A client's simple question about his old laptop made me feel like a jerk

Honestly, I was cleaning out a 2015 Dell for this older guy last week. He asked if he could just keep using it for email and if it was safe. I gave my usual spiel about security updates ending. He just said, 'So my computer that works fine is now a target because someone decided to stop helping it?' Tbh, it hit different coming from a non-tech person. Made me rethink how I explain end-of-life stuff without just scaring people. How do you guys handle that talk?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sandra1mo ago

He's got a point though. We should explain the risk better, not just say it's dangerous.

troy_palmer761mo ago

Exactly. People need to know what "dangerous" actually means. Is it a small chance of a minor burn, or a high risk of a house fire? Companies love using scary words without details so they can avoid real responsibility. It's the same with software updates that break your phone or car parts that are known to fail early. Just saying "be careful" isn't a warning, it's a way to cover their own backs.

kai9421mo ago

That "hit different" line is so real. It's like planned obsolescence but for safety. Happens with everything now, phones, apps, even cars.