[gizmo385]

> I'm trying to get my kids to use their Ubuntu Linux machines instead of the fucking iPads.

Why? Like seriously. Why? What benefit does this give to your kid?

From your kid’s perspective, the laptop is going to be less useful, more hostile, it’s going to limit how they’re able to talk and relate to their friends.

Outside of your desires as a technologist and personal feelings about Linux, why should your kid want to use it? It feels like you’re projecting the ideals and values of your career onto your kids and then you’re surprised when they don’t share those ideals.

[xrd]

Good question. This is my opinion, but I feel I've got facts to back it up.

I don't want them using iPads because I consider the walled garden of apple to be hostile and predatory. Specifically, this is a place where I cannot control the device, where there are countless apps that are "free" that are advertised to my children without my consent, and then attempt to convince them to beg me constantly to purchase stupid coins or avatars or whatever. These app designers know that parents will give in after a hundred demands, and I resent that manipulation. And, I don't think Apple cares, in fact, I think Apple actively supports them for the 30% take they get.

That's a mixture of opinions and facts, so you'll need to sort it out.

It's ironic that Steve Jobs called the computer the bicycle of the mind. I doubt he would have called the iPad that. I'm hopeful my kids will learn a lot more about computers using Ubuntu. They definitely do explore much more on that then on their iPads which are purely consumption devices. My son was voluntarily using scratch to code a game tonight! He uses his iPad just for YouTube, so that feels like progress.

[noboostforyou]

> It's ironic that Steve Jobs called the computer the bicycle of the mind. I doubt he would have called the iPad that.

FWIW, Jobs specifically said he would never give his kids an iPad because it's bad for their developing brains.

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/fashion/steve-jobs-apple-...

[j45]

Many tech folks keep their kids entirely away from screens because they know what screens are doing to kids, because they are doing it to adults.

[COGlory]

Take away the iPad? Tell them no Youtube on the iPad?

Not everything is an engineering problem.

[joenot443]

There’s a pretty wide suite of options built into iOS which lets parents restrict their child’s usage. It’s actually a problem they cared about a lot and spent many millions on, it’s a bit disingenuous to say Apple doesn’t put control in parent’s hands here.

Which parental control features exist in Ubuntu which are lacking in iOS?

[xrd]

My issue is that you can control time on iOS. But you can't control the individual apps and it is the wild west with every other app control, like YouTube. They offer controls but they are all completely different and it is exhausting to keep up with the different options. The kids have more energy to creep through the guardrails. I think that's by design, it isn't YouTube's business model to stop people from watching.

[j45]

Companies sure get to control what their employees can see or do on their devices.

Corporate mobile device management (MDM) policies can do a lot more for both on apple and android. Maybe that's somewhere to look.