Edubuntu is not userfriendly

Sorry this is more of a review than a big report but as I had high hopes of passing it to someone who could have put it into a nice marketing deal it might be taking as a bit more than a rant.

Was at the Glasgow science museum a week ago. Where a bunch of kids were walking around with iPads. Apparently for a study on how that pad improves their ability to learn and pick up information. The fluidity of these 8-10 year old kids, were using these devices was pretty amazing. Some recording their friends. Some typing what they were learning, Some others were just dictating in. Did I see a single one having to ask anyone asking for help? Or an application crash? No. They just worked. I'm a nerd so I wanted to see how they worked as well. I also dropped by an Apple Store a week later and was really impressed how easy they are to just glance at and go. I'm not a mac person nor will I be buying one I am impressed at the number of people just going in, and being able to have things sorted out w/out being told "Find it out yourself, dumbass" which is the usual reply, elsewhere.

My point here is the ease of use and the pleasantness of it. Sitting down for a while with Windows or 'nix, I'm sure people can pick it up and become masters at anything, but what mac still has down better than Windows or 'nix is the initial ease of use.

The Edubuntu 'dock' has all the Ubuntu 'old' icons and for an office device sure they're not too bad, but for an educational tool? It's pretty lame. If I were a child wanted to use it, it wouldn't be conducive. If the 'dock' opened up all the educational applications first before the favourites and there wasn't a need to filter results, that would be better.

I don't have kids, nor do I teach. However I used to work in a educational software copany for a good 5 years however and the mantra there was ease of use. Clarity. If a child had to ask what they had to do, they were not learning, and the teacher is taken away from teaching.

At first, I was interested by Edubuntu with the icons and backdop but as I spent time, I realized it was just Ubuntu with just applications added, and icons, and that's about it. There may be the thin client ability but I still haven't how found to set it up. Linux is a good system and free software better, but having time to spend time? Not so much. If Ubuntu was as dead simple as claimed, I'd be willing to bet money it'd be on more machines after 6-7 years. Make everything run OOTB, and I'll be happy to say nice things about Edubuntu. I don't know everything nor to I profess to. This is just my Impression from spending a few hours with Edubuntu.

Where do I get off saying this? Better part of 20 years ago, the mentioned, educational software place I used to work, had a basic networking for teachers and students, and it was dead simple then., So why should be a one click setup be complicated now? There were routers and firewalls, and IT managers you were scared of back then. So what gives now?
Edubuntu has great potential, but it needs to spin further off the family tree. Maybe plugging into the local educational systems a bit more and seeing what is needed, then tying into them.