dracupg

I agree with this, having done this with my parents back in the UK before we left. I would say that I found it a waste of time. Not only do you have the hassle of setting the thing up in the first place to make it as easy for them as possible, you also have the problems with the on-going Windows & Virus updates. Not to mention the panicked phone calls every time there is a mention of a new computer virus on the TV, or an error message on the screen.

Perhaps you are lucky in that your relatives back home are more PC literate than mine. I know that mine much prefer the letters and photos by snail mail. Something for them to show and pass round the neighbours.

Free to a good home … one PC. Hardly touched. Currently used as a plant stand.

PeteY

I think you need a combination of the two. Emails etc are great for "bulk" mailing. You can write a quick email and send it to a load of people back home with pics etc, as an update on what your up to.

This is my usual method of contact when i've lived away, with a few handwritten letters and personal emails to the family i am closer to.

Back to the computer choice.

Imac / emac. By far the easiest to use for an oldie. My gran has one. THey are pretty cheap too....

bondipom

I am an IT support Technician

64 Megs is rather small on RAM and as pictures will be flying around the world. 256 megs is now the recommended minimum. It is also needed for all the service packs MS is issuing these days. Forget win 98/Me as it will soon be obsolete.

I would also recommend XP now as it has built in features (like firewalling) that make the system more secure. It will also be supported by MS for a longer period of time and with service pack 1 has now stabilised.

For a processor try for 2 Ghz at least as XP is a bit hungry. USB 2.0 will make downloading digital images quicker.

For AV software I use AVG anti virus which is free from www.grisoft.com . If you have installed XP with service pack 1 you can set up windows update to automatically retrieve windows updates.

Set it up right in the first place and do not make it any more complicated than it has to be. Do not install unnecesary software as it can create instability and give you a MIL support overhead.

ANOTHER THING IGNORE YOUR FRIENDS VIRUS WARNINGS. 99% are HOAXES . How many of you have deleted jdbgmgr.exe thinking it was a virus. Check www.sophos.com and have a look at all the hoaxes.

Do not open suspicious attachments and keep your pc up to date with the latest virus signatures and windows update.

welshpom

... or, get an iMac. Problem solved.

There are no known viruses, worms etc for the operating system that comes with a Mac.

Macs are not for idiots, but they are relatively idiot-proof.

bondipom

I have supported Macs as well.

Macs are relatively more secure but there are Mac viruses. Do not get smug as a mac user because if a virus does hit you are more screwed than a secured paranoid PC user.

In my experience Macs are just as unstable and they cost more money. Bloody good at graphics though.

welshpom

Point me at a reference to a Mac OSX virus.

You are perhaps thinking about Mac OS9, which is obsolete - no longer available. OSX has been in use for years. I think I got it 3 years ago.

OS9 was unstable because it was a monolothic piece of ***** where applications can interfere with each other and there's no layering of priviliges (why windows is so easy for hackers to knock over or convert into a spam sending box). OSX is not unstable. OSX is unix. OSX is stable.

I'm an old unix user. The only reason I considered switching to a Mac was becuase of Mac OSX which is based on (aka borrowed all the good code from) FreeBSD. I used to use FreeBSD, it's rock solid.

It's easy to use a Mac running OSX on a daily basis and leave the machine up and running for months at a time.

I've read that if you go to a linux/unix convention the audience is full of people using Apple powerbooks running OSX. The geeks wouldn't touch it unless it was stable.

Larissa

Well all that went totally over my head!!! Anyway, must recommend NTL broadband package (with phone & TV) as we got a good webcam chucked in for free.
Can't see my parents getting to grips with it though...
What's the availiability of broadband like in Aus? (Perth in particular) Don't think I could go back to dial-up!
Larissa
PS Any of you computer nerds (just joking) got any advice on how to upgrade my avatar to a luvely flashy movey one? Pretty please with a cherry on the top (grovel grovel)

bondipom

You are right in that there are not OS X viruses however that does not mean it is not susceptible to a virus that has not been written yet. Most virus writers are script kiddies who are targetting MS. Soon a skilled virus writer will write one.

I have not been fortunate enough to support Mac OS X. I do support 500 linux POS systems around Oz and NZ. You do have to know what you are doing to lock them down properly. There are still security updates. Mac OS X relies on a lot of the same programs and needs updating.

Anyway fancy teaching your parents vi and init scripts.

Florida_03

vi...arghhhh....

For those who have no trouble, writing a letter in English, taking a few photos, going to the lab, addressing an envelope, placing them in an envelope, going to a post box, placing the envelope in a postbox, learning mandarin, committing to memory every capital city in the known World, and the complete Julian calender from 1500 BC to 4000 AD, solving Fermet's theorem, and reading a women's mind, will find vi only hugely difficult.

For the rest of us, teaching our parents how to use technology is akin to poking yourself in the eye, again, and again, and again, and again, ad nauseum.

(note: this is merely a personal opinion based on personal experience. Your experience may differ based on how completely screwed up your own family is.)

nell m

My husband worked away for a while and we got webcams, we used them everyday, the kids got to say goodnight to their dad every night, and I got to tell him off for how messy his room was! (only kidding).

were giving our son's old one to my parents when we leave, I've been going round to my Mum's with my laptop to give mum lessons, she's very keen. However, my mother-in-law when she was alive, used the computer we gave her as the worlds biggest deck of cards - all she did was play 'hearts' on it!

My husband and I have arguments about homebuild and package systems - he recommends home build to anyone and everyone, even if they just want it for the basics, but he was an IT technition and is always having to fiddle with ours, I say for someone starting off, particularly if they havent got someone around all the time to sort problems out, the best bet is to get a package that you can take back to the shop if it goes wrong - I'm ready for the onslaught of people telling me I know nothing - but it's just my opinion!

bussie

it would be ok if the shop support knew how pc's worked but the fact is they are a nightmare

james & bev

thankyou for all the useful advice.

I decided against the "get one built by the local guy" option worried about support. PC world, etc option all seem to have £1 per min support services, with support being way down there list of priorities.

So ordered a dell on line yesterday for my mum, on-site support, installation, national rate helpline and it seemed like a good deal good spec machine for first time users. web cam, printer. DVD/CD thing, and ordered bt openworld broadband for her. She won't know whats hit her.

Haven't bought one for MIL yet not convinced shes gonna use it. At least my mum uses pc's in the library, and is keen to learn and use one.

thanks for your help.

james

Whingin Pom

Good idea to go with Dell, I have had nothing but good reports about them. But for complete idiots (I mean novices, how rude of me) then you can't go wrong with Mac. Everything I have seen with the mac is simple, stable and efficient.

I have had trouble with my pc and video editing like you wouldn't believe so I am storing all my films on both cassette and disc so when I move I will get the Mac and have no problems.

A friend of mine has a Mac and I have seen his videos on dvd, they are supurb, the only down fall is price, but how much is peace of mind worth.

I hope you make the right choice, keeping in touch is so important and if its the mother in law you are setting up then the wife will make your life hell if it all go's tits up.