[nzlug] SeniorNet "helper" wants to uninstall Linux off my parents' computer

[Jim Cheetham]

On 19/03/07, Martin Kealey <martin at kurahaupo.gen.nz> wrote:
> and put Windows ME on it. Without buying a licence. Or any A/V software.

I guess this was all communicated verbally, and not in writing. You
will probably not get a useful response from third parties (like BSA)
without proof - and in any case, that's a case of "using the enemies
weapons against them".

As far as your parents are concerned, do you have an idea as to what
they "need" a computer for? For most people, a general-purpose machine
means a multitude of ways to break something ...

If you're starting by "just email and Web" then give them a desktop
that's locked down to just two suitable programs. There is a huge
amount of learning to do to understand how to drive email, yet alone
the rest of the machine. If there are mouse issues, make sure you find
out the keyboard shortcuts for tasks, and put them on paper - perhaps
a small booklet with screenshots and a few start points - e.g.
"initial boot", "start email / close email", that sort of thing.

And what is their connectivity like? If it's just modem you'll have
difficulty with remote control help, so try to make sure that they can
use a single name for each thing they see, so they can describe it to
you unambiguously.

> (So you'd think that's the ideal time for them to
> learn Linux: no prior experience to corrupt their expectations.)

Heh :-) They don't *want* to learn Linux, they want to "do yyy".


> Thirdly, they found they couldn't use the random text passwords even though
> I'd written them on a slip of paper and taped it to the screen. So I changed

Why do they need a password? Are there other people around who might
fiddle with the machine? How about just auto login?

> Fourthly, they got given the computer by a neighbour; it's not "old", but
> has enough minor niggles that they can't really cope.

Trying to get people to learn something difficult with non-functional
equipment is really really suboptimal. They have no way of knowing if
the niggle is cause by them, the software, the Internet, the ISP or
their hardware. Simplify something :-)

> The SeniorNet guy's initial position that he just wanted to wipe the whole
> computer and start again, at which I said bluntly that I would wash my hands
> of the entire thing.

It's really difficult maintaining control without being fully
available; if someone local is willing to be "responsible" then it
doesn't matter what they want to use. However, you have a deeper
problem if the local person isn't being responsible.

> (a) wash my hands of the entire enterprise

If your family relationships can cope with this, I'd say it's a strong
possibility. Ask why your parents need a computer at home, as opposed
to learning *at* SeniorNet or using Library terminans ... when they
get more used to it, they can then decide to buy/use one later.

> (b) report SeniorNet to the BSA

Report the SeniorNet representative to the SeniorNet organisation if
reporting anyone is actually necessary; you don't have any hard
evidence for anything else. If he'd actually installed illegal
software you'd have a better case; the lack of AV is just
incompetance, and doesn't have to go to that level.

> (c) take a week off and spend it tutoring my folks, before they get
> corrupted

It'll take much more than a week, and you'll probably find that they
only have an hour or so a day active learning available; it's not easy
to learn stuff :-)

> (d) find some way to reeducate SeniorNet on the ills of what they're doing
> (e.g. threaten to report them to the BSA) or on the joys of Linux (which
> ones?) I think what I need is a "killer app". Something like a recipe
> database or a genealogy research tool would be ideal.

Recipes and genealogical tools are all in great shape online. If their
Internet connection isn't great, then perhaps local tools would be
good. Offline recipe databases suck :-) and the computer probably
isn't in the kitchen. Family tree stuff; well, I think the best thing
there is to get things out of their handwriting, and into a
wordprocessor, and onto paper in a readable typed form. After a while,
introduce the organisational aspects of specialist tools/databases.

> Also, something that makes up for dad's lack of "mouse dexterity" would be a
> big help too. I'm thinking, turn off the keyboard auto-repeat (entirely!)
> and set the mouse acceleration to "linear".

Plus big pointers. And keyboard shortcuts!

Good luck!

-jim