it to work. Did another try on a 32bit Debian. This time install went fine, i can start it and login but till now i never got the video chat to work. No sound card and cam found. Dont know if its an issue with alsa or whatever the problem is.
The GUI for "Linux-skype" is not very user friendly either. Very different from the windows version.
Havent had no time or nerve yet to figure it out why exactly its not working right.
Thats why i was looking if there might be an alternative out there with better support that works right out of the box for both 32 and 64bit Debian.
Before we were using YM, but yahoo too cancelled their Linux support long time ago, despite the fact that the video chat quality is less than mediocre.
Since my old man is still using windows7 and i got windows7 on my main rig... no need to hurry.

 

[flu!d]

i know skype is available for linux. Thanks for the link though. But its only available for 32bit and not for 64bit OS. I was trying to install it on 64bit Debian, needed to pull a mountain of dependencies and never really got it to work. Did another try on a 32bit Debian. This time install went fine, i can start it and login but till now i never got the video chat to work. No sound card and cam found. Dont know if its an issue with alsa or whatever the problem is.
The GUI for "Linux-skype" is not very user friendly either. Very different from the windows version.
Havent had no time or nerve yet to figure it out why exactly its not working right.
Thats why i was looking if there might be an alternative out there with better support that works right out of the box for both 32 and 64bit Debian.
Before we were using YM, but yahoo too cancelled their Linux support long time ago, despite the fact that the video chat quality is less than mediocre.
Since my old man is still using windows7 and i got windows7 on my main rig... no need to hurry.

Interesting, thanks for the mature reply. This is one I'm also interested in researching.

[EDIT]

I just downloaded and installed Skype via the Software Manager in 64bit Linux Mint 17.2, the software installed and ran just fine. I was able to move and resize the window, I made a call using the echo/sound test service and everything went without a hitch, I don't have a webcam connected so I cannot test that functionality just yet, will attempt to test this tomorrow - So far I can't see a single issue, downloading and installing was as pain free as I would expect the Windows install to be and the software seems to be well presented with great functionality.

 

[heatlesssun]

Not going to lie I agree with boonie on the modern apps. They are very poor replacements. The modern movies and tv app pauses the video if you minimize the window and as far as I can find there is no option to turn that crap off. I have a lot of videos that are informational and I don't need it on the screen I just want the sound but I can't minimize the video without it pausing. I have to resort to the old windows media player.

There's lots of little issues like that with all the modern apps that just make them crap tastic. Sure there may be one or two that are better than their desktop counterpart, but for the most part the majority are sub par.

This how most modern video apps work as a power saving feature as that is a normal mobile app behavior. It will continue to play if you don't minimize. It is one of those kinds of differences coming from desktop world that never thought much about power consumption that throws some people and there could be options to control this.

The Netflix app does the same thing and for whatever reason the Netflix app is extremely popular though using web site continues play in the background when minimized.

In any case I was simply trying to make the point that Windows has options for basic stuff because of these apps, some that don't have web or desktop equivalents and while not the most full featured they can get the job done for basic tasks. They are just another option for software that can be fun and useful if you actually look. Something that many Linux folks are always pointing out, people never actually look at Linux to see what's there.

 

[B00nie]

Interesting, thanks for the mature reply. This is one I'm also interested in researching.

[EDIT]

I just downloaded and installed Skype via the Software Manager in 64bit Linux Mint 17.2, the software installed and ran just fine. I was able to move and resize the window, I made a call using the echo/sound test service and everything went without a hitch, I don't have a webcam connected so I cannot test that functionality just yet, will attempt to test this tomorrow - So far I can't see a single issue, downloading and installing was as pain free as I would expect the Windows install to be and the software seems to be well presented with great functionality.

I also run only 64 bit versions and I have had no trouble installing Skype. The GUI on Skype is not exactly different from Windows - it is in fact the old GUI that used to be also on Windows.

My parents and in-laws all need Skype because we do a lot of video chatting cross-continent. In some cases some small tweaking has been required to get the video working or change audio driver but those were mainly in older kernel versions. I haven't had to tweak anything for years now when installing Skype.

 

[game14]

Interesting, thanks for the mature reply. This is one I'm also interested in researching.

[EDIT]

I just downloaded and installed Skype via the Software Manager in 64bit Linux Mint 17.2, the software installed and ran just fine. I was able to move and resize the window, I made a call using the echo/sound test service and everything went without a hitch, I don't have a webcam connected so I cannot test that functionality just yet, will attempt to test this tomorrow - So far I can't see a single issue, downloading and installing was as pain free as I would expect the Windows install to be and the software seems to be well presented with great functionality.

Good to hear that. LM is for sure a fine distro not to mention their outstanding customer support. Everything really works right out of the box.
Well but the Debian world is a little bit different. Many things that work or are easily available in Ubuntu based distros can be a pain in the ... to install in Debian.
Most likely you can get it to work in Debian too, but till now i simply havent had the nerve or time to figure it out. Computers are just my hobby so i dont need to stress myself in fixing it.
As for my old mans laptop, i dont get a chance to have a look at before middle of next year. So hes running it for a little over 4 years now on his own. According to his complains its pretty much jammed up already and the windows10 bug is nagging him. Wanted to put LM on his laptop so in "case of emergency" he can get easily support from them too. They are even helpfull with noobie questions. So its good to hear skype works flawless in LM. Thanks for testing it. Help is always welcome.
As for me , my ISP forces me to use windows. As long as that doesnt change i need to run one computer with windows. Well most of the time im using my windows pc as router. Got 2 games though i use to play that I cant get to run under Linux either. My netbook and store computer run Debian. My kids tablets Android. Even though i got kinda itching in my fingers to try Debian on that too....

 

[game14]

I also run only 64 bit versions and I have had no trouble installing Skype. The GUI on Skype is not exactly different from Windows - it is in fact the old GUI that used to be also on Windows.

My parents and in-laws all need Skype because we do a lot of video chatting cross-continent. In some cases some small tweaking has been required to get the video working or change audio driver but those were mainly in older kernel versions. I haven't had to tweak anything for years now when installing Skype.

really ? maybe you can give me a hint.
We need it for cross-world chatting, since its the only way for them to see their grandkids. Switched to skype a year ago, so dont know what it looked like before.

 

[B00nie]

really ? maybe you can give me a hint.
We need it for cross-world chatting, since its the only way for them to see their grandkids. Switched to skype a year ago, so dont know what it looked like before.

It really shouldn't be any harder than to download the .deb or .rpm from skype.com. If you use buntu, just let the software manager open the .deb and click 'install'. Don't be put off by the fact that they have installers only for the old versions, they usually work just fine. Another option is to enable 'canonical partners' and install them with apt-get or the software manager GUI:

echo "deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu trusty partner" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/canonical_partner.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install skype

Which distribution are you using?

Years ago I had one instance where the audio didn't work until I chose alsa in the settings and once the webcam didn't get recognised until I ran some setting I found on the internet. Other than that I've done 20-30 Skype installs that worked out of the box (on Ubuntu, Xubuntu, Kubuntu and Ubuntu Mate mainly). I have installed Skype on Puppy linux, Mandriva, Elementary, Fedora etc. too and I don't recall it being complicated.

Perhaps you should tell which OS/version you're trying to install and what problem you're hitting.

 

[game14]

Perhaps you should tell which OS/version you're trying to install and what problem you're hitting.

Ok here the details.
im trying to install skype on Debian Jessie 32bit and Debian Testing 64bit. Im following the guide in the Debian wiki (https://wiki.debian.org/skype).
The 32bit Debian version is on my netbook. Pekwm as WM, no DM no DE. Alsa audio driver.
The 64bit Debian version is on my store computer running Mate desktop environment with pulseaudio package.
On the 64bit version i run into the problem that after downloading skype and trying to install its trying to pull over 350mb of i386 dependencies. With that only im gonna hit my daily download cap, not to mention it took over 8 hours. Result of that was a bunch of broken dependencies that i had to cleanup next day ....endet up in skype not working at all. I know its not a problem to blame on skype or Debians fault. Its my crappy ISP. Even though in my opinion it would have been nice from skype to offer a 64bit version in Linux too. If they can do it for windows why not for Linux? So i dont need to pull a mountain of i386 dependencies on a 64bit system.
Ok now my netbook.
Switched from 64bit to 32bit Debian Jessie. On an intel Atom it doesnt really matter anyways. Pekwm as wm and alsa audio driver. Did stay away from pulseaudio because of the bug to mute audio every time i reboot. No DM and no DE.
Installation of skype following the Debian wiki went fine, not many dependencies to pull. Kinda 6 only. Skype starts up and i can login to my account. GUI is very different what i know from windows. Dont know if thats kinda gtk issue but its not a deal breaker either. Regular text messaging works fine. Problem is i cant start no video or voicecall. The buttons for that are deactivated. In settings of skype there is no audio device found and no video device found. I know that the build in cam and mic sometimes causes trouble in setting it up. Havent tried any external cam yet.
Im pretty sure its easy fixable with some config files that i have to edit manually to make it work or some scripts i have to run. But till now i still havent figured out which one i have to edit in what way. Didnt find anything helpfull on the web yet either.
Thats why i thought maybe there is an easier Linux alternative that might work too.
I remember kinda 15 years ago there were some chat apps you could use for videochat that worked with basically everything. Cant remember the name though.
Well i know its not skypes or anybody else fault if i choose the [H]ardway and if the time comes i either get it or switch to something that simply works.

 

[B00nie]

Ok here the details.
im trying to install skype on Debian Jessie 32bit and Debian Testing 64bit. Im following the guide in the Debian wiki (https://wiki.debian.org/skype).
The 32bit Debian version is on my netbook. Pekwm as WM, no DM no DE. Alsa audio driver.
The 64bit Debian version is on my store computer running Mate desktop environment with pulseaudio package.
On the 64bit version i run into the problem that after downloading skype and trying to install its trying to pull over 350mb of i386 dependencies. With that only im gonna hit my daily download cap, not to mention it took over 8 hours. Result of that was a bunch of broken dependencies that i had to cleanup next day ....endet up in skype not working at all. I know its not a problem to blame on skype or Debians fault. Its my crappy ISP. Even though in my opinion it would have been nice from skype to offer a 64bit version in Linux too. If they can do it for windows why not for Linux? So i dont need to pull a mountain of i386 dependencies on a 64bit system.
Ok now my netbook.
Switched from 64bit to 32bit Debian Jessie. On an intel Atom it doesnt really matter anyways. Pekwm as wm and alsa audio driver. Did stay away from pulseaudio because of the bug to mute audio every time i reboot. No DM and no DE.
Installation of skype following the Debian wiki went fine, not many dependencies to pull. Kinda 6 only. Skype starts up and i can login to my account. GUI is very different what i know from windows. Dont know if thats kinda gtk issue but its not a deal breaker either. Regular text messaging works fine. Problem is i cant start no video or voicecall. The buttons for that are deactivated. In settings of skype there is no audio device found and no video device found. I know that the build in cam and mic sometimes causes trouble in setting it up. Havent tried any external cam yet.
Im pretty sure its easy fixable with some config files that i have to edit manually to make it work or some scripts i have to run. But till now i still havent figured out which one i have to edit in what way. Didnt find anything helpfull on the web yet either.
Thats why i thought maybe there is an easier Linux alternative that might work too.
I remember kinda 15 years ago there were some chat apps you could use for videochat that worked with basically everything. Cant remember the name though.
Well i know its not skypes or anybody else fault if i choose the [H]ardway and if the time comes i either get it or switch to something that simply works.

I tried installing Skype to my 64-bit jessie virtual environment and the installation went without problems. I wasn't however able to get the microphone or webcam working so I'm not sure if it's a compatibility problem of Virtualbox and OSX El Capitan or some Debian related issue. Most likely it was a virtualbox issue since even Cheese couldn't see my webcam.

It seems that Virtualbox doesn't like El Capitan too much yet judging from the inability to install oracle extensions (to improve USB device sharing support).

The installation of Skype itself went through in less than a minute including the multiarch libraries which are required for the 32-bit Skype. You can simplify your installation process a lot by installing gdebi and then launching the .deb package of Skype using gdebi instead of dpkg -i. Gdebi will resolve dependencies for you where dpkg -i won't.

I will pick my mothers old laptop from her and run Jessie on it to see if there is a general problem. If it's hardware/driver related I'm afraid I can't help much except to point to search device specific help. I have used Xubuntu and lately Ubuntu Mate to all my 'elderly' installs so at least on those the installation was pretty much childs play.

This site may or may not help for example: http://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/219

 

[game14]

thanks so far.
Just read that skype as of version 4.3 dropped support for alsa. Older versions like 4.2 with alsa support dont let you login anymore.
My netbook hardware got problems with PA, thats why i switched to pure alsa.
Another reason to ban MS out of my house, really gettin tired of them.
Looks like i gotta find an alternative to skype by next year.

 

[B00nie]

thanks so far.
Just read that skype as of version 4.3 dropped support for alsa. Older versions like 4.2 with alsa support dont let you login anymore.
My netbook hardware got problems with PA, thats why i switched to pure alsa.
Another reason to ban MS out of my house, really gettin tired of them.
Looks like i gotta find an alternative to skype by next year.

If you wish to ditch Skype (which has admittedly gone downhill since MS purchased it) there are some alternatives, here's an example: http://www.aboutlinux.info/2013/11/download-viber-for-linux.html

 

[game14]

If you wish to ditch Skype (which has admittedly gone downhill since MS purchased it) there are some alternatives, here's an example: http://www.aboutlinux.info/2013/11/download-viber-for-linux.html

thanks, gonna give it a try when the time comes.
Meanwhile i testet skype on Lubuntu in VB and again on Debian with PA instead of alsa. Works fine on Debian with PA.
On Lubuntu it doesnt work out of the box either even though i installed it from their repos. Works if i switch to PA.
I found a workaround at the arch-forum to make skype 4.3 work with alsa but thats kinda gettin complicated...

 

[B00nie]

OMG it happened! First support call about linux.

The father in law managed to remove some of his panel items so now he can't see menus anymore.

Well, beats having to run malware and virus cleanups every other week.

 

[El Barto]

That's not too bad of a fix. Congrats on converting your folks.