[OCLUG-Tech] Re: sympatico, embarassing need for help
I helped set up my father-in-law (70+) last fall. Here were my 5 steps to a
solution we _both_ can live with.
He wanted a 'staples' computer so he could return it if died when he got home.
He'd seen his friends fighting with their 'confuser', but he wanted to surf a
little, email a little, maybe write some stuff. Okay, fine, got a vanilla HP
something-or-other.
Step one: does it seem to work out of the box? Yes? Good. Insert Debian
netinst. Yes, use the whole disk, wipe out whatever was there. "System rescue
disk that came with it? No, we won't need that one, use this one that I just
made you." Never looked back. (Actually, never needed it!)
Turns out there was a little flaky whereby HP won't continue booting if ACPI is
turned on :( Fixed with the right command line for grub.
Step two: buy $20 4-port DSL router-hub ("inexq") also while at staples. They
are that cheap with no wi-fi!
Step three: tell bell folks that he has a mac or something like that, so he
needs the Ethernet version of DSL modem (turns out to be a moot point, I think,
because the modem came with both. They don't have a place on the form for
anything but "windows" or "mac", so we're a "mac" wherever that form goes to.)
DSL-4-port-box programmed with bell credentials, non-default password,
non-default subnet, non-default routing rules. Computer never knows bell
credentials or bell servers. I supply a short length of UTP Ethernet cable.
Step four: introduction to Firefox/ice weasel. Bookmark https://sympatico.ca.
"Here is how you read and write your email, and surf, all in one program!"
Computer never knows about pop3s or imaps, credentials or server names.
Step five: "Here is a power bar. Plug everything into that, and after your
shutdown your computer (KDE offers "shutdown" as a logout menu choice), turn
the power bar off."
Results? I still get the odd "And how can I..." question, but he's never lost a
file, never lost an email, never been trojan'd/hijacked/virus'd, all the stuff
his friends worry about. And when we visit, I have an apt-get upgrade session
scheduled.
Gord.