Geek In a Can

"Automated Network Diagnostics for your Mom"

The Problem: Mom's net connection is down. She picks up the phone and calls you. You walk her through the decision tree remotely. "Now type T-R-A-C-E-R-T space Y-A-H-O-O dot C-O-M." "Now look for the power cord on the back of the DSL modem. Yes, the grey box. The black wire." You hate life.

The Goal: ASUS EEE PC 1005PE REPLACEMENT LAPTOP LCD SCREEN Mom clicks on a bookmark, and a local application runs through a series of simple tests (check for network, ping gateway, etc.). It suggests a likely cause, and if applicable, displays instructions for fixing the problem (eg. power cycle cable modem).

I'm starting a project to implement this. I'm hoping to have something demo-able by September 2006. I'd be happy to have contributors, testers or users.

For more info, see The Geek in a Can page