Picasa for Linux

I installed Picasa for Linux on my parents’ PC last night and I’m very pleased with the results. Previously I had them running the Windows executable via WINE, but performance and reliability were poor. Now they’ve got a solid way to upload and share photos.

My parents bought their current PC about five years ago. I recommended switching to a Mac at the time but my Mom still had a proprietary Windows app she needed to access for work. When they retired to Richmond early this year with a ridiculously crapped-up PC, I seized the opportunity to move them over to gOS-flavored Ubuntu, using the same aging PC. gOS has been fairly trouble-free and the machine runs well again, and I’m nearby to address any hiccups.

The reason my parents’ Windows OS became so corrupted, of course, is that my parents lack the computer savvy to avoid malware. And not to get into theoretical discussions beyond my competence about whether Mac, Linux or Windows is the “most secure”, but the simple reality is that there are far, far, far more dirtbags out there exploiting Windows vulnerabilities than Mac or Linux vulnerabilities. Last night when I was working on their PC, I found several Windows .exe files in the Firefox default download folder – stillborn.

Linux native versions of applications like Picasa are a tremendous asset to those of us looking to keep our loved ones safe from botnets, password thieves and other bandits. If you’re in the same position, you might want to try downloading gOS or Ubuntu. I installed Ubuntu on an old PC of my own and screwed around with it for a month or two before I installed gOS on my parents’ PC. It’s easy, it’s far safer than Windows, and thanks to the likes of Google, Firefox, Skype and others, it’s now practical.