>And you're going to be right there with her to teach her to use this? Or >maybe kick in the extra $500 over the cost of a PC?
The price of crappy PCs has crept up as companies like Dell have found that they can't be profitable at their former prices. And I was not suggesting you get the cheapest Mac either. I was suggesting the model that is most likely to be successful. The iMac 20" is $1200. Your description of the computer user did not suggest that a crappy PC would be acceptable. Many people do not want to turn a corner of their home into something resembling Dr. Frankenstein's lab. A computer that looks intimidating is likely to be a computer that does not get used. The Mac OS has VNC built in. To do that with Vi$$$ta you will need to buy a more expensive version. That would be a waste of money. >I would be her only "teacher", and I know absolutely nothing about a >Mac. I can do the necessary updates and sort out the messes on a PC. I don't think ignorance is an acceptable defense. What if her doctor did not prescribe an important new treatment because keeping up with medical advances was too much trouble? You have a fiduciary responsibility to make the best selection for her, not for you. Instead of taking upon yourself the responsibility to "sort out the messes" why not get a computer that won't have the messes? You can then direct your efforts to the real challenge: teaching her how to use the computer. >She is not an adventurous type of person. Sounds like a Mac owner. >Her big hangup has been that she doesn't know how to type. Tell her that many computer users do not know how to type. We hunt and peck. Over time we hunt less and peck more. >Considering all of this, I think she'd be safest with a cable connection behind a firewall Depends on what is more reliable in her area. I think DSL is usually more reliable. >all desktop icons hidden except for a word processor, "My Documents", Firefox and a >stand-alone email icon. What does she need a word processor for? What does she need an email program for? Keep it simple. Set her up with Gmail. If she must print out a letter she can type it in Gmail and print from there. I would have the computer automatically launch FireFox and make the home page Gmail. Put some icons at the bookmarks toolbar for the other things she needs. Keep it simple. >Anything more than that, and she will throw her hands in the air and >be done. Exactly my point. ************************************************************************ * ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in <== * ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <== * Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name * Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST * Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L * New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress * Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ************************************************************************ * List archive at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/ * RSS at www.mail-archive.com/computerguys-l@listserv.aol.com/maillist.xml * Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived ************************************************************************
