I don't agree. My parents PC got repeatedly infected by spyware/malware with MS Security Essentials over the last few years. I switched them back to avast, we'll see.
My SO wasn't into gaming at all until I intrigued her with adventure games where the context is realistic, a world, story and characters she can relate to (ie. no over-the-top fantasy/futuristic worlds), and an easy learning curve. Games where raw gamer skills aren't important, but where human soft-skills play a bigger role. We're both of us behind the same laptop, solving puzzles together, discussing what to do, about the characters, and so on.
A few games that fit the bill: Secret Files, LA Noire, Broken Sword 1/2, Phantasmagoria. I know it's a far cry from co-op FPS games, but it's a common digital playground we found and both enjoy.
Intel is resuming shipments of the Intel 6-series chipset for use only in PC system configurations that are not impacted by the design issue. (...) [those systems] will only use the two (unaffected) 6Gbps SATA ports provided by the chipset
Just like Apple's MacBook Pro's, that use one channel for the HDD/SDD and the other for the SuperDrive.
Microsoft's answer to security issues with Windows Phone 7:
1) impose OS license fees to phone manufacturers
2) less manufacturers => less phones
3) less phones => less users
4) less users => less developers
5) less developers => less apps
6) less apps => less users ...
6) no users => no security issues!
7) profit !
There's no indication of something like that happening anytime soon. Not sure? Then ask Steve Jobs:
He actually said there won't be any Mac App Store, and that the rumors about the Mac dying are "completely wrong". Furthermore, rumors about the iPhone 4 cutting into Mac OS X development are false.
Unless you can get them to understand the basics of security (...virus scanner, a firewall, something like Revo Uninstaller and maybe Process Explorer)) your fighting a losing battle.
I think you should avoid explaining tech stuff as to an 80+ years old grandpa as much as possible. Perceived complexity is exactly why a lot of senior people won't even touch a computer with a pole stick. I've been recently confronted to the similar problem as the author: give the simplest computer to my grandpa, and teach him how to use it. He already tried using Windows and Mac, but gave up because it was too complicated for him. I hope my experience will help you somehow. First, you have to ask yourself the right questions:
- What exactly does he want to do on his computer?
- What is the best and easiest way to present these functionalities on his screen?
- What time do I have?
And *then only* you can ask yourself what software/hardware you'll use, depending on the answers of the two above questions.
I customized a Xandros EeePC 900 to be even simpler to use than with stock setting. Here's what I personalized:
- Five functionalities: Internet, Email, Writer, Solitaire, Skype. That's five huge buttons on the main screen (no other buttons, there's alt+t terminal for administration)
- Kiosk mode Firefox: fullscreen, back button, home button, print button, font size up/down buttons, close button (and Adblock plus installed)
- Netvibes homepage with local news, weather, wikipedia search, and video search. (no Google, too exotic for my grandpa).
- Disabled reminders, unnecessary tooltips, auto-updates, etc.
- Removed all the unnecessary buttons from OpenOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, Skype.
- Removed the taskbar, and the maximize/minimize buttons from windows (basically: removed apparent multitasking).
- Configured the power button to be instant on/off (no confirmation screen etc).
- Configured Thunderbird with his email address, ready to be used.
Then comes the teaching part. In my free time I made him a little manual with a lot of screenshots, and spent two hours with him explaining him what he wanted to know, and I used a tutorial approach.
The only downside of my experience is the great amount of time required to customize Xandros and to write the manual, so your solution might might be different depending on the time you have on your hands. But my grandpa seems to be satisfied with the result. It has been six months since he touched his EeePC for the first time. He uses it everyday now, and never had a crash/problem (yet).
There are two problems with those Google pictures:
- There are more people who can see you on the internet than in the street
- The picture remains available
Now take the exemple of the man who appeared on a picture walking out of a strip club with his face recognizable in hi-def. A bit embarrassing.
I'm running Vista RTM and when I use the hibernate function my mouse, or keyboard, or sound card, randomly fails to wake up.
When I put Vista on sleep mode, my screen flickers, a huge "Thump" comes out of my speakers, and then the logon screen appears
(I'm very satisfied with the shut-down feature, though!).
I'm running 1 year old hardware with signed drivers and I expect at least that it's default shut down option (sleep mode) works. But hey, that's just me.
I don't get it, usually Bad German Guy is the evil boss in :
(x) violent video games
(x) Hollywood movies
and now you're telling me that he's also a developper! science-fiction...
For your information, banks can be help responsible if they accept money from a source that has not been verified.
A bank running "extended background checks" is not a matter of wanting it or not. It's in the law: they have to do it.
MySpace are responsible of the ads they're hosting on their pages: they make contracts with those companies and they get money out of it, which implies that they know what they are dealing with (so they know they're getting money by rooting you.. it's a bit like Soviet Russia, you know?)
By the way concerning your other "points": I'm pretty sure that closing your eyes on the illegal business that's happening under your roof *is* a crime.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't agree. My parents PC got repeatedly infected by spyware/malware with MS Security Essentials over the last few years. I switched them back to avast, we'll see.
My SO wasn't into gaming at all until I intrigued her with adventure games where the context is realistic, a world, story and characters she can relate to (ie. no over-the-top fantasy/futuristic worlds), and an easy learning curve. Games where raw gamer skills aren't important, but where human soft-skills play a bigger role. We're both of us behind the same laptop, solving puzzles together, discussing what to do, about the characters, and so on.
A few games that fit the bill: Secret Files, LA Noire, Broken Sword 1/2, Phantasmagoria. I know it's a far cry from co-op FPS games, but it's a common digital playground we found and both enjoy.
It is likely that he tried to call 911 to carrier-unlock his iPhone 4. This is apparently necessary with the Gevey Sim Unlock technique.
Intel is resuming shipments of the Intel 6-series chipset for use only in PC system configurations that are not impacted by the design issue. (...) [those systems] will only use the two (unaffected) 6Gbps SATA ports provided by the chipset
Just like Apple's MacBook Pro's, that use one channel for the HDD/SDD and the other for the SuperDrive.
Microsoft's answer to security issues with Windows Phone 7:
...
1) impose OS license fees to phone manufacturers
2) less manufacturers => less phones
3) less phones => less users
4) less users => less developers
5) less developers => less apps
6) less apps => less users
6) no users => no security issues!
7) profit !
inSSIDer lets you visualize the strength of all the surrounding wifi networks, and if they overlap or not. It's free.
There's no indication of something like that happening anytime soon. Not sure? Then ask Steve Jobs:
He actually said there won't be any Mac App Store, and that the rumors about the Mac dying are "completely wrong". Furthermore, rumors about the iPhone 4 cutting into Mac OS X development are false.
We don't need no DRM control!
This would also certainly lower the bank administrative fees that I always have to pay in advance to my Nigerian business partners!
Unless you can get them to understand the basics of security (...virus scanner, a firewall, something like Revo Uninstaller and maybe Process Explorer)) your fighting a losing battle.
I think you should avoid explaining tech stuff as to an 80+ years old grandpa as much as possible. Perceived complexity is exactly why a lot of senior people won't even touch a computer with a pole stick. I've been recently confronted to the similar problem as the author: give the simplest computer to my grandpa, and teach him how to use it. He already tried using Windows and Mac, but gave up because it was too complicated for him. I hope my experience will help you somehow. First, you have to ask yourself the right questions:
- What exactly does he want to do on his computer?
- What is the best and easiest way to present these functionalities on his screen?
- What time do I have?
And *then only* you can ask yourself what software/hardware you'll use, depending on the answers of the two above questions.
I customized a Xandros EeePC 900 to be even simpler to use than with stock setting. Here's what I personalized:
- Five functionalities: Internet, Email, Writer, Solitaire, Skype. That's five huge buttons on the main screen (no other buttons, there's alt+t terminal for administration)
- Kiosk mode Firefox: fullscreen, back button, home button, print button, font size up/down buttons, close button (and Adblock plus installed)
- Netvibes homepage with local news, weather, wikipedia search, and video search. (no Google, too exotic for my grandpa).
- Disabled reminders, unnecessary tooltips, auto-updates, etc.
- Removed all the unnecessary buttons from OpenOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, Skype.
- Removed the taskbar, and the maximize/minimize buttons from windows (basically: removed apparent multitasking).
- Configured the power button to be instant on/off (no confirmation screen etc).
- Configured Thunderbird with his email address, ready to be used.
Then comes the teaching part. In my free time I made him a little manual with a lot of screenshots, and spent two hours with him explaining him what he wanted to know, and I used a tutorial approach.
The only downside of my experience is the great amount of time required to customize Xandros and to write the manual, so your solution might might be different depending on the time you have on your hands.
But my grandpa seems to be satisfied with the result. It has been six months since he touched his EeePC for the first time. He uses it everyday now, and never had a crash/problem (yet).
There are two problems with those Google pictures: - There are more people who can see you on the internet than in the street - The picture remains available Now take the exemple of the man who appeared on a picture walking out of a strip club with his face recognizable in hi-def. A bit embarrassing.
Actually, Ballmer is saying that he hopes to get old people to squi... nevermind
I'm running Vista RTM and when I use the hibernate function my mouse, or keyboard, or sound card, randomly fails to wake up. When I put Vista on sleep mode, my screen flickers, a huge "Thump" comes out of my speakers, and then the logon screen appears (I'm very satisfied with the shut-down feature, though!). I'm running 1 year old hardware with signed drivers and I expect at least that it's default shut down option (sleep mode) works. But hey, that's just me.
I don't get it, usually Bad German Guy is the evil boss in : (x) violent video games (x) Hollywood movies and now you're telling me that he's also a developper! science-fiction...
For your information, banks can be help responsible if they accept money from a source that has not been verified. A bank running "extended background checks" is not a matter of wanting it or not. It's in the law: they have to do it. MySpace are responsible of the ads they're hosting on their pages: they make contracts with those companies and they get money out of it, which implies that they know what they are dealing with (so they know they're getting money by rooting you.. it's a bit like Soviet Russia, you know?) By the way concerning your other "points": I'm pretty sure that closing your eyes on the illegal business that's happening under your roof *is* a crime.
In Soviet Russia, pussy gets you.
.. web hermit life)
(sorry I just had to say it once in my