Linux for the elderly?
in [UK Linux]
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From: Bernard Peek on 11 Nov 2009 17:33 In message <hdfcjo$jmn$1(a)news.eternal-september.org>, chris <ithinkiam(a)gmail.com> writes >On 11/11/2009 17:02, Bernard Peek wrote: >> In message <hdeinu$7t7$1(a)news.eternal-september.org>, Chris >> <ithinkiam(a)gmail.com> writes >> >> >>> >>> The elderly are a good target group, however, as they often struggle >>> to adapt to new things. >> >> Don't say that in uk.people.silversurfers >> > >Clearly! They aren't the ones I'm thinking of, though. They are the >minority. I'm not completely convinced of that. There are definitely people who just can't get on with PCs. There are people who take to them like a duck to water. Both are in a minority. -- Bernard Peek
From: Ted on 12 Nov 2009 08:58 Chris Whelan wrote: > I have always considered that Linux may become more widely used as a > niche OS; my thoughts were more on specialist desktops for children, and > I have set up several machines with some success in this way. > > Here is a different take: > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8352606.stm > > The key to this is going to be community; those struggling at the limits > of understanding of their computers usually turn to their nearest and > dearest, who are unlikely to have any Linux experience. If some of the > knowledgeable folk here and on some of the various distribution forums > were able to help, this could become a success. > > Any thoughts? > > Chris > I have just installed Ubuntu on a spare partition and tried eldy on it. It seems to me to be ideal for a newcomer to computers and is very easy to use..I believe the Simplicity computer uses Mint as its base but have read it is ok in DSL... Regards Ted Wager High Peak UK
From: FP on 12 Nov 2009 09:00 On 11/11/2009 14:37, Chris wrote: > Whiskers wrote: .... > >>I think the idea of 'something simple for the old folk' is rather >>patronising. > > I disagree. Some/most old folk really struggle with computers. My > parents are both 70+ and never had to use anything more than a > typewriter in their working lives. Now they have a Vista laptop and > my dad really doesn't 'get it' and my mum is quite happy to fumble > through until something 'works'. .... And some are just not interested. While my mother can use her Mandriva box for email, web, word processing and making CDs of my sister singing, my father just won't go near the thing. He could: he'd be well able for it. But he just reckons it would waste too much time. Anyway he took a dislike to many things digital after asking a class what 50% of 400 was, and half of them reached for their calculators. That probably coloured his thinking. But they were studying for accountancy certification, maybe he was expecting too much. The other thing that surprised me was: "The computer comes pre-loaded with 17 video tutorials from television presenter Valerie Singleton" Surely this target audience is too old to have been watching Blue Peter when she was on? FP
From: Chris Whelan on 12 Nov 2009 09:22 On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:15 +0000, FP wrote: [...] > The other thing that surprised me was: > > "The computer comes pre-loaded with 17 video tutorials from > television presenter Valerie Singleton" > > Surely this target audience is too old to have been watching Blue Peter > when she was on? > > FP :-) I think the idea is more that she is the same sort of age as the target market. (She's 72, BTW.) Chris -- Remove prejudice to reply.
From: Whiskers on 12 Nov 2009 11:03
On 2009-11-12, FP <f32pnospam(a)eircom.net> wrote: > On 11/11/2009 14:37, Chris wrote: >> Whiskers wrote: [...] > The other thing that surprised me was: > > "The computer comes pre-loaded with 17 video tutorials from television > presenter Valerie Singleton" > > Surely this target audience is too old to have been watching Blue Peter > when she was on? > > FP She went on to present 'financial' and 'consumer' programmes; she's been a respectable and fairly frequent face on TV for decades. -- -- ^^^^^^^^^^ -- Whiskers -- ~~~~~~~~~~ |