My elderly parents in their 60s use linux mint daily and have never had an issue with it (admittedly I did have to set it up for them still). The hardest part isn’t using an alternative OS like mint or pop, its getting an average person to figure out how to install it. Getting into your BIOS to boot into the installation drive, re-partitioning your harddrive to free up space for dual booting or nuking windows off all together, those are the hardest parts for any first timers IMO. After youve done it a dozen times its no problemo but the first time is nerve racking at least it was to me.
there is an ‘oem setup’ you can run. so ive been taking old desktop PCs, running them through the oem setup where i can configure the drivers and everything, and then shut it down.
Then on first boot when i hand it to a new end user, they just follow the instructions. i tell them to leave most things default and theres never really any issues… printers sometimes i spose
I propose an “e-printer.” It’ll just be an e-reader that you can send images, documents, any non-moving media to via a “print” icon. It’ll have options on how to format the file browser, including a view called “piles” where it shows a disheveled layering of whatever files are in that directory instead of a folder icon. Previewing items in the “piles” view would let you “thumb through” the corners of the “printouts” until you find the one you suspect is the right file. The first select shows an image preview of the file, the second select fully opens the file. Extra points if we can open the file using a voice command such as “ahhhh, there it is.”
so, a pdf ‘printer’ basically. anything you print gets dumped to pdf files… which can be previewed, searched, annotated, organized into directories (piles) etc. as well as sent to and shared with others, or even printed on a dead tree.
Actually, yes. And make it compress and process the PDF real slow-like with a bunch of horrible noises that are frightening to pets.
My intent though is to avoid the inclusion of dead trees in this process, but still create an analog for all the horrible inconveniences of printing on dead trees that my older tech support clients argue are features.
Now I’m wondering if I could combine the dot matrix printer sound with the sound a 9600 baud Hayes modem makes when someone in the house picks up a phone
OSX had stacks, and has quick view that does all that piles stuff. I tried them out for about a week when they were first introduced. Grids are better for a reason.
And the print dialogs all have save PDF instead, but automating an eReader upload is a neat idea.
Stacks was exactly my inspiration web describing piles, and gallery is kinda my inspiration on how to “thumb through” files. Except my idea would require a lot of resources dedicated to high quality compressed previews of documents.
Also, I’m not proposing this like I think I’ve come up with an invention. I’m just hoping that my random musings would inspire someone with far more technological knowhow than myself. When I worked in mobile tech support, I quickly realized that the majority of issues that let bad-actor computer repair companies take advantage of old people revolved around printing stuff.
Even though I no longer work in tech support, I still offer free basic tech support and computer repairs to older members of my community to try to make amends for having worked for such bloodsucking companies.
My elderly parents in their 60s use linux mint daily and have never had an issue with it (admittedly I did have to set it up for them still). The hardest part isn’t using an alternative OS like mint or pop, its getting an average person to figure out how to install it. Getting into your BIOS to boot into the installation drive, re-partitioning your harddrive to free up space for dual booting or nuking windows off all together, those are the hardest parts for any first timers IMO. After youve done it a dozen times its no problemo but the first time is nerve racking at least it was to me.
there is an ‘oem setup’ you can run. so ive been taking old desktop PCs, running them through the oem setup where i can configure the drivers and everything, and then shut it down.
Then on first boot when i hand it to a new end user, they just follow the instructions. i tell them to leave most things default and theres never really any issues… printers sometimes i spose
I propose an “e-printer.” It’ll just be an e-reader that you can send images, documents, any non-moving media to via a “print” icon. It’ll have options on how to format the file browser, including a view called “piles” where it shows a disheveled layering of whatever files are in that directory instead of a folder icon. Previewing items in the “piles” view would let you “thumb through” the corners of the “printouts” until you find the one you suspect is the right file. The first select shows an image preview of the file, the second select fully opens the file. Extra points if we can open the file using a voice command such as “ahhhh, there it is.”
so, a pdf ‘printer’ basically. anything you print gets dumped to pdf files… which can be previewed, searched, annotated, organized into directories (piles) etc. as well as sent to and shared with others, or even printed on a dead tree.
most of my ‘printing’ is already done this way.
Actually, yes. And make it compress and process the PDF real slow-like with a bunch of horrible noises that are frightening to pets.
My intent though is to avoid the inclusion of dead trees in this process, but still create an analog for all the horrible inconveniences of printing on dead trees that my older tech support clients argue are features.
it really should just be a print process that inevitably fails with an incomprehensible error code or a demand for money.
“PC Load Letter? What the fuck does that mean?!”
A boring dystopia
DOT MATRIX PRINTER NOISES INTENSIFY
OKIDATA POWERS ACTIVATE
Instructions unclear; reader broke when I tore off the perforated edges; paper accordion fold appears impossible
Dot Matrix Printer: IT IS ALL PART OF MY CHARM
Now I’m wondering if I could combine the dot matrix printer sound with the sound a 9600 baud Hayes modem makes when someone in the house picks up a phone
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
OKIDATA POWERS ACTIVATE
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
OSX had stacks, and has quick view that does all that piles stuff. I tried them out for about a week when they were first introduced. Grids are better for a reason.
And the print dialogs all have save PDF instead, but automating an eReader upload is a neat idea.
Stacks was exactly my inspiration web describing piles, and gallery is kinda my inspiration on how to “thumb through” files. Except my idea would require a lot of resources dedicated to high quality compressed previews of documents.
Also, I’m not proposing this like I think I’ve come up with an invention. I’m just hoping that my random musings would inspire someone with far more technological knowhow than myself. When I worked in mobile tech support, I quickly realized that the majority of issues that let bad-actor computer repair companies take advantage of old people revolved around printing stuff.
Even though I no longer work in tech support, I still offer free basic tech support and computer repairs to older members of my community to try to make amends for having worked for such bloodsucking companies.
deleted by creator