the live CD experience

So. For this assignment I used the older Gnoppix CD, which uses Ubuntu and the Gnome interface. A live CD contains an operating system, enabling a user to boot and use the computer without accessing the hard drive or any permanent memory. Crazy tiny screen resolution (640x480) aside, I found the experience differed less than I expected from the usual hard driven Interweb session, with a few notable exceptions:

1. It took awhile to get started. I followed the instructions on the back of the CD, which proceeded well until I tried to change the default language and location settings. My boot failed, and I had to start again: this time I touched nothing, and it behaved more predictably.
2. It was slow. This may be an issue of age, as I was using an older version of Gnoppix.
3. I couldn't print. This was annoying, but is a result of our specific lab situation--printing is possible from Gnoppix.
4. Most live CD's are based on Linux, which may come as a shock for the technically challenged whose exposure is more or less limited to Windows. This could lead to dysphoria in many public (and other) library users--the pull-down menu labels are unfamiliar to Windows users, and a number of shortcut icons are also different (Firefox was represented by a globe rather than its usual swirlygig).

While the live CD certainly offers a more secure public access environment, based on my own experience I have to wonder how much technical support would be required for an average library user to navigate its use.