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So, my grandfather wants to get a laptop...

LoxleyLoxley Registered User regular
Yup, my 84 year-old Iwo Jima-vet grandfather decided that he wants to get one o' them portable computers, mostly because he wants to learn how to use email.

So, I come looking for some advice. I've thought about a Netbook, but the keys are a tad too small for someone who understandably doesn't have the greatest vision anymore. The laptop itself really only needs to serve a couple functions, I don't need something incredibly high-end. It basically just needs to access the internet for the purposes of emailing, at least primarily. Looking mostly at the $800 or lower range.

I appreciate any suggestions :)

[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Loxley on

Posts

  • Robos A Go GoRobos A Go Go Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Can he read the keys on a normal laptop's keyboard? Those aren't very big either.

    He could always get a keyboard with large print keys, practice on that, then move on to using his laptop's actual keyboard once he's learned the positions.

    Robos A Go Go on
  • ZackSchillingZackSchilling Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    If he's learning to use a computer for that first time at 84 (and isn't predisposed to using information systems), then he is going to be working this machine in a step-by-step fashion. It is not reasonable to expect any sort of proficiency with moving around files or installing software. You want a machine that's predictable, low maintenance, and simple to the extreme.

    The operating system is not going to matter. If you know Linux well, get something with good Linux support and get him an extremely simple, static software set that's immune to viruses. The actual hardware doesn't matter much. Just make sure it's large and reliable.
    In before Obs with Macbook suggestion

    ZackSchilling on
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  • ImprovoloneImprovolone Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Any of the netbook specific builds of Linux would probably work very well.

    Improvolone on
    Voice actor for hire. My time is free if your project is!
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    I say take him to Best Buy or some other store that has display laptops sitting around and show him some stuff on them. See what he thinks, maybe he'll balk or he might take to a certain model rather well.

    UncleSporky on
    Switch Friend Code: SW - 5443 - 2358 - 9118 || 3DS Friend Code: 0989 - 1731 - 9504 || NNID: unclesporky
  • CJTheranCJTheran Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Macs are easy to use, have easily usable zoom functions for seeing all that small shit, but are well over your budget.

    I've never used Linux on one of my personal computers, but people say it's very easy to set up in such a way that non-savvy people can perform basic tasks without difficulty.

    CJTheran on
  • ObsObs __BANNED USERS regular
    edited May 2009
    Is 800 a strong budget or could you go just a little bit more

    Obs on
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Obs wrote: »
    Is 800 a strong budget or could you go just a little bit more

    Is it really worth it?

    I mean, how hard is it to go "well I like Macs a lot and suggest one, but seeing your $800 max they're probably a bit out of your range. It's a shame, but a regular netbook or cheap laptop may be best in this case."
    CJTheran wrote: »
    Macs are easy to use, have easily usable zoom functions for seeing all that small shit, but are well over your budget.

    I've never used Linux on one of my personal computers, but people say it's very easy to set up in such a way that non-savvy people can perform basic tasks without difficulty.

    I know a lot of people here like Linux, and certainly it's possible to set up inobtrusively, especially if all that is going to be done is email. But in the case of an older person, personally I would want to set them up with something they'll see wherever they go. The last thing you want is for him to learn a little bit, how to get to the display settings and such, and then see a computer at the library or something and go "I know how to do this" and walk away totally confused and deflated.

    Maybe that's not giving him enough credit, it's just what I'd do.

    UncleSporky on
    Switch Friend Code: SW - 5443 - 2358 - 9118 || 3DS Friend Code: 0989 - 1731 - 9504 || NNID: unclesporky
  • ObsObs __BANNED USERS regular
    edited May 2009
    Obs wrote: »
    Is 800 a strong budget or could you go just a little bit more

    Is it really worth it?

    I mean, how hard is it to go "well I like Macs a lot and suggest one, but seeing your $800 max they're probably a bit out of your range. It's a shame, but a regular netbook or cheap laptop may be best in this case."

    What's worse, spending a bit extra to get his grandfather an incredibly awesome machine, or getting stuck with 500, 600, maybe 800 dollars worth of regret?

    Obs on
  • JamesKeenanJamesKeenan Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    I built a -desktop- for 900, that runs just about every game on max settings.

    I'm positive he can find a laptop that can handle e-mail for 700 or less.

    JamesKeenan on
  • ZackSchillingZackSchilling Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    CJTheran wrote: »
    I've never used Linux on one of my personal computers, but people say it's very easy to set up in such a way that non-savvy people can perform basic tasks without difficulty.

    I know a lot of people here like Linux, and certainly it's possible to set up inobtrusively, especially if all that is going to be done is email. But in the case of an older person, personally I would want to set them up with something they'll see wherever they go. The last thing you want is for him to learn a little bit, how to get to the display settings and such, and then see a computer at the library or something and go "I know how to do this" and walk away totally confused and deflated.

    Maybe that's not giving him enough credit, it's just what I'd do.

    I think just the opposite. At this point, when he learns how to use a computer, it's not going to be at the same conceptual level as we do. He is going to want to know which buttons to press to get to an email. He is going to write those steps down on a piece of paper. It'll be much more important that those steps don't change than it will be to introduce common OS concepts. Some older folks will pick up on concepts like files, folders, programs and such, but most will not. To them, the machine will be a cryptic box requiring a precise sequence of commands to get what they want. Since there's little chance at making the cryptic part go away, shortening the sequence is the best you can do.

    ZackSchilling on
    ghost-robot.jpg
  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Obs wrote: »
    Obs wrote: »
    Is 800 a strong budget or could you go just a little bit more

    Is it really worth it?

    I mean, how hard is it to go "well I like Macs a lot and suggest one, but seeing your $800 max they're probably a bit out of your range. It's a shame, but a regular netbook or cheap laptop may be best in this case."

    What's worse, spending a bit extra to get his grandfather an incredibly awesome machine, or getting stuck with 500, 600, maybe 800 dollars worth of regret?

    Because all he needs to do is open a single window to get to the internet and send email.

    Blake T on
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Obs wrote: »
    Obs wrote: »
    Is 800 a strong budget or could you go just a little bit more

    Is it really worth it?

    I mean, how hard is it to go "well I like Macs a lot and suggest one, but seeing your $800 max they're probably a bit out of your range. It's a shame, but a regular netbook or cheap laptop may be best in this case."

    What's worse, spending a bit extra to get his grandfather an incredibly awesome machine, or getting stuck with 500, 600, maybe 800 dollars worth of regret?

    I agree that $800 or more of regret is the greatest tragedy, which is why he should not be getting a Mac.

    UncleSporky on
    Switch Friend Code: SW - 5443 - 2358 - 9118 || 3DS Friend Code: 0989 - 1731 - 9504 || NNID: unclesporky
  • CJTheranCJTheran Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    CJTheran wrote: »
    I've never used Linux on one of my personal computers, but people say it's very easy to set up in such a way that non-savvy people can perform basic tasks without difficulty.

    I know a lot of people here like Linux, and certainly it's possible to set up inobtrusively, especially if all that is going to be done is email. But in the case of an older person, personally I would want to set them up with something they'll see wherever they go. The last thing you want is for him to learn a little bit, how to get to the display settings and such, and then see a computer at the library or something and go "I know how to do this" and walk away totally confused and deflated.

    Maybe that's not giving him enough credit, it's just what I'd do.

    I think just the opposite. At this point, when he learns how to use a computer, it's not going to be at the same conceptual level as we do. He is going to want to know which buttons to press to get to an email. He is going to write those steps down on a piece of paper. It'll be much more important that those steps don't change than it will be to introduce common OS concepts. Some older folks will pick up on concepts like files, folders, programs and such, but most will not. To them, the machine will be a cryptic box requiring a precise sequence of commands to get what they want. Since there's little chance at making the cryptic part go away, shortening the sequence is the best you can do.
    This. When my grand aunt got her computer a bit ago, she had me write down on paper exactly how to do everything she needed to do; this was on paper because she didn't/wouldn't/refused to understand how to open up a document on the computer. Same thing with my grand ma.

    You can be fine with windows, and there are lots of O.K. machines for like 5-$600 that absolutely none of us would ever buy but are fine for checking e-mail and shit. Again, a netbook might be a good idea if it weren't for the tiny ass screen.

    The big thing you're going to be looking to do is to PEBKAC proof the computer while also making sure that Gramps can do whatever he wants. Ergo, whatever OS you get, set up his account as non-admin, and just drop everything he's gonna need on the desktop/pin to start menu/load in dock/whateverthefuckUbuntudoesI'veonlyusedFedora.

    Like this guy here: http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/dell-i15-157b/4505-3121_7-33496186.html?tag=mncol;lst . Is it the world's greatest computer? No. Is it still good for $600 bucks and able to run Firefox and Thunderbird? You betcha.

    CJTheran on
  • CJTheranCJTheran Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Obs wrote: »
    What's worse, spending a bit extra to get his grandfather an incredibly awesome machine, or getting stuck with 500, 600, maybe 800 dollars worth of regret?

    The only way he's going to regret any machine out today for what he's looking for is if it's some rancid ass awful Windows machine with like a Celeron and 2 gigs of ram. Literally anything else will be able to do what it sounds like he's going to need it to do.

    CJTheran on
  • DírhaelDírhael NorwayRegistered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Windows, Linux, OSX...it really doesn't matter for someone new to all this. By far the most important thing is to get him whatever OS and software you personally are most comfortable with (if you are the one that's supposed to help him learn).

    Dírhael on
  • ArcSynArcSyn Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Considering I used to check my e-mail on a Pentium 200 MMX with 192MB of RAM, I think a Celeron with 2GB of RAM would be more than enough to do what he wants to do.

    I would seriously just do as was suggested earlier - take him to a store, walk around the display laptops to find a size he likes (either smaller so he can handle it better, just decrease the res to make stuff larger) or larger screen/keyboard for easier use and then see what you can get online or in deals that's similar and see if you can save on the cost.

    Is he actually going to move this thing around? Accidental coverage (which normally I wouldn't always recommend) may be essential in case he drops it and shatters the screen or something. If he's going to put it on the table and leave it there for the next 5 years, then he won't need it.

    ArcSyn on
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  • CJTheranCJTheran Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Dìrhael wrote: »
    Windows, Linux, OSX...it really doesn't matter for someone new to all this. By far the most important thing is to get him whatever OS and software you personally are most comfortable with (if you are the one that's supposed to help him learn).

    This is one of those big things that I assumed would simply be understood, but I guess had best be stated, as it's rather important.

    So, if you suck at Mac, I want you to flip Obs the bird.

    CJTheran on
  • CJTheranCJTheran Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    ArcSyn wrote: »
    Considering I used to check my e-mail on a Pentium 200 MMX with 192MB of RAM, I think a Celeron with 2GB of RAM would be more than enough to do what he wants to do.

    I would seriously just do as was suggested earlier - take him to a store, walk around the display laptops to find a size he likes (either smaller so he can handle it better, just decrease the res to make stuff larger) or larger screen/keyboard for easier use and then see what you can get online or in deals that's similar and see if you can save on the cost.

    Is he actually going to move this thing around? Accidental coverage (which normally I wouldn't always recommend) may be essential in case he drops it and shatters the screen or something. If he's going to put it on the table and leave it there for the next 5 years, then he won't need it.

    The other day at work I tried to use a Celeron with 2 GBs of ram.

    There is not a human being on this planet who will be satisfied with a Celeron with 2 GB of ram and Vista on it.

    CJTheran on
  • ObsObs __BANNED USERS regular
    edited May 2009
    Why does he have to flip me a bird? I'm only making a suggestion.

    Obs on
  • CJTheranCJTheran Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Obs wrote: »
    Why does he have to flip me a bird? I'm only making a suggestion.

    Because the thought of non-Apple products causes you to froth at the mouth and bark wildly.

    CJTheran on
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    CJTheran wrote: »
    There is not a human being on this planet who will be satisfied with a Celeron with 2 GB of ram and Vista on it.
    Are you talking about 2 gig of RAM as if that's not enough? That's way more than enough for simple email checking. It's even enough for most gaming these days. To suggest otherwise is to be overly picky.

    I mean, I have a 701 EEE that runs at 600 MHz with 2 gig of RAM, and I am quite satisfied with the speed. I was satisfied before I upped the RAM from 1 gig.

    UncleSporky on
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  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    CJTheran wrote: »
    Obs wrote: »
    Why does he have to flip me a bird? I'm only making a suggestion.

    Because the thought of non-Apple products causes you to froth at the mouth and bark wildly.

    But so do thoughts of Apple products...

    lowlylowlycook on
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  • CJTheranCJTheran Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    CJTheran wrote: »
    Obs wrote: »
    Why does he have to flip me a bird? I'm only making a suggestion.

    Because the thought of non-Apple products causes you to froth at the mouth and bark wildly.

    But so do thoughts of Apple products...

    He doesn't bite and shit all over the rug, though, when placated by a nice, tasty Macbook.

    Also, Obs, for some reason this discussion is making me imagine you as a Doberman.

    I don't know why.

    CJTheran on
  • CJTheranCJTheran Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    CJTheran wrote: »
    There is not a human being on this planet who will be satisfied with a Celeron with 2 GB of ram and Vista on it.
    Are you talking about 2 gig of RAM as if that's not enough? That's way more than enough for simple email checking. It's even enough for most gaming these days. To suggest otherwise is to be overly picky.

    I mean, I have a 701 EEE that runs at 600 MHz with 2 gig of RAM, and I am quite satisfied with the speed. I was satisfied before I upped the RAM from 1 gig.

    See the "with Vista".

    CJTheran on
  • ArtreusArtreus I'm a wizard And that looks fucked upRegistered User regular
    edited May 2009
    a couple hundred dollars extra for a mac is in no way worth it if all he is doing is checking his email and doing net stuff.

    Artreus on
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  • JAEFJAEF Unstoppably Bald Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    If you're getting a netbook take a gander at Moblin

    It looks fairly simplistic and straightforward

    Some of it is stuff he wouldn't use, but that's really any computer.

    JAEF on
  • AzioAzio Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    CJTheran wrote: »
    There is not a human being on this planet who will be satisfied with a Celeron with 2 GB of ram and Vista on it.
    Are you talking about 2 gig of RAM as if that's not enough? That's way more than enough for simple email checking. It's even enough for most gaming these days. To suggest otherwise is to be overly picky.

    I mean, I have a 701 EEE that runs at 600 MHz with 2 gig of RAM, and I am quite satisfied with the speed. I was satisfied before I upped the RAM from 1 gig.
    Come now. Remember when XP came out, and the published minimum requirement for RAM was 64 megs, but everyone knew you needed at least 128 megs if you wanted your computer to be remotely quick about doing anything?

    2 gigs is the new 128 megs. 2 gigs is baseline.

    Azio on
  • Dark ShroudDark Shroud Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Azio wrote: »
    CJTheran wrote: »
    There is not a human being on this planet who will be satisfied with a Celeron with 2 GB of ram and Vista on it.
    Are you talking about 2 gig of RAM as if that's not enough? That's way more than enough for simple email checking. It's even enough for most gaming these days. To suggest otherwise is to be overly picky.

    I mean, I have a 701 EEE that runs at 600 MHz with 2 gig of RAM, and I am quite satisfied with the speed. I was satisfied before I upped the RAM from 1 gig.
    Come now. Remember when XP came out, and the published minimum requirement for RAM was 64 megs, but everyone knew you needed at least 128 megs if you wanted your computer to be remotely quick about doing anything?

    2 gigs is the new 128 megs. 2 gigs is baseline.

    Myself and many others are able to run Vista Ultimate on 1gig just fine. If someone isn't gaming then 2gigs is plenty.

    I have to throw my vote in with going to BB and checking out the displays. Then either getting a Dell or buy one @ BB with a warranty. Just so he can take it in if he needs to.

    Linux & Mac are not the way to go for casual users. I have built & do maintain PCs for many people like this. They're not doing much of anything high-end and want what everyone else has, meaning Windows & Office.

    Dark Shroud on
  • TL DRTL DR Not at all confident in his reflexive opinions of thingsRegistered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Azio wrote: »
    CJTheran wrote: »
    There is not a human being on this planet who will be satisfied with a Celeron with 2 GB of ram and Vista on it.
    Are you talking about 2 gig of RAM as if that's not enough? That's way more than enough for simple email checking. It's even enough for most gaming these days. To suggest otherwise is to be overly picky.

    I mean, I have a 701 EEE that runs at 600 MHz with 2 gig of RAM, and I am quite satisfied with the speed. I was satisfied before I upped the RAM from 1 gig.
    Come now. Remember when XP came out, and the published minimum requirement for RAM was 64 megs, but everyone knew you needed at least 128 megs if you wanted your computer to be remotely quick about doing anything?

    2 gigs is the new 128 megs. 2 gigs is baseline.

    The guy is old enough to have beat up John McCain in high school. You could set him up with a used lappy with 512RAM and XP and he wouldn't know what he was missing. If you insist on new, here. I just saved you $400

    TL DR on
  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Azio wrote: »
    CJTheran wrote: »
    There is not a human being on this planet who will be satisfied with a Celeron with 2 GB of ram and Vista on it.
    Are you talking about 2 gig of RAM as if that's not enough? That's way more than enough for simple email checking. It's even enough for most gaming these days. To suggest otherwise is to be overly picky.

    I mean, I have a 701 EEE that runs at 600 MHz with 2 gig of RAM, and I am quite satisfied with the speed. I was satisfied before I upped the RAM from 1 gig.
    Come now. Remember when XP came out, and the published minimum requirement for RAM was 64 megs, but everyone knew you needed at least 128 megs if you wanted your computer to be remotely quick about doing anything?

    2 gigs is the new 128 megs. 2 gigs is baseline.

    The guy is old enough to have beat up John McCain in high school. You could set him up with a used lappy with 512RAM and XP and he wouldn't know what he was missing. If you insist on new, here. I just saved you $400

    Furthering this I would question why he needs a laptop and couldn't go with a desktop.

    I would imagine you could get hold of a shitty old box for around two hundred dollars and spend four hundred on a big arse monitor so the buttons are really big for him.

    Blake T on
  • wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    a half decent celeron processor and 2GB of ram run Vista just fine. Especailly if the only thing he'll be doing is using the internet to check e-mail.

    I ran Vista on 1GB of ram for a month about a year ago when my 2GB of ram died. while I was RMA'ing the ram I pulled 1GB out of another machine and put it in mine. While I wouldnt' try to game with it, or have more than 4-5 things open at a time, 1GB of ram is usable with Vista. It's like running XP with 512MB. Ideally, you want more, but you can easily get by with it.

    wunderbar on
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  • LoxleyLoxley Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Blaket wrote: »
    Azio wrote: »
    CJTheran wrote: »
    There is not a human being on this planet who will be satisfied with a Celeron with 2 GB of ram and Vista on it.
    Are you talking about 2 gig of RAM as if that's not enough? That's way more than enough for simple email checking. It's even enough for most gaming these days. To suggest otherwise is to be overly picky.

    I mean, I have a 701 EEE that runs at 600 MHz with 2 gig of RAM, and I am quite satisfied with the speed. I was satisfied before I upped the RAM from 1 gig.
    Come now. Remember when XP came out, and the published minimum requirement for RAM was 64 megs, but everyone knew you needed at least 128 megs if you wanted your computer to be remotely quick about doing anything?

    2 gigs is the new 128 megs. 2 gigs is baseline.

    The guy is old enough to have beat up John McCain in high school. You could set him up with a used lappy with 512RAM and XP and he wouldn't know what he was missing. If you insist on new, here. I just saved you $400

    Furthering this I would question why he needs a laptop and couldn't go with a desktop.

    I would imagine you could get hold of a shitty old box for around two hundred dollars and spend four hundred on a big arse monitor so the buttons are really big for him.

    I would actually go for a desktop, but he had a stroke five years ago and has limited use of his left leg, so he spends the majority of the day sitting in his living room or den on a couch or well-cushioned chair, he actually said he specifically was looking at something he could just set on his lap.

    Thanks a lot for all of the help everybody, I've got a lot of great ideas now :mrgreen::^:

    Loxley on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • ArtreusArtreus I'm a wizard And that looks fucked upRegistered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Azio wrote: »
    CJTheran wrote: »
    There is not a human being on this planet who will be satisfied with a Celeron with 2 GB of ram and Vista on it.
    Are you talking about 2 gig of RAM as if that's not enough? That's way more than enough for simple email checking. It's even enough for most gaming these days. To suggest otherwise is to be overly picky.

    I mean, I have a 701 EEE that runs at 600 MHz with 2 gig of RAM, and I am quite satisfied with the speed. I was satisfied before I upped the RAM from 1 gig.
    Come now. Remember when XP came out, and the published minimum requirement for RAM was 64 megs, but everyone knew you needed at least 128 megs if you wanted your computer to be remotely quick about doing anything?

    2 gigs is the new 128 megs. 2 gigs is baseline.

    Myself and many others are able to run Vista Ultimate on 1gig just fine. If someone isn't gaming then 2gigs is plenty.

    I have to throw my vote in with going to BB and checking out the displays. Then either getting a Dell or buy one @ BB with a warranty. Just so he can take it in if he needs to.

    Linux & Mac are not the way to go for casual users. I have built & do maintain PCs for many people like this. They're not doing much of anything high-end and want what everyone else has, meaning Windows & Office.

    From what I've seen, there are a lot of really intuitive linux setups out there for people like this.

    Artreus on
    http://atlanticus.tumblr.com/ PSN: Atlanticus 3DS: 1590-4692-3954 Steam: Artreus
  • ImprovoloneImprovolone Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Loxley wrote: »
    Blaket wrote: »
    Azio wrote: »
    CJTheran wrote: »
    There is not a human being on this planet who will be satisfied with a Celeron with 2 GB of ram and Vista on it.
    Are you talking about 2 gig of RAM as if that's not enough? That's way more than enough for simple email checking. It's even enough for most gaming these days. To suggest otherwise is to be overly picky.

    I mean, I have a 701 EEE that runs at 600 MHz with 2 gig of RAM, and I am quite satisfied with the speed. I was satisfied before I upped the RAM from 1 gig.
    Come now. Remember when XP came out, and the published minimum requirement for RAM was 64 megs, but everyone knew you needed at least 128 megs if you wanted your computer to be remotely quick about doing anything?

    2 gigs is the new 128 megs. 2 gigs is baseline.

    The guy is old enough to have beat up John McCain in high school. You could set him up with a used lappy with 512RAM and XP and he wouldn't know what he was missing. If you insist on new, here. I just saved you $400

    Furthering this I would question why he needs a laptop and couldn't go with a desktop.

    I would imagine you could get hold of a shitty old box for around two hundred dollars and spend four hundred on a big arse monitor so the buttons are really big for him.

    I would actually go for a desktop, but he had a stroke five years ago and has limited use of his left leg, so he spends the majority of the day sitting in his living room or den on a couch or well-cushioned chair, he actually said he specifically was looking at something he could just set on his lap.

    Thanks a lot for all of the help everybody, I've got a lot of great ideas now :mrgreen::^:

    Unless he will be putting something on his lap onto which he then puts the laptop, you really need to keep in mind how hot some of these fucking things can get.

    Improvolone on
    Voice actor for hire. My time is free if your project is!
  • MblackwellMblackwell Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Old people like to send each other spam forwards that contain trojans and click on random links that install exploits. They will screw up their computer if you put Windows on it. It sounds mean, but it's true. A lot of people don't know computers well enough to not do those things, and old people even less so.

    Throw a Linux distro on it with an easy to use desktop and everything he needs already installed. Then don't let him have any admin access. This way you won't have to go over to his house and clean up his entire computer every couple weeks.

    Mblackwell on
    Music: The Rejected Applications | Nintendo Network ID: Mblackwell

  • TL DRTL DR Not at all confident in his reflexive opinions of thingsRegistered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Loxley wrote: »
    Blaket wrote: »
    Azio wrote: »
    CJTheran wrote: »
    There is not a human being on this planet who will be satisfied with a Celeron with 2 GB of ram and Vista on it.
    Are you talking about 2 gig of RAM as if that's not enough? That's way more than enough for simple email checking. It's even enough for most gaming these days. To suggest otherwise is to be overly picky.

    I mean, I have a 701 EEE that runs at 600 MHz with 2 gig of RAM, and I am quite satisfied with the speed. I was satisfied before I upped the RAM from 1 gig.
    Come now. Remember when XP came out, and the published minimum requirement for RAM was 64 megs, but everyone knew you needed at least 128 megs if you wanted your computer to be remotely quick about doing anything?

    2 gigs is the new 128 megs. 2 gigs is baseline.

    The guy is old enough to have beat up John McCain in high school. You could set him up with a used lappy with 512RAM and XP and he wouldn't know what he was missing. If you insist on new, here. I just saved you $400

    Furthering this I would question why he needs a laptop and couldn't go with a desktop.

    I would imagine you could get hold of a shitty old box for around two hundred dollars and spend four hundred on a big arse monitor so the buttons are really big for him.

    I would actually go for a desktop, but he had a stroke five years ago and has limited use of his left leg, so he spends the majority of the day sitting in his living room or den on a couch or well-cushioned chair, he actually said he specifically was looking at something he could just set on his lap.

    Thanks a lot for all of the help everybody, I've got a lot of great ideas now :mrgreen::^:

    Wireless keyboard & mouse on a TV tray with a monitor on an end table?

    TL DR on
  • KrikeeKrikee Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Unless he will be putting something on his lap onto which he then puts the laptop, you really need to keep in mind how hot some of these fucking things can get.

    QFT. There is a reason they're generally called 'notebooks' now rather than 'laptops.' The sub-text is "Don't put it on your lap; it's fucking hot!"

    Krikee on
  • ZackSchillingZackSchilling Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    I have a Macbook Pro. You folks don't have any idea what heat is.
    20090130.jpg

    Just make sure the bottom is plastic and it vents on the side. I'm sure grandpa won't mind if it's a little thicker than metal-bottomed or vent on the rear/bottom models.

    ZackSchilling on
    ghost-robot.jpg
  • GogoKodoGogoKodo Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    Really a netbook or a super cheap laptop is probably fine.

    I have some experience with this recently. My Dad asked me one day how much a laptop would cost, all he really wants is to email and google/wiki some random stuff (zero computer usage before). Rather than go buy a new laptop I gave him my old ass Dell. 6 years old, 512 MB of ram some crappy processor that I don't even remember.

    I installed Ubuntu on it so we don't have to worry about viruses. Ubuntu is alright although there's some issues with Java and yahoo games that I found out about since my Mom wanted to play some internet backgammon.

    It does what it needs to. A macbook of any kind would have been an immense waste of money.

    GogoKodo on
  • CJTheranCJTheran Registered User regular
    edited May 2009
    I have a Macbook Pro. You folks don't have any idea what heat is.
    20090130.jpg

    Just make sure the bottom is plastic and it vents on the side. I'm sure grandpa won't mind if it's a little thicker than metal-bottomed or vent on the rear/bottom models.

    This is the absolute truest comic that has ever been made.

    -Typed on Macbook that is currently 50 degrees C.

    CJTheran on
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