4 ms·

Time to switch to Linux on old PCs.

aerique 13y ago
Actually, that's just what I did for my mother. She got emailed by her bank that using Windows XP would not be safe anymore and worriedly asked what to do: "do I have to buy a new computer?" Since all she basically used was OpenOffice, Thunderbird and Chrome she's now running those three apps in Window Maker on Debian.
- k-mcgrady 13y ago
  >> "She got emailed by her bank that using Windows XP would not be safe anymore" Before switching to Linux I'd recommend checking the bank supports it. I know a couple of banks in my country that use weird security systems that won't run on Linux/Mac.
  - vacri 13y ago
    As long as they support an open-source browser, you can fake the user agent to make them happy.
    - dagw 13y ago
      Assuming there aren't any plugins or applets involved in the authentication process. Sweden, for example, is moving to a system where you use a smart card and USB card reader for authentication on most/all bank and government sites.
      - johnchristopher 13y ago
        In Belgium, they used to bundle a java app with some certificates or keys on a floppy disk years ago. Fortunately most of them have switched to a custom calculator-like device that spits out verification numbers and doesn't require any connection to the computer or the network.
      - chalst 13y ago
        The smart-card based banking systems I am aware of don't run in the browser (not saying they couldn't have chosen to work via a plugin, they just don't seem to). Gnucash has for several smart card systems, and at least HBCI/Fints support is good [1,2]. [1]: http://www2.aquamaniac.de/sites/aqbanking/overview.php http://www2.aquamaniac.de/sites/aqbanking/overview.php [2]: http://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/AqBanking http://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/AqBanking
  - andrey-p 13y ago
    There's online bank systems in Bulgaria that require users to run IE6.
sweedy 13y ago
At my place, all the non-technical people rush out and buy new overpriced computer with win7. Only one of my neighbors decided to let me show him linux. The lokal store dont care, they are very happy to sell some old intel i3 prozessor, Onboard-graphics, and windows 7 for €800+
Shivetya 13y ago
uh, no. Quite a few people on XP are there because its what they know. It also is all they need. Personal example, I would love to replace my mom's computer but she likes her version of Office which was the version we installed when she obtained her PC, which runs XP. I suspect she isn't alone in not wanting to change something that works. For many people tech is just the annoyance they have to put with to do what they want to do. Top that off with hundred dollar or more to upgrade and why should people do it? At least Apple got it right, FINALLY, after many years of charging for OS upgrades to not doing so. Having helped organizations with donated computers I am not sure there is a real alternative. Linux? Really? Its hard enough sourcing decent used machines for people, I certainly am not game to loading Linux and then teaching them to use it. Perhaps if there were one install and software was available at the store... do you understand?
- fletchowns 13y ago
  A web browser is typically all they need. It works the same way in Linux. Turn on automatic updates and show them the web based version of Office.
- oneeyedpigeon 13y ago
  So you're going to leave your non-technical mom using an unpatched OS connected to the public Internet? Let me know how that works out.
  - chris_wot 13y ago
    Yeah, that's pretty much the current situation anyway with a lot of folks.
    - oneeyedpigeon 13y ago
      Would be interesting to know. Based on anecdotal reports, I would guess that we are now today in a situation in which more people than ever are running an unpatched, Internet-connected computer - I'm hypothesising that XP is by far the most 'un-upgraded' OS we've had since mass adoption of the Internet.

Actually, that's just what I did for my mother. She got emailed by her bank that using Windows XP would not be safe anymore and worriedly asked what to do: "do I have to buy a new computer?" Since all she basically used was OpenOffice, Thunderbird and Chrome she's now running those three apps in Window Maker on Debian.

k-mcgrady 13y ago
>> "She got emailed by her bank that using Windows XP would not be safe anymore" Before switching to Linux I'd recommend checking the bank supports it. I know a couple of banks in my country that use weird security systems that won't run on Linux/Mac.
- vacri 13y ago
  As long as they support an open-source browser, you can fake the user agent to make them happy.
  - dagw 13y ago
    Assuming there aren't any plugins or applets involved in the authentication process. Sweden, for example, is moving to a system where you use a smart card and USB card reader for authentication on most/all bank and government sites.
    - johnchristopher 13y ago
      In Belgium, they used to bundle a java app with some certificates or keys on a floppy disk years ago. Fortunately most of them have switched to a custom calculator-like device that spits out verification numbers and doesn't require any connection to the computer or the network.
    - chalst 13y ago
      The smart-card based banking systems I am aware of don't run in the browser (not saying they couldn't have chosen to work via a plugin, they just don't seem to). Gnucash has for several smart card systems, and at least HBCI/Fints support is good [1,2]. [1]: http://www2.aquamaniac.de/sites/aqbanking/overview.php http://www2.aquamaniac.de/sites/aqbanking/overview.php [2]: http://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/AqBanking http://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/AqBanking
- andrey-p 13y ago
  There's online bank systems in Bulgaria that require users to run IE6.

sweedy 13y ago

At my place, all the non-technical people rush out and buy new overpriced computer with win7. Only one of my neighbors decided to let me show him linux. The lokal store dont care, they are very happy to sell some old intel i3 prozessor, Onboard-graphics, and windows 7 for €800+

Shivetya 13y ago

uh, no. Quite a few people on XP are there because its what they know. It also is all they need. Personal example, I would love to replace my mom's computer but she likes her version of Office which was the version we installed when she obtained her PC, which runs XP. I suspect she isn't alone in not wanting to change something that works. For many people tech is just the annoyance they have to put with to do what they want to do. Top that off with hundred dollar or more to upgrade and why should people do it? At least Apple got it right, FINALLY, after many years of charging for OS upgrades to not doing so. Having helped organizations with donated computers I am not sure there is a real alternative. Linux? Really? Its hard enough sourcing decent used machines for people, I certainly am not game to loading Linux and then teaching them to use it. Perhaps if there were one install and software was available at the store... do you understand?

fletchowns 13y ago
A web browser is typically all they need. It works the same way in Linux. Turn on automatic updates and show them the web based version of Office.
oneeyedpigeon 13y ago
So you're going to leave your non-technical mom using an unpatched OS connected to the public Internet? Let me know how that works out.
- chris_wot 13y ago
  Yeah, that's pretty much the current situation anyway with a lot of folks.
  - oneeyedpigeon 13y ago
    Would be interesting to know. Based on anecdotal reports, I would guess that we are now today in a situation in which more people than ever are running an unpatched, Internet-connected computer - I'm hypothesising that XP is by far the most 'un-upgraded' OS we've had since mass adoption of the Internet.