My grandpa is old and til now has always done things with paper copies including legal paperwork, taxes, and all that. Recently he’s said the tax people don’t want him using paper to file them and has sent him online resources to do so. Problem is his most recent computer runs Windows 7, and most web pages refuse to load. The only problem I have been able to determine is that the computer is wildly out-of-date, no longer receives security updates, and the internet doesn’t like that.
Solutions I can think of are trying to prolong the life of the computer with Linux, getting a newer computer that has the hardware to run Windows 10/11, or taking him to the library to fill out info there. I am always glad to convert people to Linux, but for him it would have to run very similarly to the Windows 7 he’s used to. He would have to be able to run EXEs easily and not have to configure anything. I know of low-to-no configuration distros, but I don’t know if they can run his applications as easily. A new computer would be a pretty easy fix, but not exactly cheap either. The library, I’m not 100% sure they would allow you to do that paperwork there for security reasons, especially if the patron doesn’t know how to log out and secure themselves. Even then, my grandparents have been reluctant to use our local library since they moved here from out of town, probably because they’re old and don’t like change.
So this is my predicament; if anyone has any suggestions regarding these or with different options, I’d appreciate them. If there is a way to use his current computer, that’d probably be ideal for him, but I do understand that’s nowhere near ideal generally.
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If it was me I’d pick the Linux route after confirming i can run all the applications they need its then just a matter of setting it up for them and putting the icons on the desktop. However if they want to be able to install new windows applications themselves linux is probably a really bad option cos wine is just not click and go and probably never will be. In that case I’d just try and locate a cheap PC that can run win 11 or repurpose whatever unused machine parts i have lying around.
Windows 11 is so fucking annoying cos if it wasn’t for the stupid tpm requirement locating a second hand PC for next to no cost that can run win 10/11 is actually quite easy. Gorillions of ewaste office PCs all over the place for the taking. Technically you can install win 11 and circumvent the requirement but I wouldn’t trust Microsoft to not brick PCs later down the line.
That means I’ll have to re-learn how to write .desktop files, then? I learned it once, but it was a while ago.
Should be built in to the gui if you go with mint. Its the most windows looking Linux OS there is and easiest for people to understand. I wouldn’t recommend anything else tbh gnome would be too alien and kde is flashy but click the wrong button and for grandparents it’ll be like trying to exit vim except is the desktop edit mode
Zorin is designed to look very similar to Windows, but I’m also a big fan of Mint.
Heh. Yeah, I figured I’d go with mint. I helped my sibling with it, and they’re satisfied. They were willing to do Linux, but they were only familiar with Windows and wanted to ease into it.
i second the linux route. like linux mint, especially if everything he is going to be doing can be accomplished via web interface (email, documents, verify identity/documents, etc). i think it will work out fine, and if not, it’s cost you $0 to try. i would install linux mint, firefox, set up all his bookmarks/desktop shortcuts, and get him logged into everything with saved passwords and confirm 2FA for his phone/email and then confirm he can access everything. my favorite thing about linux was that the shit was so stable, never lost configurations, never required restarts to update random shit and always asked for permission to update which hardly took any time. i could walk up to it, move the mouse to bring it out of its inactive state, and it was always exactly how i left it. it made me realize how unstable and fucked windoze is.
anyway, the plan B/backup move would be to find the cheapest laptop you can find on the DFO website, making sure to check “scratch & dent” and sort laptops by cheapest. you can occaisionally find stupidly cheap deals on there for refurbs. chose no additional options whatsoever, including no support after 1 month. then plug a USB mouse+keyboard into it and an OK sized HDMI (or whatever connection is available) monitor into it so the screen is bigger and set up all the accessibility for contrast and larger type because it’s probably gonna be some 15" display with a tiny, borderline unusable keyboard without the number pad. old schools like me live and die by the number pad for tax/budgeting.
Thank you. Mint is what I had in mind. He actually hasn’t had internet at his home for a long time, so it’s likely he doesn’t have bookmarks or logins, at least that he remembers. This does make me worry he has a lot of offline applications I’d have to figure out.
You could solve your immediate problem installing this version of firefox, it’s the last browser that supports Windows 7 https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/115.20.0/releasenotes/
Linux Mint Cinnamon is pretty similar to Windows 7 out of the box as far as how it works. Can probably find something to download to make it match Windows 7 in start menu configuration.
My spouse was able to transition to using Mint from Windows without any problems.
Is their hardware a 32 or 64 bit system? If its old enough to be 32 then (from the smarter people about tech security) its not going to play nice with the more modern security stuff that requires 64bit systems. (I’ve got an ancient 32bit netbook that can do basic internet stuff on text pages but won’t play well with much else.) Might need to find a cheapo refurbished office computer, should be able to get away with finding them for a few hundred after shipping. Maybe less if you’re close enough to a city government or university that sells their old stuff but requires that you physically pick it up yourself.
I suppose Linux wouldnt be so bad. For younger people (Gen X/Millennial) you have their muscle memory for Windows holding them back, but for someone older who rarely uses computers, a trimmed down OS like Mint will do the job well.
As for .desktop files, you should be fine. Many desktop environments, including the one used on Mint, have a “pin to desktop” feature that basically does that automatically.
Mint with alternatives for software he might need be a good idea just like the others said. AntiX is also great option for old computers and can come with a lot of software preinstalled if you get the full iso instead of the minimal options. It has a gui package installer and the session manager comes with a bunch of different Desktop environments and one tiling window manager to switch on the go. You still might have to mess with wine for exe files and make sure the ones he needs work if you are unable to find an alternative. There are some work arounds to get windows 10 IOT (it also has 32 bit versions I think) which has long term support.
