Asus EEeeee etc -- granny friendly?
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From: Bruce Stephens on 27 Nov 2008 13:30 "Dave Liquorice" <allsortsnotthisbit(a)howhill.com> writes: > On Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:57:09 +0000, Ian Rawlings wrote: > >> Wotcher all, talk of the Asuses has got me wondering. Is the linux >> install fairly granny friendly? My mum's in her 60s and not >> particularly adept with computers (to put it mildly), > > What strikes me about that is that Eeeeeeeee's are small with a small > screen, small keyboard and an 'orrible track pad thing. Might be alright > with good eye sight and nimble fingers... Presumably that's why there are Eeeeeepc desktops and things, too. I think there ought to be a market segment for things that are basically web-browsers plus a bit (like the ability to run printers, edit images from cameras, etc.). I fear Windows has too much dominance for it really to work, though, and once you've got Windows you need antivirus, antitrojan, etc., and the hell begins...
From: Ian Rawlings on 27 Nov 2008 18:41 On 2008-11-27, Dave Liquorice <allsortsnotthisbit(a)howhill.com> wrote: > What strikes me about that is that Eeeeeeeee's are small with a small > screen, small keyboard and an 'orrible track pad thing. Might be alright > with good eye sight and nimble fingers... Yes, that is a concern, and I'll be taking a similarly sized machine along to see her this weekend (a Panasonic CF-18) to see what she thinks. I did play with one in PC World today and the user interface looks good, better for her than a straight windows install. > Does your Mum really need the portabilty? Wouldn't a small desktop of > cheap laptop with decent screen and keyborads size and proper > mouse/trackball be more suitable? A desktop is out, as she doesn't really have enough space, too many pink china cockerels, stuffed toys, cushions and all that other old lady stuff! She's got a laptop already but it's Windows, has a PCMCIA wireless card sticking out of it, is quite heavy (average laptop weight) for her to get out, so something small and light should be better, provided the keyboard and screen is large enough. -- Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire! http://youtube.com/user/tarcus69 http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarcus/sets/
From: Ian Rawlings on 27 Nov 2008 18:48 On 2008-11-27, Daniel James <wastebasket(a)nospam.aaisp.org> wrote: > I understand that your concern is with the software ... but I'd say (as > others have) that you should worry more about the hardware. The Eee > devices are all quite small, have small screens with small pixels, > small keyboards with small keys, etc.. They're great little devices, > but I wouldn't want one as my /only/ computer. She only really uses the internet to access her bank accounts and look the occasional thing up, maybe an hour or so of usage per week! > The biggest problem with linux for non-technical users is that it isn't > the same as the Windows that they're used to, That's one of the best bits, I have nieces who live nearby and I've had to take measures to stop them installing rubbish on the laptop she currently has, and every time someone else has tried to "help" her with her laptop, they've wrecked it, so now she only has a non-admin account and no-one has admin access other than me. She doesn't use the machine enough to have any real demands, but people who know far less about computers than they think they do just love to fiddle even when there's no demand for it. I'm hoping it'll be fairly robust, and what with the lack of virus issues, should stay that way. -- Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire! http://youtube.com/user/tarcus69 http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarcus/sets/
From: Mike Scott on 28 Nov 2008 04:00 Ian Rawlings wrote: .... > A desktop is out, as she doesn't really have enough space, too many > pink china cockerels, stuffed toys, cushions and all that other old > lady stuff! ....... Is it? I've a mini-itx sitting next to me - footprint 2.5inch x 12inch, almost totally quiet, power consumption probably around 10-15 watts. The screen is bigger with a footprint of 17x6 inch - but there are certain technical limitations to making that much smaller :-)
From: Martin Liddle on 28 Nov 2008 04:47
In message <YqOXk.16079$hy4.15037(a)newsfe11.ams2>, Mike Scott <usenet.11(a)spam.stopper.scottsonline.org.uk> writes > >I've a mini-itx sitting next to me - footprint 2.5inch x 12inch, almost >totally quiet, power consumption probably around 10-15 watts. > I have an EEE Box that I have just acquired which is even smaller 1.25" x 8.5" also quiet and with a similar power consumption. It includes wired and wireless networking and seems ideal for my applications. It also comes with a VESA mounting bracket and I have fixed it to the back of the monitor so that it takes up no additional desk space. The only obvious limitation is that there is no expansion capability but that isn't an issue for me. -- Martin Liddle, Tynemouth Computer Services, 3 Kentmere Way, Staveley, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S43 3TW. Web site: <http://www.tynecomp.co.uk>. |