VNC. Put a server on their computer and through a VPN you can safely do and show them what you meant.
Or switch them to Linux. For browsing/mail it's perfect. And if they want to have Windows games then make a separate partition where they play there and cut access to internet for that Windows installation.
> Or switch them to Linux. For browsing/mail it's perfect.
My dad switched to Xubuntu a few years ago and has been singing praise of it ever since. It's a pretty straight forward desktop environment that isn't prone to frequent radical changes like some other DEs. I think it's an ideal DE for somebody with basic browsing/mail requirements.
Seconding this. Literally 99% of what many old people need to do with a computer can be accomplished with xubuntu/xfce desktop environment (which is now a traditionally comfortable GUI similar to windows 98/2000), and inside a browser like Firefox. Install ublock origin and a few other common sense plugins.
Thanks. This makes a lot of sense. Hopefully they will go for it. Next time I'm down in the Bay Area I will definitely try converting them and it sounds like it might be the best solution for me to be able to remotely assist with their computing needs. With the aging demographic in this country, I'd imagine there is some real opportunity for someone to create more tools to help those of us looking for solutions to help our parents navigate their safe computing / IT needs remotely.
I switched my Dad to a Chromebook, been several years now with limited issues, though he still does seem to end up with some very strange ChromeApps that end up screwing up his default search and other settings
Maybe I should transition to him to Linux and FF at this point...
Or switch them to Linux. For browsing/mail it's perfect. And if they want to have Windows games then make a separate partition where they play there and cut access to internet for that Windows installation.