Yeah, some of us couldn't wait to start tormenting our families, and have already ported a few family-facing machines to Linux. Or maybe just me...
The one nice surprise is that Linux remote control support (for media center remotes) more or less "just works," but it "just works" by translating the IR codes directly into keypresses. The good news is that you can easily map/remap the buttons in a pure text config file. The bad news is that the function the Green button performed on windows isn't a single keypress on Linux. The really bad news is that the only IR-remote-controllable 10-foot interface I have available at the moment on Linux is Kodi
I'm still using JRiver in standard view with a wireless keyboard, but the family prefers something that's IR-controllable, no matter how goofy it is.
I know I have no one to blame but myself, but... please send help