namelesstavern.net

I want to get my 80-year old grandfather a simple computer so that he can surf the internet and keep in touch with us young ones. Any suggestions?

ubuntu!

Naethyn wrote:ubuntu!

That's actually not a bad idea. You can get him a cheap Dell laptop with Ubuntu on it. Since he's obviously, probably not computer literate - the learning curve (which comes with switching from Windows to Linux) is pretty much linear.

With Ubuntu you'll never have to worry about him getting a virus or *accidentally* deleting key system files and causing serious crashes.

Seriously - get him a Dell with Ubuntu and life will be good.

It's exceptionally easy to use.

How does it work? I buy a cheap computer, erase everything and put this free software on it?

Menlaan wrote:How does it work? I buy a cheap computer, erase everything and put this free software on it?

seriously, don't give him something you're not willing to support in detail~

and when you do give him a box, make sure you can always get to it remotely to help him fix shit

That's the problem. I'm in NY, and he's in MS. I'm looking for a fool-proof computer. Impossible?

Get him a Mac. Seriously. It's unix with a really solid user interface and can be really simple to use for someone with no computer skills.

Menlaan wrote:How does it work? I buy a cheap computer, erase everything and put this free software on it?

Dell sells computers preloaded with Ubuntu and gives support.

It's point and click, just like Windows, except it's actually a lot easier to use for a beginner.

If cash isn't an issue, get him a Mac. It's just as easy as Ubuntu, far easier than Windows and simple. Toss is spot on there.
The only thing is Macs cost twice what Ubuntu Dells do.

Have to agree with the others. Either a dell with Ubuntu or a MAC.

Dell starting at $549


Mac starting at $599 (no monitor)

Just for fun I downloaded a virus scanner for this Linux box. A program called Aegis-Virus-Scanner...

I installed it, updated it and just for the hell of it went around to a few sites.

Then I scanned my drive... 4 viruses were found in the .wine directory - which is a simulated Windows environment. No viruses were found otherwise.

What does this mean? It means that had I been using Windows when I had clicked those sites I'd have 4 new viruses causing problems - on the entire machine.

This is something else to factor in. He's not going to be tech savvy enough to understand WHEN he gets a virus, much less what to do if he gets one - which is inevitable if he uses Windows.