11-27-2008, 01:43 AM
Since neither "senior citizen" nor "computer illiterate" are synonymous with senile or stupid, my first question would be how quickly do you expect she'll get comfortable using the computer and after that, how likely is she to go poking around in more places than her few favorite haunts on the internet?
If she's the type that's going to pick things up fairly quickly once the training wheels are off and will be venturing out beyond her "sandbox" with any regularity, my choice would be to go with a PC. While you and I are to one degree or another invested in the Mac platform, newbies don't have that motivation and it can be extremely frustrating for them to keep encountering 'Macs not welcome'/'PCs only' roadblocks (Even if the bulk of them are FUD/lazy programming/have workarounds). If the roadblocks start hitting too often when a user is getting started, the computer can turn into a paperweight very quickly, especially if you're dealing with a user who might feel like they're being a "bother" when they ask for the kind of help most new users need.
If she's going to be fairly well isolated in that sandbox, and will be relying on an easily accessible, good base of support, going with a Mac is entirely workable and of course offers the added benefits of the Mac platform.
The point about thinking hard about who is going to be her primary tech support person also is a very important one; as is who the back-up tech support is going to be. Even if you're used to it and have a personality suited to it, providing support to a new user, especially if they're not tech minded, can be trying, so having someone who can share the duty is a big help for everyone.
Good luck and props to you for making sure she's getting set-up with a portal to the wired world.
If she's the type that's going to pick things up fairly quickly once the training wheels are off and will be venturing out beyond her "sandbox" with any regularity, my choice would be to go with a PC. While you and I are to one degree or another invested in the Mac platform, newbies don't have that motivation and it can be extremely frustrating for them to keep encountering 'Macs not welcome'/'PCs only' roadblocks (Even if the bulk of them are FUD/lazy programming/have workarounds). If the roadblocks start hitting too often when a user is getting started, the computer can turn into a paperweight very quickly, especially if you're dealing with a user who might feel like they're being a "bother" when they ask for the kind of help most new users need.
If she's going to be fairly well isolated in that sandbox, and will be relying on an easily accessible, good base of support, going with a Mac is entirely workable and of course offers the added benefits of the Mac platform.
The point about thinking hard about who is going to be her primary tech support person also is a very important one; as is who the back-up tech support is going to be. Even if you're used to it and have a personality suited to it, providing support to a new user, especially if they're not tech minded, can be trying, so having someone who can share the duty is a big help for everyone.
Good luck and props to you for making sure she's getting set-up with a portal to the wired world.