2 ms·

Windows 7 is going to be absolutely fine. If it's what she's used to, and you have the license and media, just go ahead. And something like TeamViewer does the

Windows 7 is going to be absolutely fine. If it's what she's used to, and you have the license and media, just go ahead. And something like TeamViewer does the remote support nicely. I'm all for Linux otherwise, but in this use case I'd let old people use whatever keeps them going.

busterarm 12y ago
Yeah, it's just an insecure mess. She always makes a mess of Windows machines. If her first instinct weren't always to call my older brother for help, I'd have gotten her the Mac ages ago.
- ptaipale 12y ago
  Well, perhaps it would be good to give her a non-admin account to Windows? The same approach you'd do with a Mac, but leaving her with a familiar UI.
  - busterarm 12y ago
    Privilege escalation, even with UAC at its strictest, is trivial on Windows with the malware that's floating around these days. I worked full time for 5 of the last 6 years on Windows malware research. Windows is a swiss-cheese joke of an operating system that won't progress because of a(n at this point pathological) need for 20 years of backwards compatibility. Microsoft: make use of that XP mode VM and extend that trend forwards, you fools.
    - ptaipale 12y ago
      Perhaps so, but at least it would keep some of the malware out. Another option would be to put her regular use to a VM that you control (remotely) and can restore to a clean state at any time...
      - mod 12y ago
        I'd like to see some kind of way to lock the system for older folks. I'm tired of troubleshooting my dad's computer. He doesn't even do so much as adding bookmarks, his machine exclusively browses the web. I'd like to get everything he needs installed and lock out modifications. Needs cookies obviously, but not much else. Somehow he manages to have video player issues in every single browser that I can't figure out. He has to watch youtube in chrome, live streams in firefox, etc. It's really dumb. Buying him a chromecast improved it some, though, by avoiding it.
        ptaipale 12y ago
        Such limitations are of course possible. Perhaps you should look up what you can achieve by running secpol.msc. (Myself, I find that model complex and unintuitive, being used to the Unix way, but everything has its learning curve.)

busterarm 12y ago

Yeah, it's just an insecure mess. She always makes a mess of Windows machines. If her first instinct weren't always to call my older brother for help, I'd have gotten her the Mac ages ago.

ptaipale 12y ago
Well, perhaps it would be good to give her a non-admin account to Windows? The same approach you'd do with a Mac, but leaving her with a familiar UI.
- busterarm 12y ago
  Privilege escalation, even with UAC at its strictest, is trivial on Windows with the malware that's floating around these days. I worked full time for 5 of the last 6 years on Windows malware research. Windows is a swiss-cheese joke of an operating system that won't progress because of a(n at this point pathological) need for 20 years of backwards compatibility. Microsoft: make use of that XP mode VM and extend that trend forwards, you fools.
  - ptaipale 12y ago
    Perhaps so, but at least it would keep some of the malware out. Another option would be to put her regular use to a VM that you control (remotely) and can restore to a clean state at any time...
    - mod 12y ago
      I'd like to see some kind of way to lock the system for older folks. I'm tired of troubleshooting my dad's computer. He doesn't even do so much as adding bookmarks, his machine exclusively browses the web. I'd like to get everything he needs installed and lock out modifications. Needs cookies obviously, but not much else. Somehow he manages to have video player issues in every single browser that I can't figure out. He has to watch youtube in chrome, live streams in firefox, etc. It's really dumb. Buying him a chromecast improved it some, though, by avoiding it.
      - ptaipale 12y ago
        Such limitations are of course possible. Perhaps you should look up what you can achieve by running secpol.msc. (Myself, I find that model complex and unintuitive, being used to the Unix way, but everything has its learning curve.)