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Comment by sodapopcan | Hacker News Reader

Me too, but shockingly there are a lot of people who don't have a computer, just a phone. I even know people in their 40s like this.

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I can read my email on my phone, and also get it to notify me when I get a new one from a particular address. It's not as easy as installing an app, but it's really not that hard either.

Phones usually have a web browser installed.

mmmhmmm, indeed. You need to consider the mentality of the people who chose to live this way. Most don't want want to type an address into a browser, ever, they want to tap an app.

I don't think it's anything to do typing the address. It's that there are a lot of people out there who don't understand what a web browser really is, how a web page is distinguished from an app, or how to get something from a web browser to their home screen.

See also: people who copy and paste images into Word documents before attaching them to emails. Same mental model disconnect.

For sure, I was using a simplistic description. My point is that my experience (and it's just my experience) is that many people don't care to understand what a browser is or how to use it properly, they want apps. I stress this is just my experience but I'm one of those people who tries to (unsuccessfully) teach them. They just don't care (though I'm probably a bad teacher).

And yes, see also people who print emails so they can scan them XD

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