Comment by flomo

18 days ago

imo, the 'grandparent' type user should really be on an ipad or chromebook etc. (unless they have some specific software needs). Too easy to get unwanted stuff running on windows and it needs admin.

13 comments

flomo

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sznio  18 days ago

My parents have Linux laptops. They don't know it's Linux. All they do is browse the web and open PDFs.

Ever since I installed Linux for them, I don't have to drive every month to fix their system because they installed some malware on accident.

intrasight  18 days ago

Us "grandparents" built and continue to maintain the tech stack we're all using. I think great-grandparents are the new grandparents.

  • subscribed  18 days ago

    That amuses me every time I hear a snarky, dismissive comment from the tiktok scroller zoomer/alpha gen.

    Twice amusing when they (usually) don't understand that the application they use has more moving parts than animated pictures on their phone.

  • flomo  17 days ago

    Thanks for reminding us computers have been around for a long time, and even some of those 'great-grandparents' were the experts in their day

    I'm speaking more about more about my family and my desire not do sysadmin work.

zamalek  18 days ago

I got an 80y/o a System76, for basic tasks. Knowledge transfer from Windows was relatively quick, a week at most (she was willing, which is not always the case). Maybe we'll see Linux support call scamming, but that's not the case right now - that advantage of Linux for old people cannot be understated.

Probably the same for an iPad or Chromebook.

  • flomo  18 days ago

    You are the sysadmin for that machine. Just wait until an update borks or something. Maybe you are a hobbyist who likes fixing computers for free, so fine.

    I have done zero technical support for my parent's ipads for like 15 years now. They even got it working with a printer without me. The biggest issue has been bogus emails from "Microsoft Tech Support" and "Norton Antivirus", so the Windows ecosystem still seems grim that way.

lconnell962  18 days ago

Windows has made improvements in that area in the last decade, but I don't disagree much. It could be the bias of having dealt with IT related issues for long enough, but I do think the "average" user might be regressing closer to that grandparent level as far as (needing, if not wanting to admit) that child-proofing the OS is needed. Chromebook and tablet PC stuff will probably continue to draw more entry level users in. As that marketshare grows we will have to wait and see how malicious programming evolves with it...

Same general guesswork, but everyone on here can make reasonably educated guesses at what the AI evolution process will do to the tech landscape. Nobody knows enough yet to have anything in cement, but it's out there, and the small changes of the last few years make it seem that we are going to regress rather than improve the level of technical knowlege needed to be "average" when working on a computer.

Suppafly  18 days ago

>imo, the 'grandparent' type user should really be on an ipad or chromebook etc. (unless they have some specific software needs).

There is always some app that every 'grandparent' type needs that only works on Windows.

  • flomo  18 days ago

    Really? I'm pretty sure all the GreetingCardPro-type stuff is available on iPads, and its a better device for banking/investment stuff (because GreetingCardPro can't fuck with it). I was thinking more like QuickBooks or a custom business app.