- Sunday, 22 November 2009
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Speed comes at a price - Bob Colwell, former chief architect at Intel
Return of the silver surfers
NEWS THAT ONE-TIME BLUE PETER PRESENTER Valerie Singleton has launched a range of computer systems aimed at the chronologically befuddled reached us yesterday, but we couldn't help thinking that the whole project, although well meaning, is at best a little misguided, at worst cynically overpriced and in general pretty patronising. Then we sat down in front of the gas fire with a nice warm blanket and a cup of tea and reconsidered.
It is, of course, almost impossible for the likes of us to be subjective about technology and its use by the elderly or otherwise technologically incompetent. The very fact that you are reading this is patent proof of a number of incontrovertible facts. You know how to switch on your computer, you are familiar with the mechanics of your desktop mouse, you are capable of starting a web browser and you have the good sense to know that the Inquirer is a good place to visit for technology news and insights. Congratulations.
Now imagine, if you will, a world in which a mouse is a small semi-domesticated rodent which sneaks into your larder and eats your Garibaldis if you forget to put them in the biscuit tin, and the term web browser means nothing at all. Or is it some kind of spider? I don't like spiders. 'Orrible creepy things. All legs and eyes. Now about that cup of tea? I can remember when it was all fields 'round here.
It's true that some of the staff here at the INQ aren't what you would call in the first flush of youth, but to be told that anyone over the age of 50 needs a bit of help logging onto his email is enough to make some of us spit out our Werther's Originals. Yesterday's report also caused a number of our *ahem* long-standing readers to pipe up about being patronised.
"It's a good idea," said one reader. "There are a lot of us oldies out here. Mind you, I'm 81 and have been using Linux since 1996, when IBM wouldn't support my OS/2 and Win95 appeared to be crap. I've always built my own boxes and I run Debian sid, maintained regularly by h2's smxi script."
Reader Keith Oldham was a little more ambivalent about the concept. "As a 58-year-old who has built computers since the Science of Cambridge Mk14, and whose mother-in-law at 85 uses her own Linux machine, I should feel patronised and yet many people don't feel comfortable with computers - not related to age by any means. A simple, secure, device for e-mail, browsing, photography and the like would probably be welcomed by many of all ages. Not a great price though - my twin core Atom fileserver only cost around £300 with an existing monitor."
Computers have been around long enough now that most people are familiar with the basic functionality of the main components. But research shows that something like six million older people in the UK have never used a computer to browse the Internet. Even the concept of windows and files and folders, despite being based on real world paradigms, can be confusing to the uninitiated. You try explaining to your 70-year-old mother how to use scroll bars, or drop-down menus or how to right click on the desktop. "I'm not writing anything on my desktop, dear. It's nineteenth century inlaid walnut. It took me three weeks to French polish it."
It would, of course, be the work of an afternoon for most INQ fans to buy and configure a cheap PC with the same Linux OS and simple front end supplied free by Eldy. But then you'd have to sit with your nan for hours on end pretending to be Valerie Singleton, drinking countless cups of weak tea and eating Jamaican Ginger Cake, to get the same end result - a computer literate oldie.
What do old people know about computers? Well, actually, they invented them. µ
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Interesting is this, as in year 2000 I published a short tutorial of Microsoft Publisher for fast track learning of this software. When it was used for the first time during Government trials an 82-year-old lady completed her entire publication in just 53 minutes with nil faults. The publication is called 'Easy Publisher' and has only three pages of content excluding the front and rear cover. Every one on the trial had only basic keyboard skills and no prior knowledge of the software.
Your Government wanted me to publish more yet would not employ me to do so, I was unemployed at the time.
You may download a copy of Easy Publisher here, http://tinyurl.com/ybanq76 and try your luck at beating the 82 year old lady's record of just 53 minutes.
Signed Carl Barron Chairman of agpcuk
Some products are marketed towards children, or college kids, or middle-aged people.
"Hooked on phonics" is touted as a product that will help kids learn to read better. That doesn't imply that all kids have trouble reading. In fact, it's accepted that some kids can read better than their parents and grandparents. Likewise, marketing a simplified computer to older people does not imply that all older people can't use a computer.
So chill :P
Why Is It I Am Sure todays Date Should read 12Nov1949? Well, Finally "They" Cann't GET Me, they? TheUS Selective Service Commisiion, coming In Late On Final Broadside in 1996, Dignifying Self with WEBtv & OLD TS: Brought Back to Life. Are OLD People NICE? Does 8 Year Old Razor Blade FEEL Good?
Now with Sterate MASS shifting & B Balanced Complex, Enough To Grow New BRAIN. They TRY To FEED US Medical Marihuana. Tried That. Oldies Are Smart. NOW that Formal BALL is in Order. FAV Are Hon People & BaseMent Ragged NightMare of cHunta Victims(Same AS SELF). REAL RATS Are In Atic, TODAY.
By Using Tm Line, Straight From OLDIES Concentrate On What IS Remember'd, That Which Actually Happened. its Same Prob, Child Just Arn't sure if Dr. GoGo Is that cool or What if Santee' Holds Out For Better Cookies. Its rough, Tough world. You Can IgNore Neighbors & Attack Trajecastan & Its GOLD Reserves, EASILY. Getting Under SON & ON HWY 61.
drashek
This is the problem with training such as the ECDL, it teaches Microsoft Word and not a 'Word Processor, Excel rather than a 'spreadsheet' etc.
I would do give it a go, but well, I don't want the hassle of forking out for a copy of Publisher just to beat an 80 year old lady.
Release something on Scribus, Inkscape or OpenOffice Draw and then I'll try it.
When I was learning computers at school, they didn't teach us specific applications, they taught us the fundementals such as Word Processing (on MS Word for DOS, WordPerfect for DOS, WordWise on the Beeb and Word 2 for Windows), Spreadsheets (on Lotus 1-2-3 for DOS, Excel 1 for Windows and some spreadsheet package that I've forgotten about) and Databases (on Dataease on DOS and DBase 3). They don't tend to do that anymore though, as proven when the wife did an IT training course, it taught Windows XP and Office XP, and this was only 2 years ago. Windows 7 is alien to her.
Rob (who can use a Desktop Publishing package, not just Publisher!).
Now, *that's* more like it.
OK, enough of the Northern soul.
Thanks, Stewart! I rather liked that.
One point - our version of the Eldy software is considerably different from the freeware one, with an entirely new translation of the whole UI from the original Italian. And you don't get the tutorials with the freebie, either.
FWIW - I used to be a regular Inq contributor and I'm the chap that put together the software that powers the Simplicity Computer.
Quote: "You try explaining to your 70-year-old mother how to use scroll bars, or drop-down menus or how to right click on the desktop."
My mum is 75, and uses Windows 7 with Chrome and Thunderbird quite happily. And her wireless network is called 'SILVERSURFER'. Rock on.
Stewie's Been on a roll lately.
I think the idea of making up a specific Linux distribution for the very large aging segment of our population is a great idea.
Much better than:
a) Having to monitor or educate older computer users to use extreme caution in their computer use, patch it, and be paranoid about keeping a virus scanner constantly running and updated.
b) Having to bail said olderperson out of jail when their Windows machine gets pwned and turned into a kiddie porn server, or
c) Having to explain to said olderperson(s) that their retirement savings have vanished from their bank accounts and probably reappeared to benefit some industrious chap's swollen Isle of Man bank account.
Of course, this is not meant to stereotype all "olderpersons" as being less-than-computer-savvy (and I am sure their are many who are power-users as well). But older people do tend in general to be less familiar with newer technology, and computer viruses/rootkits/etc. are now an epidemic that strikes a huge portion of the population, including the older segment (who do not have the ability to "regenerate" lost savings).
Also: just goes to show that the anti-Linux FUD that Microsoft is spreading (yes, the same Microsoft that is responsible/involved in almost all instances of computer crimes) is full of beans. Linux is easy to use.
Meh nothing on the upcoming Silver Surfer Movie or anything like that *rolls eyes*
Silver Surfer will always be Norrin Radd.. ^^
I am a silver surfer and am running my own home built PC details:-PC: home build (built and owned by an old git)
Case:Antec 300
PSU: CoolMaster Real Power M700
TFT Screen: ASUS VH226 21.7"
Mother Board;Asus P5Q DeLuxe
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33GHz 1333FSB (Retail 775
RAM: GeIL Black Dragon 8GB (4x2GB) DDR2 PC2-8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel Kit
O S:Microsoft 7 Ultimate 64 bit. What I would find difficult would be to move to Linux after using Windows.
Speakers: Logitech Z 5500
Sound Card: Auzen X-Meridian (Dam good it is to worth every penny)
Video Card: Saphire HD4870 Toxic 1GB
Hard Discs:
C: SAMSUNG: HD103UJ [Hard drive] (1000.20 GB)
D: SAMSUNG: HD103UJ [Hard drive] (1000.20 GB C drive raid
G: SAMSUNG: HD103UJ [Hard drive] (1000.20 GB
I am just over 65 and if I can do it with no IT training just the Haynes manual "How to Build your own PC" and a little help from a independent PC shop staff so can any one it is not rocket science. I also play Haylo 2 and several other games. Why is it that younger people think that us of an older generation are unable to keep up with modern technology. Oh I forgot I have over 90 gigs of music also on one drive so I am able to listen to good music like Queen etc whilst I am surfing.