Can I pick some Oldie readers brains, please? I am regularly asked if there is a "basic" computer that cuts out a lot of extras and comes with sensible technical support.

If such a thing exists, I'm not aware of it. I doubt it would work, actually - there would always be something that wasn't covered, and when a computer crashes, it crashes.

I know that Apple Macs "never" crash and work on sunlight and potato peelings, but I'm sure you you know what I mean. And they're still only ever as good as your unofficial free technical support (that is, what your cousin/friend/son/daughter has). The Amstrad Emailer was an attempt at something like that, but it's a fairly weedy and expensive little thing.

But I certainly would not claim to know the whole market, so I wonder if any Oldie reader has a piece of kit like this they can recommend?

If so, for all our sakes please email me or post a comment on this site.

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