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I used to take numerous steps to prevent my parents from ever accessing IE on their computers. I'd install Chrome or Firefox with adblockers, show them how much

I used to take numerous steps to prevent my parents from ever accessing IE on their computers. I'd install Chrome or Firefox with adblockers, show them how much nicer the experience was, and leave the Chrome icon on their desktop, start menu, and quick launch panel. But the IE use persisted. So I then hid IE from the Start Menu and changed the default association for all .htm and .html files to Chrome. Still I found they were somehow using IE. To this day, I have no idea how. It occurred to me the other day that they may have been opening the File/Windows Explorer and typing a URL into the folder path, which would then switch it to IE, but I've never been able to confirm. Fortunately they're both on Windows 10 laptops now, and seem to like Chrome well enough. But even if they somehow trigger one of Microsoft's inane hard-coded associations to open up a webpage in Microsoft's browser, at least it's in Microsoft Edge instead of IE.

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Blaiz0r 8y ago
Just install a friendly Linux distro and relax
- samspenc 8y ago
  Wouldn't a Chromebook be a better option for non-technical users who only need to use the Internet and websites?
- fhood 8y ago
  Define friendly? Cuz I've watched an eclipse install nuke ubuntu before. Granted this was a few years ago, but still.
  - koolba 8y ago
    Why would you install eclipse on a locked down Linux desktop for a parent?
    - gbear605 8y ago
      I think the point was more that it shouldn’t be that easy to break a desktop.
      - kilo_bravo_3 8y ago
        I can brick a Fedora install by not rebooting between two specific consecutive dnf commands. Everyone saying "well they shouldn't be installing anything, lock them down" should really be saying "just buy them an iPad".
    - xeromal 8y ago
      He's saying eclipse caused this on a linux distro while windows/mac would probably not go nuclear from an eclipse install. inb4 eclipse uninstalls windows wireless drivers.
  - ljcn 8y ago
    They shouldn't be installing anything. Don't tell them the root password, turn on automatic updates, and forget about it. My non-techie father has been using an Ubuntu 1604 LTS workstation for years with no trouble.
  - zdragnar 8y ago
    I've found linux mint to be fairly friendly, and heard good things about elementary and budgie (if you prefer the more osx oriented flavors). Additionally, peppermint os was designed around a web-centric OS experience some time before chromebooks became a thing: https://peppermintos.com/guide/ice/ https://peppermintos.com/guide/ice/ Finally, Chromebooks. Got one for my wife, who is about as computer illiterate as it gets (only computer she'd previously owned was a mobile phone) and it Just Works for her. Aside from being pretty locked down, it's about as friendly of a linux OS as linux gets.
  - theandrewbailey 8y ago
    My parents have been using Xubuntu for about the last 8 years or so. Once I told them that it looks and works like Windows (at least from the UI perspective), and here's Firefox, Thunderbird, solitaire, and how to turn it off, they were good. No huge problems since.
    - O1111OOO 8y ago
      > and here's Firefox, Thunderbird, solitaire, and how to turn it off, they were good. This is a core point. We've reached the point that for common users, the OS doesn't matter anymore. Browser, video player, image viewer, word processor... BOOM! Done! I think this is why there' such a push toward cloud-based subscription services because OSes (a decade from now?) will be the modern equivalent of a locked-down dumb terminal. It's part of the reason, I'm convinced, that Microsoft went Chromium. Even the browser doesn't matter. It's just a face... a front-end to a search engine, subscriber-based online apps and targeted tracking.
  - tinus_hn 8y ago
    Yeah, no development environment installation ever trashed a Windows installation!
- Taylor_OD 8y ago
  On a computer used by people who cant handle opening the correct web browser? Seems like a bad idea.
  - JdeBP 8y ago
    The story gives the impression that they were perfectly capable of opening the WWW browser that they wanted, and managed to out-smart their IT person, who was continually mucking around with their system to try to force them to use the one that xe liked instead. They might do well with a Linux operating system, especially if it makes that interfering IT person give up in horror because it isn't Windows, and thereby stop continually mucking around with their computer and user settings. (-: Remember that sometimes grandma manned a crew-served grenade launcher. * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11667485 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11667485
- agumonkey 8y ago
  elementary or mint xfce would be a nice candidate (nothing more than nice; but that's already nice for long term peace of mind)
deogeo 8y ago
> To this day, I have no idea how. Have you tried asking them?
- jamesgeck0 8y ago
  An oral response to such a question from a non-technical person may or may not make sense or every accurately reflect what they did. People behave differently when they're being watched, so they may not even be able to show you what they did if you sit down with them at the computer. I've observed this with a number of older people who didn't grow up with computers.
  - O1111OOO 8y ago
    > An oral response to such a question from a non-technical person... I about spilled my coffee. Too funny, so accurate! Brings back so many memories, including responses similar to the five stages of grief to a simple, nonaccusatory question. See: Martin Short as Nathan Thurm...

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

Blaiz0r 8y ago

Just install a friendly Linux distro and relax

samspenc 8y ago
Wouldn't a Chromebook be a better option for non-technical users who only need to use the Internet and websites?
fhood 8y ago
Define friendly? Cuz I've watched an eclipse install nuke ubuntu before. Granted this was a few years ago, but still.
- koolba 8y ago
  Why would you install eclipse on a locked down Linux desktop for a parent?
  - gbear605 8y ago
    I think the point was more that it shouldn’t be that easy to break a desktop.
    - kilo_bravo_3 8y ago
      I can brick a Fedora install by not rebooting between two specific consecutive dnf commands. Everyone saying "well they shouldn't be installing anything, lock them down" should really be saying "just buy them an iPad".
  - xeromal 8y ago
    He's saying eclipse caused this on a linux distro while windows/mac would probably not go nuclear from an eclipse install. inb4 eclipse uninstalls windows wireless drivers.
- ljcn 8y ago
  They shouldn't be installing anything. Don't tell them the root password, turn on automatic updates, and forget about it. My non-techie father has been using an Ubuntu 1604 LTS workstation for years with no trouble.
- zdragnar 8y ago
  I've found linux mint to be fairly friendly, and heard good things about elementary and budgie (if you prefer the more osx oriented flavors). Additionally, peppermint os was designed around a web-centric OS experience some time before chromebooks became a thing: https://peppermintos.com/guide/ice/ https://peppermintos.com/guide/ice/ Finally, Chromebooks. Got one for my wife, who is about as computer illiterate as it gets (only computer she'd previously owned was a mobile phone) and it Just Works for her. Aside from being pretty locked down, it's about as friendly of a linux OS as linux gets.
- theandrewbailey 8y ago
  My parents have been using Xubuntu for about the last 8 years or so. Once I told them that it looks and works like Windows (at least from the UI perspective), and here's Firefox, Thunderbird, solitaire, and how to turn it off, they were good. No huge problems since.
  - O1111OOO 8y ago
    > and here's Firefox, Thunderbird, solitaire, and how to turn it off, they were good. This is a core point. We've reached the point that for common users, the OS doesn't matter anymore. Browser, video player, image viewer, word processor... BOOM! Done! I think this is why there' such a push toward cloud-based subscription services because OSes (a decade from now?) will be the modern equivalent of a locked-down dumb terminal. It's part of the reason, I'm convinced, that Microsoft went Chromium. Even the browser doesn't matter. It's just a face... a front-end to a search engine, subscriber-based online apps and targeted tracking.
- tinus_hn 8y ago
  Yeah, no development environment installation ever trashed a Windows installation!
Taylor_OD 8y ago
On a computer used by people who cant handle opening the correct web browser? Seems like a bad idea.
- JdeBP 8y ago
  The story gives the impression that they were perfectly capable of opening the WWW browser that they wanted, and managed to out-smart their IT person, who was continually mucking around with their system to try to force them to use the one that xe liked instead. They might do well with a Linux operating system, especially if it makes that interfering IT person give up in horror because it isn't Windows, and thereby stop continually mucking around with their computer and user settings. (-: Remember that sometimes grandma manned a crew-served grenade launcher. * https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11667485 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11667485
agumonkey 8y ago
elementary or mint xfce would be a nice candidate (nothing more than nice; but that's already nice for long term peace of mind)

deogeo 8y ago

> To this day, I have no idea how. Have you tried asking them?

jamesgeck0 8y ago
An oral response to such a question from a non-technical person may or may not make sense or every accurately reflect what they did. People behave differently when they're being watched, so they may not even be able to show you what they did if you sit down with them at the computer. I've observed this with a number of older people who didn't grow up with computers.
- O1111OOO 8y ago
  > An oral response to such a question from a non-technical person... I about spilled my coffee. Too funny, so accurate! Brings back so many memories, including responses similar to the five stages of grief to a simple, nonaccusatory question. See: Martin Short as Nathan Thurm...