ISP choice and installation
You still don't have any access to Internet? Then you must choose an Internet Service Provider (ISP) among those that are available. This choice is important, because it will decide the amount of your monthly subscription end what services will be available. Another important matter, too, is the possible evolution of this offer.
I can take charge of all the aspects of this:
- consider your needs and their probable evolution;
- compare the ISP offers and explain you their good and bad points;
- make the necessary applications to the chosen ISP;
- get the provided harware, install it at your home and initiate the connection and process (ADSL box).
If you already have an ISP subscription, we will check that your current choice is the correct one. In many cases, it can be better to change to a better provider and get more services, while decreasing your subscription amount. However, you will take the final decision, and I can manage any ISP.
Computer choice, hardware and software building
You can buy a computer at a general store. It's probably the worst solution: the choice is small, the provided explanations are confused, the vendors are not really qualified, you have no choice of the operating system, the computer configuration is generally far too complicated and powerful with regards to your real needs, and there is no service available after the sale is concluded.
As a result, you purchase a computer which is not suited to you. You'll use at best only 5% of its capabilities. You'll be completely helpless in presence ot the first problem. Moreover, every time you'll want to do something new on this computer, you'll be told that you need to buy a new application, or to buy an update to an existing application, and you'll not be sure that it will be useful at all, and bring you what you need.
I propose you a computer made for you, which contains only what you need. It will cost you much less than you think (look at the prices page.) However, you'll be able to do all what you want:
- use a browser and ``surf on Internet'', i.e. look at information and entertainment sites;
- read and write e-mail;
- look at photographs, made using your digital still camera or sent by other people;
- look at videos or listen to music, read from CDs or DVDs or got from distribution sites;
- write texts, short (letters) or longer (telling your own life, why not?);
- and so on; a full enumeration is obviously impossible.
After discussing and choosing with you the computer configuration suitable to your needs, I will build it. Then I'll install onto your computer a free operating system, i.e. a non proprietary software, distributed free of cost. I'll tune this operating system so that it will contain the various applications you need, but only them. I'll also install the basic tools for insuring safety of your computer and protection against viruses and piracy. All in all, and taking into account my own work, your computer will cost you about one half of the customary purchase price of a computer, sold without any service.
If you already have a computer, for example because it was given to you, I can study the possibility of installing onto it a good operating system and the software applications you need. If the computer is in good state, this is probably possible. Maybe replacing some hardware components will be useful, but I'll suggest this only if it is really needed.
Installation at your home
If you live a moderate distance from my home (Grasse), I'll bring you your new computer and I'll install it at your home. If you live more than about 30 kilometers from my home, I'll take this distance into account (look at prices.)
If you live too far from me, I can even send you your computer by postal parcel, carefully packed in two parcels. It will take two or three days to be at your home. I'll provide you with a detailed user manual for unpacking it and starting it. From than moment, you can call me by phone and I'll help you step by step, in English of course.
If I bring you the computer, installing and starting it will need half an hour. You'll need to already have collected all the informations provided by your ISP. Your computer will be immediately available and usable.
You may want to connect several computers to the ADSL box of your ISP. I can make the necessary hardware and software installation of the home network this will need. The work needed may go from a simple tuning of the ADSL box and the Wifi network, to the installation of Ethernet cord, which provides a much better service, more efficient, reliable and safe.
Tutoring, teaching, improvement
You have never used a computer? You don't even know what a mouse is, or the meaning of notations like Ctrl+V or ``double-click''? A first initiation will help you in doing all the simple actions, in one or two hours.
If you already have a simple practice, or if this first initiation makes you wish to know more, I can teach you how to use all the capabilities of your computer: not only how to efficiently use your browser, but also how to store data, save them, search them, handle them. I'll teach you how to use properly the very interesting capabilities of e-mail.
If you have a digital still camera, or it friends or siblings send you photographs as data files, I'll teach you how to manage these pictures, and also how to handle them for improving them, fixing their defects, build photomontages, etc.
I propose all this in the form of lessons at your home, from one to two hours. In some cases, it will be necessary to install onto your computer a specific application. In other cases, I'll provide you with printed documentation. Such a way to learn is very efficient and comfortable, since you are experimenting by yourself, and you immediately get advice and information.
Preventive maintenance
Every operating system has its own weaknesses, which must be fixed as soon as they are detected. The system I'll install onto your computer will be in this case. Since it can be scrutinized par hundreds of thousands people, its weaknesses are detected and fixed very quickly. Making an update is then needed.
Some proprietary systems provide you with automatic updates, but you have no guarantee about their origin and safety. You'll be delivered from this problem if you let me make all the updates. I'll do this from my home, without disturbing you. With this service, you'll be sure that all the security updates will be made as soon as available. I'll also update the applications, which will often add them new and interesting features. In order to these updates to be possible, I'll only need that your computer is available some day every month, on a date we'll decide together.
This service will provide you with perfect safety and comfort of use. You'll not have to worry about anything, but you'll be informed of what I'll do, by e-mail or phone, according to your preference.
Hardware and software extensions
As you'll progress in your computer practice, maybe you'll want to improve your computer or make it more powerful, for example in order to be able to use it for new activities. This will not occur before several years, most probably, since you'll be already surprised about what you'll be able to do with your computer, whatever be its purchase price.
For example, you may want to add to your computer headphones or speakers, to better listen to music, or radio or even TV. Your ISP subscription may provide you with a lot of TV channels, and you'll be able to look at them without any antenna or further subscription.
You may want to add a printer, for texts and photographs. You may want to add a scanner, for transforming old photographs into digital files and improving them. You may want to add another hard disk, in order to save more data, for example if you decide to collect photographs or videos.
All these extensions are possible, and generally not expensive. I'll provide you with advice about hardware selection. Then I'll order it and install it at your home. I'll also install any new software needed. Finally, I'll provide you with the short tutoring needed.
Distant troubleshooting
What about something that no longer works? Of course, you can make some simple checks and try to understand by yourselves. However, you can also call me, and I'll answer you in your own language (provided it's English or French).
By contrast with the customary ``hot lines'', you'll get an immediate answer, or you'll leave me a message on my answering machine. I'll call you back as soon as possible, most probably the same day. You'll not have to wait for a long time, listening to poor music and paying a costly connection fare. You'll also be able to call me by e-mail.
When you'll call me, I'll ask you to stay close to your computer and to try some simple actions. If necessary, I'll connect to your computer to do some more complicated actions. In many cases, I'll look at your screen from my home, and handle your mouse and keyboard from there. Thus I'll show what to do and how to solve the problem. Of course, this will work only if your connection to Internet is properly working.
In most cases, the whole troubleshooting will be done from my home, and you'll not have to pay me any travel costs. Moreover, such a troubleshooting can occur in the evening or during the weekend, in a schedule more suitable to you. We'll negotiate this on the spot.
Another troubleshooting which can be very helpful for somebody not fluent in French is fixing the connection problems and the relations with the ISP. I can manage all this, and generally I can get a much better service from the provider because I speak and understand their technical language. As soon as they have somebody technically competent at the other end of the phone line, they become much more helpful and less arrogant. This can save you lots of trouble and days or even weeks without Internet connection.
Troubleshooting at home
In sever or difficult cases, it will be necessary that I visit you. This will be necessary only in case of a pailure of a hardware component. I will try to decide from my home what component is faulty, and bring one to replace it, thus saving one travel.
Here again, such an intervention is simple if you live near my home, and slightly more costly if you live farther.
Building a Web site
Do you want to publish your artistic productions, your photographs, your painting, sculpture, embroidery, mosaic, garden, poetry, short stories, anything your imagination may suggest you? I can build you a Web site. I can also build you a blog. In both cases, I will also manage the site for some time, in case of necessity.
A very simple site contains only a few pages. A more sophisticated site may be built in several parts, presenting different products. In any case, I can build you a site which you'll manage yourself, or I can deal with its maintenance and evolution.
Here follow some samples of sites I built and I administrate: