Ubuntu Youth
Written by Philip Höhn
For this month's article I spoke with Andrew (aka: Tuna) about his way in to Kubuntu and his Linux web site Teens on Linux which just recently made it into the UK magazine Linux Format.
Tuna is 15 years old and started using Kubuntu about 6-8 months ago as his first Linux distribution. Following the advice of our Full Circle Editor (Ronnie), he decided to give Linux a try after his laptop had a corrupted version of Windows. Whenever he booted up, he either got an 'Operating System not found' message or the infamous 'Blue Screen of Death' (BSOD). The advice: "Sounds like you need a new operating system" finally persuaded him to make the move.
Just like any new user, he was initially lost. Instead of the usual friend a couple of blocks away who could help, it was, in this case, someone a whole continent away. Fortunately, he found an IRC client and the Kubuntu channel.
Asked for the reason why he started Teens on Linux, Tuna answered: “Well technically, it was all bjwebb's idea. He goes way under-credited for it. He sent in a listener question to the Linux Action Show asking about a teens' Linux community. Now at this point in time, neither of us have even heard of TeenLUG. So I listened to that, and promptly made a post on the LAS forums asking for that guy to email me. Before he even got the chance to see the post, we all got together and created a site called "Teens on Linux" After a few days of building the site, bjwebb emailed me, it was basically thanking me for putting it into action. So I made him administrator and thanked him for the idea. It was the least I could do.”
Although having gained several members since being mentioned in Linux Format, one mystery remains: even Teens on Linux don't know how they made it into Linux Format, “They didn't even email me about it!"
Finally, Tuna described what new features he would like to see in the near and distant future for his beloved Kubuntu. Besides more support for video cards, namely ATI, he hopes for better support for multimedia keyboards and wireless. Future plans for Teens on Linux include a podcast featuring Tuna and Ewanm89. They may well be on opposite sides of the planet, but i'm sure they'll work something out.
