Version 7: After restoring my 12-year-old laptop and setting up Ubuntu, I’ve handed it down to my 4-year-old so she can start learning to type and write with her very own device.

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Breathing New Life into a Vintage Laptop: A Fun Project for My Child

Recently, I embarked on a rewarding journey of revitalizing my 12-year-old laptop by installing Ubuntu, and now it’s ready to serve a new purpose. I’m excited to turn this old tech into my four-year-old daughter’s very first laptop. It’s a great opportunity for her to start learning how to type and express her ideas in writing.

One of my main goals is to create a user-friendly experience for her. I want to simplify the interface so she can dive right into using a text editor without needing to navigate with a mouse just yet. To achieve this, I’m exploring ways to set the laptop to open directly into a text editor upon startup. This would eliminate any unnecessary complexity and allow her to start typing immediately.

Additionally, I have another technical question: Is it possible to configure the laptop to boot with Caps Lock enabled? This could potentially help her focus on the feel of typing without worrying about capitalization for now.

I’m thrilled about this project and eager to see my daughter embrace the world of technology and creativity. If anyone has tips or suggestions on setting up a user-friendly experience or adjusting the startup settings, I’d love to hear them!

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One Comment

  1. Hi there,

    It’s wonderful to see such a thoughtful project turning an old laptop into a learning tool for your child! To configure Ubuntu to automatically open a text editor on startup, you can set up a custom session or modify the startup applications. Here are some suggestions:

    • Auto-launch a Text Editor: Create a simple script that opens your preferred text editor (like Gedit or Mousepad) and add it to startup applications. You can do this by editing the startup applications list or creating a desktop shortcut in your autostart folder.
    • Set Caps Lock to Always On at Boot: To enable Caps Lock by default at startup, you can use the setxkbmap command with an automatic startup script. For example, create a script with setxkbmap -option caps:swapescape,escape_caps or use setxkbmap -option caps:with_shift to modify Caps Lock behavior. Then, add this script to startup programs.

    For a more permanent solution, you might consider modifying the X keyboard settings directly by editing your /etc/default/keyboard file or via setxkbmap commands in your startup script, depending on your setup.

    Hope this helps! Feel free to ask

    Reply

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