I'm a software engineer, and I have no idea what "is your device up to date?" means.
Does that mean do I have the latest iPhone, or do I have the latest device drivers (I think I have heard that from Windows users).
Not too sure there.
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
#32Neat. Personally I would say "turn it off and on again" while this says the reverse. If it's targeted at a non-technical user, it needs to be foolproof. I have helped users before that would see this and literally turn their computer on and off, and wonder why the computer isn't working while off as instructed.
This is the funniest part of the whole tool
Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half
#33I'm a software engineer, and I have no idea what "is your device up to date?" means. Does that mean do I have the latest iPhone, or do I have the latest device drivers (I think I have heard that from Windows users). Not too sure there.
My exact same thoughts. I was like, "Where's the button my parents would click?"
Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half
#34One thing I'd particularly like when dealing with my parents' issues is an _easy_ way to set up remote screenshare and access. It's one thing when the problem is that their computer isn't booting (in which this site would definitely help ;)), but another if the problem is that they can't find a file they downloaded or something like that.
I'd pay for a tool like this that was easy to set up and use that didn't have to involve my parents installing TeamViewer, coordinating a channel, and so on.
Edit: Thanks for the advice all, will install one of these suggestions when I head home for the holidays.
Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
The best thing I ever found to reduce the risk of malware is to move them to a Linux distro. The risk is not zero but from a user perspective I install the software they need from package repositories remotely, and that more or less settles it. Of course this is not for everyone, but for folks who for the most only need a browser a Linux distro is a good choice.
For folks who mostly just need a browser and for whom malware is a risk, you really can't do better than an iPad. I love Linux, but there really is no beating an iPad if you need a PC-approximate that is absurdly low maintenance.
There's also CloudReady, it's based on Chromium OS. I installed it on a relatives computer after making sure they just needed a browser, and so far so good. It's been around 4-6 months and they said it's working fine.
Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half
#36One thing I'd particularly like when dealing with my parents' issues is an _easy_ way to set up remote screenshare and access. It's one thing when the problem is that their computer isn't booting (in which this site would definitely help ;)), but another if the problem is that they can't find a file they downloaded or something like that. I'd pay for a tool like this that was easy to set up and use that didn't have t…
IIRC Fog Creek's Copilot was specifically for that purpose. Not sure how actively it's being maintained now thought.
I had hopes that Screen Hero would fill that role before Slack bought them out. Still a great tool, wish it wasn't tied to Slack though.
Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half
#37One thing I'd particularly like when dealing with my parents' issues is an _easy_ way to set up remote screenshare and access. It's one thing when the problem is that their computer isn't booting (in which this site would definitely help ;)), but another if the problem is that they can't find a file they downloaded or something like that. I'd pay for a tool like this that was easy to set up and use that didn't have t…
I had my mom install the join.me app on her laptop and tablet. When she has problems she just types "join.me" in the browser (or opens the app) and reads me the join code over the phone.
In a couple minutes I find that disabled setting, or the app she installed but can't find, or clean up the crapware from the kitten screensaver she installed, and she's on her way.
Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
The best thing I ever found to reduce the risk of malware is to move them to a Linux distro. The risk is not zero but from a user perspective I install the software they need from package repositories remotely, and that more or less settles it. Of course this is not for everyone, but for folks who for the most only need a browser a Linux distro is a good choice.
For folks who mostly just need a browser and for whom malware is a risk, you really can't do better than an iPad. I love Linux, but there really is no beating an iPad if you need a PC-approximate that is absurdly low maintenance.
My parents hardly ever use a desktop computer since getting tablets and smart phones, but they still need and use one for business activities (self employment Excel entries, scanning and emailing documents, taxes). So while I wholeheartedly agree with you, I don't think the tablet can necessarily 100% eliminate the need for a desktop computer.
Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half
#39I think you may as well say "Sorry, I'm not going to help you. Search Google. Bye."
It's annoying being asked to help with support, but if it's someone I care about I would never send them this.
Maybe I'm missing the joke?
Re: Show HN: Fun tool that cut my family and friends tech support time in half
#40I 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.