Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: Remote Support For Disconnected, Computer-Illiterate Relatives
An anonymous reader writes I use email to communicate with my folks overseas. Their ISP only allows dial-up access to their email account (there is no option of changing ISP), that can receive messages no larger than 1MB nor hold more than 15MB (no hope of changing that either). They are computer-illiterate, click on everything they receive, and take delight on sending their information to any Nigerian prince that contacts them, "just in case this one is true". Needless to say, their PC is always full of viruses and spyware. In my next yearly visit, instead of just cleaning it up, I'd like to gift them with some "hardened" PC to use for email only that would hopefully last the year before someone has to fix it. So far, these are the things I have in mind:
- Some kind of linux distro, or maybe even mac. Most viruses over there are windows only and propagate via Autorun.inf or by email attachments, not having Windows could prevent both.
- Some desktop environment that hides anything unrelated to connecting to the net and accessing their account (dial-up software, email client, web browser, exchanging files between their hard disk/email attachments and USB drives). By "hide", I just want the rest to be out of the way, but not entirely removed, so that if necessary, I can guide them over the phone. For this, Ubuntu's Unity seems like a particularly bad solution, but a Gnome desktop with non-removable desktop shortcuts (is this possible?) for the file manager, browser, email client and dial-up program could work. An android system is unlikely to work (they have no wifi, and they were utterly confused with Android's UI).
- This could be a life saver: some kind of extension to the email client that executes commands on specially formatted emails (e.g., signed with my private key), so that I can do some basic diagnostics or install extra software if I have to. This las point is important: they currently rely on acquaintances who may not be competent (they can't evaluate that) if something happens between my visits. They, most likely, wont know how to deal with anything non-windows, so all tech support would fall on me. (This is the reason I haven't moved them from windows yet.)
- Another very useful extension would be something to automatically re-assemble attachments split into several emails, to overcome the 1MB message limit.
Does any of that exist? If I have to build that system myself (or parts of it), do you have other suggestions? For the inevitable and completely reasonable suggestion of getting someone competent for tech support: I've tried that too. The competent ones don't last beyond the third visit.
You are making the assumption that Gmail isn't blocked, and that the users in question would be open to changing their email addresses.
Also, webmail over dialup has the distinct disadvantage of requiring you to be online to read your email. This ties up your phone line, and may cost money. Batch-download is normally a better solution over intermittent links: Connect to get your email, disconnect, read it, write replies, connect to send. Total time online: usually less than a minute.
'Sensible' is a curse word.
Get them a console (as in a game console) with an internet browser app built in. Something like a Wii or a PS3 or something. Set it up so the home page is the webmail interface.
Safe as you're ever going to get I reckon.
I'm sure they'll wise up quickly when they're having to actually pay for support. Ultimately, it sounds like they're not just illiterate, they're purposefully ignorant and the only way that they'll learn is if there are consequences attached with needing somebody to fix what they ought to know better than to do.
They ... click on everything they receive, and take delight on sending their information to any Nigerian prince that contacts them, "just in case this one is true".
Your Relatives should not be on the Internet. Not only will they be scammed out of possibly every cent they have, but they are probably sending spam and viruses to all of us.
Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
For other reasons, I'd recommend against.
1) why raise a red flag (sorry for the pun)
2) gmail reads all your stuff and sells the keywords to the highest/best bidder, so your privacy is zippo
3) yes, a good POP3 provider can also reel-in mail from other accounts and become a personal email center.
4) most of the spam I get desiring replies uses gmail, so training them not to respond to gmail users might be tough; they need training in general and you need to do that first and foremost before making decisions about what method you want to use.
5) two-factor authentication is likely beyond their capacity to understand. I'd make this one really simple. Use an auto-updating Linux (like Mint), then setup a menu with few choices. Nothing Windows, and if you send a Mac, be sure it can be supported in their locale.
---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.
Some stupid student had pictures of himself naked with his gay friend in his University home folder! ;-)
Some normal student with a sexlife had private pictures in his private University home directory.
although I was tempted to post the gay guys pictures somewhere public.
Why would you do that? What exactly tempted you?
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
If you where tempted to post intimate pictures you found on someones account publicly, you're no whitehat, you're an asshat.
-- Make America hate again!