Many years ago I used to despair every time I used my dad's windows machine. Every time, his browser window was filled with loads of toolbars installed by various sites and utilities, leaving him with a tiny usable content area. I kept explaining why this happened and he never changed his behaviour.

I got him to buy a Mac and for a few years things went well. But then he started complaining about it behaving weirdly or running slowly. I'd take a look and find he'd installed some free utility or some other odd bit of software that was screwing up his machine. I kept explaining why this happened and he never changed his behaviour.

I keep telling him to get an iPad, as at least then everything would be sandboxed and iOS would kill background tasks. But he says, no, he needs a real computer.

This is the end user reality HN generally fails to empathize with. Users need computing consoles or appliances.

PS. Now that you can dock an iPad with an external screen and keyboard and trackpad, try that for him, tell him it's the new Macpad Pro.

I would encourage the HN audience to do tech support (outside of family) for a few friends/customers and charge for it. You learn a LOT.

You should charge a lot. As much as a doctor. Because that's what you are, really.

The metaphor totally works because half your customers end up ignoring your advice anyway.

Still medical staff looks down on the IT crowd.

> by Terretta 6 hours ago: Now that you can dock an iPad with an external screen and keyboard and trackpad, try that for him, tell him it's the new Macpad Pro.

ROTFL, someone made this and posted to HN four hours ago:

https://www.macstories.net/stories/macpad-how-i-created-the-...

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39592288

And you feel like it is your responsibility to take control of his life, because you know better? For his own good? This is called fascism.

If this is how he wants to live, it is his right as a free adult. Even if it annoys you.

> he never changed his behaviour

That's the real problem. People just refuse to learn. They refuse to put in any effort at all. They don't want to have to think about what they are doing.

It's making me become ever more elitist over the years. I no longer believe computers should be for everyone. Computers are world changing technology and they are wasted on people who don't give a shit.

Any chance you could lock down his account (gatekeeper) and keep your own admin user? It's too bad there's no easy way to simply "grant access" to installs remotely (if you're the admin).

Average users, don't.

My sister does everything on a phone or tablet and doesn't see the point of a "proper" computer, the guy at the bank plugs an iPad into a monitor.

A MacBook is a work tool, like an angle grinder or a JCB. Most people don't know how to get the most out of them if they were given one.

I’m a computer nerd, and even then, all my actually-important-for-real-life computing takes place on my phone.

Why not? The average user can get a ton of apps from the App Store.

Statistically speaking, most of them don’t.