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Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half

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Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half

#111

Post by kbart »

chirau wrote: post #40

I can't believe that some people here think that it is better to move your relatives, who are scared/prone to malware but don't think to restart their computer first, to Linux. What a joke really. Linux is good and all, but come on people, among iOS, MacOS, Windows, Chrome and Linux, it's the least usable and least user friendly.

What most of home users need now is a browser and it works well on Linux too. I've installed Linux Mint for some of my family members and they are are doing fine. As a bonus, I don't have to clean their systems from tons of malware, crapware, countless browser bars and viruses anymore. A slightly bigger problem if a said person needs office programs, because going from MS Office to Libre/Open Office is still not straightforward for most users.

Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half

#113

Post by dkersten »

chirau wrote: post #40

I can't believe that some people here think that it is better to move your relatives, who are scared/prone to malware but don't think to restart their computer first, to Linux. What a joke really. Linux is good and all, but come on people, among iOS, MacOS, Windows, Chrome and Linux, it's the least usable and least user friendly.

All of my computer science friends who have moved their parents to Linux (myself included) report that they are happily doing with their computers what they used to (sans downloading and running random malware) with much reduced "tech support".

Hell, when I introduced my mom to ubuntu ten years ago, Linux wasn't even as desktop friendly as it is now.

Not to say that it's the best choice, but it's plenty usable and user friendly.

Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half

#114

Post by kbart »

MichaelApproved wrote: post #75
minitech wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is it the least user-friendly? In Ubuntu, for example, nothing in regular use seems particularly different. My grandma started using it as her first OS at 84, and she’s still doing fine.

I'm commuter savvy and tried to get HBO Now to play on Ubuntu. Searched Google and found many different commands to try and run but had no luck. How could something so simple be so difficult?

So write to HBO support then and complain about their shitty software, it has nothing to do with Ubuntu.

Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half

#115

Post by koliber »

Regarding the "is it plugged in?" question. A great anecdote I heard was that the support person on the phone asked if the power plug was clean. The user was confused. The support person told them to unplug it, blow the dust out of the holes, and plug it back in. This fixed the problem!

The issue was that the power plug was in the socket, but too loose to connect. Somehow, the support person figured this was the case (prior experience?) and knew that if he asked "is it plugged in?" he would get a "yes". Taking the power plug out and putting it back in ensured that it would be in properly. But just asking the person to do that can be faced with push-back or even a lie that they did it (since the power plug obviously was already connected).

I always chuckled at the story but did not think it was true. I worked tech support while attending university. One time, I had an on-site where the monitor just stopped working. We went through the standard question on the phone, including asking if it is plugged in, and of course it was. Could not get it fixed over the phone. Once on-site, it turned out it was a loose power cable.

I could have avoided an on-site had I only asked them to blow the dust out of the power cable. Maybe this should be added to the questionnaire.

Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half

#117

Post by Jaruzel »

koliber wrote: post #115

Regarding the "is it plugged in?" question. A great anecdote I heard was that the support person on the phone asked if the power plug was clean. The user was confused. The support person told them to unplug it, blow the dust out of the holes, and plug it back in. This fixed the problem! The issue was that the power plug was in the socket, but too loose to connect. Somehow, the support person figured this was the case…

It's the Nintendo Cartridge Effect.

Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half

#118

Post by Jaruzel »

chirau wrote: post #40

I can't believe that some people here think that it is better to move your relatives, who are scared/prone to malware but don't think to restart their computer first, to Linux. What a joke really. Linux is good and all, but come on people, among iOS, MacOS, Windows, Chrome and Linux, it's the least usable and least user friendly.

The answer for 80%+ of non-techy computer users is to... move them to a tablet.

iOS or Android, doesn't matter. All most people do is surf Facebook, check webmail/im, and do online shopping.

Moving these people over to a tablet reduces Family IT Support to practically zero.

Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half

#120

Post by Zelmor »

sspiff wrote: post #97
Deestan wrote: post #92

I would add a "I don't know" option. Family members who need tech support from me are generally unable to answer things like: > Is your device up to date? First, they aren't familiar with what is considered a "device". Does it mean the calendar app on the phone (where they see observed problems)? Surely it can't mean their iPad, because that's an iPad and not a "device". The "device" must be the charger thingy. What…

Most commonly, people coming to me for help make a blanket statement like "X is broken", where X could be their phone, computer, an application or website, the Internet as a whole. X is also generally inaccurate. For instance, if the browser icon on my parents computer is moved for whatever reason, they will say that "the Internet is broken". If my mother can't figure out what button to press in a mobile application…

Maybe you should start with the basic concepts next time you are around. Explain things like computer, internet, operating system, programs. Just in a Feynman style of explanation, very brief and easy to understand.

Once my mother called that the tablet said it had a virus and should scan immediately. I asked what she saw on the screen, what she was doing when it occurred. It was an aggressive pop-up in an app she was using. I explained to her the intent of these pop-ups, which she understood and said that it did look fishy, hence her call. Next time I was around, I rooted their device and put an ad-blocker on it.

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