Your grandmother's PC

Darius Chang | Jun 23, 2006

Not to stereotype the older folks, but after assisting more than a few senior citizens who want to relate with their grandchildren by learning about emails and Internet browsing, we've found it an uphill task, to say the least. The myrid features and functions of most PCs make it hard for them to focus on essential information and hence confusion sets in easily.

According to our blogger, Toekang IT, Singapore-based company Mee Swa, a name which means longevity noodles in Chinese, offers a painless way for those aged over 45 who haven't even touched a PC in their lives to learn basic computing. Based on Fedora Core 5, one of the flavors of Linux, the interface for their easyPC computers have enlarged fonts, big buttons and clearly marked menus. Currently available through phone orders only, the company has plans to create awareness through senior citizen groups and in time offer an online store.

By removing the "fluff" and displaying only essential information, the learning curve should be greatly reduced, and soon, you may even be receiving your grandma's secret recipe via email.