Senior Computer Advisor

[ase]

The time has come to encourage my grandparents to get a computer. Any suggestions for features or warnings specific to the older crowd? First pass consideration is a cheap-ish desktop with webcam and the biggest LCD they're willing to pay for.

Comments

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

Advice: 1) If there's an agency for seniors in your area, they might well have suggestions.

2) Have them try out whatever you decide to buy -- before you pay the store.

[ase.livejournal.com]

Both good points, especially the "try out". Thanks!

[loup_noir]

Do they still have the kind of service that you can plug into your television set? That might make it friendlier, if what they're actually interested in is the Internet, not a full-blown computer experience.

I wouldn't know which service to send them to, though. It used to be, I'd suggest AOL, because it really is friendly and rather communityish, but it's AOL, and I just can't.

Do they live in an area with wi-fi already in? You might want to check.

[ase.livejournal.com]

WebTV didn't really catch on; apparently, it was kind of a hassle to use. We've only talked about this in the most general terms, but I was tentatively planning on setting them up with their phone company as their ISP. As of last summer, my laptop wasn't picking up any unsecured/free wi-fi hotspots in their area.

AOL is evil. I'm going to install Firefox for them and bookmark some seniors networking sites before handing it over. (This is starting to sound more like a present / project for the holidays than for a couple evenings in August.) Thanks for the advice!

[countrycousin.livejournal.com]

I second the inclination to make screen size a priority. This implies not going with TV, unless they have HD, in which case perhaps it is worth considering. But having it separate means one can surf while the other is watching TV.

What would they use it for, other than, I assume, video chats? I have been using Windows exclusively now for decades and am not familiar with Mac any more, but I gather there are fewer opportunities to confuse with Mac. That is a consideration with oldies - we do not learn as fast as we used to, partly because what we learn leaks out a damn site faster than it used to.

Who is going to help with security considerations? Deciding how to update? And whether? Learning about what sites to go to and how to tell the ones to stay away from. (I help with the Sr. Ctr. and have to periodically clean up the machines there.)

I totally applaud the effort - my own life is enriched by what I find on line, particularly contributions from LMB list members and members from some other reading lists I follow. Several elderly in the community are very active on line. For others, it is a scary and confusing muddle.

Good luck and God bless.

Gramps

[ase.livejournal.com]

HD? I don't think my grandparents have cable.

Primary use is going to be websurfing, I think. News and medical, at their age. They're about 80, so they don't get out much.

I'm probably going to be the tech support on call. I may encourage them to shell out for professional tech support as well, in case Life Happens. Since I'm Windows proficient, but have limited Mac experience, I'm leery of going with Mac. I really, really don't want to set them up with Vista, so watch this space for cackling as I find the Last Legit XP Box On Earth. If I had a spare box, I would set it up with Ubuntu so fast to see if I could put them on it.

Thanks for the suggestions - getting information from people who've been through the transition is really helpful.

[countrycousin.livejournal.com]

Well, HD switchover is coming up - 18 months or so? But I'm not pushing that solution.

People replace computers all the time - you can probably get a not-too-old box. Lots of people glad to see them used - and not have to dispose of them responsibly. Still want a decent monitor, though.

Dell was allowing people to buy boxes with XP for a while. They may have stopped.

And I do know the difference between site and sight - it just doesn't always come reliably to mind. :<{ (no, you didn't say a word, I'm just fretting over a "senior moment")

[ase.livejournal.com]

Dell made a deal with Windows to sell XP through the end of this year. In the long term, Vista will be the new standard, but I am really dragging my feet on the switchover because I loathe Vista's hardware specs.

Used boxes come with the specter of hard drive cleanup and shorter lifespan. I'd want some certification on a used computer.

Site and sight? I am missing the original slip. :-)

[countrycousin.livejournal.com]

re: Dell & XP - ah, thanks - that is useful info.

re: used box: IMHO you should be thinking free or $10 or very little more - they might have to pay (or feel guilty) to dispose of it properly. But I agree, lifetime may be curtailed. If it were a recent used box, some money might be indicated, but boxes keep getting bigger and cheaper - One should not contribute to inflating the prices of used boxes. I have about a dozen in my house, to the dismay of DW. Unfortunately I am about 11 hours from DC. If you decide to take a VT vacation, give me an advance warning, and I'll get you something. Don't know what Ubuntu requires to run. I downloaded it, but haven't taken time to install it. Still recovering from a couple of disk crashes.

Re: missed original slip: thank you :<)

[ase.livejournal.com]

Vermont would be a pleasant change from this weekend's local temperatures, certainly.

I'm leaning toward a new box for my grandparents because I want something reliable. If my computer spontaneously implodes, I can take a shot at fixing it, but they wouldn't have the first idea what went wrong.

Ubuntu is one flavor of linux OS. In one well-buried corner of the website, it claims that you need 256 MB RAM and 2 gigs of free hard drive space. (Compare to Vista, which wants 1 GB RAM and 15 GB of a 40 GB hard drive for Home Premium.) Windows should not have left XP on the market so long; the Vista code bloat really ticks me off after many years of mostly-stable XP quirks.

[countrycousin.livejournal.com]

Well, Ubuntu sounds pretty hungry - you couldn't go back too far. Your new machine plan sounds best, but I do not want to go to Vista. Don't suppose I'll have a choice.

(One of my old machines is a 48k Apple ][, which was a pretty big machine for its day - they were selling a lot of 16k machines and I think started out with 4k. And that wasn't much because they used 1k for display and more for other system purposes. It was a beautiful machine. Ran Visicalc just fine.)

[charlie-ego.livejournal.com]

I don't really have much to add, except

-I love that icon with the post!

-would they want a cheap printer? I know my parents really like being able to print out emails and things, because way preferable to them to reading on screen.

[ase.livejournal.com]

A printer would probably be a brilliant addition.

Re: icon: thank you! I made it. :-) It holds up well outside the original (Bujold junkies) context, which pleases me.

[filkferengi]

I strongly recommend going here:
http://www.thefump.com/artist.php?id=4

Of the Tom Smith songs on this page, I bring to your attention "Cat Macros" [& the hilarious video therefor on YouTube]. For this post, you should also listen to "Tech Support For Dad." The other songs are good too.