Linux for my sister?

Thanks for all the comments. I am accumulating a complete list and w=

ill=20
post it when the discussion slows.
     Here are some follow-up questions I have.

1) Instant Messaging (Alan Dayley) - Are we talking AOL for the great=20
majority of naive users? Do they expect to login to AOL (and does AOL sup=
port=20
logging in from Linux -- I thought they had special Windows-only software=
?)
2) Concern About Fonts on Linux (Ed Skinner) - Are there fonts commonl=
y=20
found on Windows machines that are not commonly found with Linux (RedHat =
8.0=20
is the distribution I'm considering)? If so, Word ".doc" files will look=20
"funny" on Linux and naive users will panic when trying to exchange ".doc=
"=20
files with Windows-based users.
3) GRUB (Marcia Wilbur) - If the machine will be Linux-only, I (Ed Ski=
nner)=20
think this is moot because the Linux installation program should "do the=20
right thing." But if the machine will be dual-boot, then yes, the person=20
doing the Linux install (on the naive user's behalf) may need to "tweak" =
it=20
to set the appropriate default. Some knowledge of GRUB configuration woul=
d=20
then be needed by the installer (person). My inclination, however, is to=20
configure a Linux-only system and remove the temptation of the naive user=
=20
being tempted by satan (into booting Windows again). [FYI: My sister and =
I=20
are well into adulthood, and more so than I like to remind myself.]
4) PDF Reader (Derek Neighbors) - I (Ed Skinner) will disagree with De=
rek's=20
wife and add "acroread" to my growing list of requirements of things to a=
dd=20
(because they're not in RedHat 8.0 - the baseline I'm considering 'cause=20
that's what I'm running).
5) Office Tools (Derek Neighbors) - Abiword may be preferable to OpenO=
ffice=20
but I (Ed Skinner) don't know if it exchanges files well with Microsoft W=
ord.=20
Same for Gnumeric (spreadsheets). Both of my sisters occasionally forward=
=20
".doc" files to me (Ed Skinner) and I occasionally send one back.=20
Interoperability (through ".doc" files) seems important (to me), or is th=
at=20
just my strange family?
6) ActiveX (Derek Neighbors) - My (Ed Skinner's) wife is also heavily =
into=20
coupons but we haven't run into this restriction (so we're obviously not=20
getting enough coupons!) -- where is she surfing that she needs ActiveX (=
so=20
we can go there and get more coupons!)?
Comments?

--=20
Ed Skinner, ed@flat5.net, http://www.flat5.net/