Tell HN: How an elderly couple I know had their computer 'stop working' • Hacker News Board

Re: Tell HN: How an elderly couple I know had their computer 'stop working'

#41

Post by grotorea » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 1:54 PM UTC

londons_explore wrote: post #32

addandsubtract wrote: post #9

Would connecting a phone via USB work? Is there an app that lets you use your phone as a mouse / keyboard via USB?

The USB port on phones is kinda locked down, and without rooting your phone I don't think there is any API to emulate an arbitrary device like a keyboard/mouse.

KDE Connect has a feature to use the phone as peripheral keyboard/mouse IIRC.

Re: Tell HN: How an elderly couple I know had their computer 'stop working'

#42

Post by esprehn » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 1:55 PM UTC

tnbp wrote: post #5

Surely, this computer must have come with a non-BT keyboard and/or mouse, though?

An iMac comes with all wireless peripherals, but the charging cables for the devices can be used for using them wired in this situation.

Re: Tell HN: How an elderly couple I know had their computer 'stop working'

#43

Post by wkjagt » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 1:55 PM UTC

tnbp wrote: post #5

Surely, this computer must have come with a non-BT keyboard and/or mouse, though?

Maybe it did but they didn’t keep it?

Re: Tell HN: How an elderly couple I know had their computer 'stop working'

#44

Post by roonyh » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 1:55 PM UTC

cabalamat wrote: post #38

nightowl_games wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That error message is very poor. Check your keyboard and mouse? I don't even know what you mean by that. This computer has no input devices? Well that is simply false. The user is currently using an input device when they see this message. Here's a better message: "Warning! Disabling Bluetooth will disconnect your wireless keyboard and wireless mouse. You will need to use a wired keyboard and wired mouse to re-enable…

> The user is currently using an input device when they see this message. Surely they are using an output device, the screen?

They need to use an input device like a mouse to disable bluetooth. Which they are about to not be able to use. But when they are seeing the message they are still using it.

Re: Tell HN: How an elderly couple I know had their computer 'stop working'

#45

Post by graemep » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 1:56 PM UTC

One lesson is that wired devices are better when they are practical. Less to go wrong - no dependence on something that might get turned off, no batteries going flat. You even get a smaller attack surface.

Re: Tell HN: How an elderly couple I know had their computer 'stop working'

#46

Post by random_upvoter » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 1:56 PM UTC

nightowl_games wrote: post #28

SpaceL10n wrote: post #10

Great question. Something like, "This computer has no input devices. Check your keyboard and mouse." Seems like pretty important use case for a personal computer targeting people who may not have grown up around computers or even finished high school. As a user of personal computers, I should be able to easily determine if my computer is configured for basic use.

That error message is very poor. Check your keyboard and mouse? I don't even know what you mean by that. This computer has no input devices? Well that is simply false. The user is currently using an input device when they see this message. Here's a better message: "Warning! Disabling Bluetooth will disconnect your wireless keyboard and wireless mouse. You will need to use a wired keyboard and wired mouse to re-enable…

That's needlessly verbose already. If you just warn people that disabling Bluetooth will disable their keyboard and mouse, they will put A and B together and cancel. No need to turn it into a logical exercise.

Re: Tell HN: How an elderly couple I know had their computer 'stop working'

#47

Post by acdha » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 1:57 PM UTC

ericswpark wrote: post #15

cassianoleal wrote: post #11

Surely they charge the keyboard and mouse. Wouldn't at least one of them be charged via a USB cable? Plugging that to the computer would turn the peripheral into a wired USB one.

If they had Apple input devices (Magic Keyboard, touchpad, etc) they don't work over the wire.

It definitely does - that’s even how you can most easily first pair them since plugging it in will automatically pair the Bluetooth device.

Re: Tell HN: How an elderly couple I know had their computer 'stop working'

#48

Post by ohyes » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 1:57 PM UTC

nightowl_games wrote: post #28

SpaceL10n wrote: post #10

Great question. Something like, "This computer has no input devices. Check your keyboard and mouse." Seems like pretty important use case for a personal computer targeting people who may not have grown up around computers or even finished high school. As a user of personal computers, I should be able to easily determine if my computer is configured for basic use.

That error message is very poor. Check your keyboard and mouse? I don't even know what you mean by that. This computer has no input devices? Well that is simply false. The user is currently using an input device when they see this message. Here's a better message: "Warning! Disabling Bluetooth will disconnect your wireless keyboard and wireless mouse. You will need to use a wired keyboard and wired mouse to re-enable…

The problem with either message is that it requires enough context to predict that the future state will make the computer unusable. (I know there are no HID usb devices, I know there is a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse).

Neither message is particularly bad, but hypothetical error messages are just that. Either message would require piercing the veil between the Bluetooth transceiver and the devices that rely on it, meaning you’d have to be careful to avoid a leaky abstraction. (Bunch of HID detection spaghetti next to your clean Bluetooth disabling code).

Agree about the switch.

Re: Tell HN: How an elderly couple I know had their computer 'stop working'

#49

Post by rini17 » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 1:58 PM UTC

Could work same as video settings since ever. You have several seconds to confirm your screen still works and if you don't confirm, the settings automatically revert.

Re: Tell HN: How an elderly couple I know had their computer 'stop working'

#50

Post by beAbU » Wed, Jan 17, 2024, 2:00 PM UTC

This is the 2020s equivalent of setting the display resolution beyond what your monitor could handle back in the Win2k days. Back then it did not revert the settings back after 20 seconds!