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by uyzstvqs 106 days ago
If your relatives are significantly tech illiterate, I'd skip the smartphone entirely and go for a locked-down Linux desktop + feature phone. The most dangerous apps are big legitimate ones.

If you do go for a smartphone, my experience tells me that there's no difference between Android and iOS. The biggest sources for shady apps are the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Shady stuff on the web can be easily defeated using an adblocking browser, which is essential for older relatives.
2 comments
lnrd 105 days ago
> If your relatives are significantly tech illiterate, I'd skip the smartphone entirely and go for a locked-down Linux desktop + feature phone. The most dangerous apps are big legitimate ones.

You know, they are adults and have free will and do want a smartphone like everyone else to use Whatsapp, read the news, search things on Google, etc.

Hell, my 95 year old grandma convinced a nurse to install TikTok on her phone because she saw her using it and also wanted to try it. It's not like we can isolate them from the world

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MattDamonSpace 106 days ago
Sir a Linux desktop recommendation for non-tech-literate elders is just silly
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BLKNSLVR 105 days ago
Sir no sir. I believe entirely the opposite. If they're tech illiterate then they don't have the entrenched knowledge that is the only thing keeping most people within the Windows ecosystem.

A Linux install that meets the basic needs of the user is perfecto!

Less so recently just due to time constraints, but I'm generally the technical person in my family group, and I've lost enough touch with Windows that troubleshooting it is increasingly difficult. If they need me to 'format and reinstall' they're getting Linux unless they have a very specific need that only Windows can cater to.

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hephaes7us 106 days ago
It's getting less silly every month! So many people in that boat only use the web browser anyway.

With a well-supported hardware configuration and a working web browser, even a non-techie may have a more stable experience than they would with Windows.

That has as much to do with the decline of Windows as with the ascent of desktop Linux, but still.

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uyzstvqs 106 days ago
Why? As long as you use a regular desktop distro, it's simple, pleasant and easy to use. This was already true 10+ years ago.
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LtWorf 105 days ago
Sir, have you tried doing it? Works great.
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awakeasleep 106 days ago
It isnt silly. We did this with my 92 yo grandma back in the 2010s. She had a browser, an email client, word processor, printer.

Bulletproof, immune to all the apps and malware. She couldnt break it.

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