[Uncle Fester]

Some of you may remember I work with a charity which is involved with the social inclusion of web access. One of our major target groups is the elderly - and I am always looking for new ways to help them out. Imagine my interest when I saw THIS

Got to say, my interest was piqued as I have long been a proponent of Mint, and find the subject enthralling. Look deeper (and be a cynical old so and so) to understand the pricing stucture - why should a computer with the specs of their base model be so expensive (free OS and Eldy is free too) - Mmmm. I applaud the sentiment but find it annoying that so many 'aids' for the elderly/disabled come overpriced.

I am trialing the software (versions for MS products - testing on all 3 current) in a number of settings and so far impressed - if you have an elderly relative/friend who would love to try the web but can't get the hang of a PC try it out!

[madmatt2006]

I think the elderly should have a cut down basic version of windows O/S other wise they will get put to the side and the average PC user or family member will not be able to help them. You can have a windows desktop with 6 icons too

[Uncle Fester]

I use XP FLP (Fundamentals for Legacy PCs) a lot - a bit lighter and suits the hardware variations I encounter. Have an image which I install v quickly, but this is very handy in a number of ways. As a trainer, I can tell you that sometimes with the elderly you are fighting an uphill battle, anything which lessens the learning curve is a real help. I hope this will aid in quickening uptake and eventually lead to normal interface requests. The good thing is it runs as an app, can be minimized so another person can use PC, removes easily and has a lot of accessibilty features.
For now I do like it but, if and when I have the time (not on the horizon at the moment), I would like to write my own version using .Net framework - this would tie a lot of the features available for accessibility into itself, with a simple browser and email client.

As I said the Windows versions are quite good - basically it is an interface with a basic browser, email client, SKYpe and a couple of other tools. I agree with you in principle but experience tells this could be a runner. As has been all over TV etc in this country there will be a lot of interest - I had to research it for my own cynicism, and was proved right. I can advise people at least, or build them a similar system for a fraction of the cost.

Believe me when I say there is a lot of attention being paid to this...