[GTALUG] Raspberry Pi 4 Desktop Kit

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

Just adding my two cents after reading this thread.

Cooling (just an opinion, not based on diverse experience):

- Pi 4 does not need cooling but it apparently makes a difference in 
  performance under load.

- passive cooling is "good enough".  I use a FLIRC case
  <https://www.amazon.ca/Flirc-Raspberry-Pi-Case-Silver/dp/B07WG4DW52/>
  Passive means that it won't wear out.
  A lot more choices are available now.
  The price ($21.15) isn't too horrible.

| From: Aruna Hewapathirane via talk <talk at gtalug.org>

| This is not for me. My uncle lives in Edmonton. He is in his late 70's and
| getting on.
| I visited him recently and he has an ancient desktop and my aunty has a
| laptop. Both
| run Windows 10.

The step from Win10 => Linux might or might not be hard for them.  You
don't really want to find out the hard way.  For example, they might
need some initial help that is hard to do remotely.  Forcing them into
new habits might or might not go well.

I did switch my father from Windows to Linux when he started having
trouble (in his late 80s).  He barely noticed.  But I wasn't a plane
trip away.

I guess you want two desktops.  It might be best if they are very
similar so that they can help each other.

How much of their old systems is salvageable?

- keyboard, mouse: USB, right?

- display: CRT or LCD?  Connectors: VGA, DVI, DisplayPort, or HDMI
  (likely some subset)?

- cables, desks, ...

The Raspberry Pi family is meant to invite play.  Unfortunately,
that's kind of the opposite of what you want.  You can paper over much
of that by configuring it yourself.  Little things like power on /
power off remain as possible problems.

The first time you turn on a new conventional PC involves a lot of
busywork.  Windows requires a fair amount of stupid work.  Some people
even find that unboxing and plugging all the cables in is challenging.
Other than that, I'd suggest ordering a PC of some sort to be
delivered to their house: no additional expense.

These days, notebooks are the right choice for most people.  Less
cabling, less trouble moving, less space, not too expensive.  On the
down side, the screens may be too small for folks with vision
problems.

I don't know how important price is to you.  You could consider refurb
stuff from Dell Financial Services.  Not the cheapest but they are not
fly by night.  Supplies are a bit limited because of the lock-down.

<https://www.dellrefurbished.com/>

Shipping isn't free.

There are also small X86 PCs.  They are often as expensive as
notebooks.  But they might let your customers keep their existing
keyboard, mouse, and monitor.  For example, I have a few ThinkCentre
M93p "tiny" computers.

These people currently have them starting at $170.  Not cheap.
Getting old.  Still getting updates from Lenovo!
<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-hKAmQahPcEV_h5mwflWGLWCQtqkKOBDbsakv4ee2u0/edit#gid=0>

Dell has SFF (Small Form Factor) PCs (a little larger than "tiny").
Here are some
<https://www.dellrefurbished.com/desktop-computers?filter_brand=188&filter_chassis_type=242>


|  The modem+router is in their basement. The house has 3
| levels. So
| the wifi signal has to get through two floors for my uncle and one floor
| for my aunty.

Mentioned before, but:

Surely there is a way to move the modem/router.

- if it is DSL, all you have to do is move the modem/router to another phone jack
  (and juggle the filters)

- if it is cable, all you should have to do is move the modem/router
  to a different cable jack

It would be odd if there were not a jack elsewhere.

A Raspberry Pi's WiFi might not be great (I don't know).  After all,
its antena is just a squiggle on the PC board.

| Most
| times things are extremely slow.

Why?  Often a hard problem to answer, but without knowing why it is hard 
to know the best fixes.

- old WiFi standard (eg. 802.11b)?

- too many neighbours using the channel?

- leaky microwave oven?

- substandard broadband service?

| I could run an ethernet cable from the
| basement and wire
| a direct connection but did not have the time to do that this time.

That should not be necessary.  I do like wired connections for
security and for fewer/simpler ways of going wrong.  I no longer even
wire my TV PCs.

| If there is anyone in Edmonton in the Castledowns area who has the
| experience and a few minutes
| to spare would it be possible to have a look at my uncle's basement and see
| what would be the
| best way to solve this ?

There surely is, but asking the GTA LUG might not be the best way to
discover them.  Certainly you might find GTA people with Edmonton
connections.  Google finds:
<https://groups.io/g/elug>