No offense to anyone, but my experience is that modifying user behavior is a losing battle and a last resort. Configuring firefox to prevent inadvertent preference changes avoids "I forgot" calls--whether it be screen locks, unplugging keyboards, or shutting down the computer.

If she's willing to try, great. If not, then she's one of the 99% of non-technical computer users I've encountered.

I think I know what you mean, but not trying to modify user behaviour is giving up and also a last resort. Tweaking Firefox to remove any possible risk of key sequences messing it up is going to make it practically unusable and would prevent anyone else from being able to provide help.

Would you recommend not modifying user behaviour in the context of driving a car, operating a microwave oven, or walking on the pavement when going to the shops?

It would depend on the particular problem.

Building on your list of examples.
For driving a car, preventing someone from speeding is a losing battle. You can tell them not to, but unless they get a ticket virtually everytime they speed, then there won't be much behavior change. The driver just got "unlucky" when getting the ticket. Hence, someone invented a governor, a device that limits a vehicle's speed.

On the flip side, driving without brakes will change behavior in a hurry. There will be a near one-to-one failure-to-pain ratio.

For the microwave, if I heat up something for too long, then it's too hot for me to eat. I continually have the reinforcement that I should not use such a high setting or length of time if I want to eat/drink soon.

By the same token, if I turn on the microwave as a way to generate light (with nothing to heat inside the microwave), I could be doing damage without knowing it and reducing my microwave's usable lifetime. By placing a "light" button on the microwave, the manufacturer avoids this damaging user behavior.

The major issue here is reinforcement. If she fails to unplug the keyboard, lock the screen, shutdown the computer, etc., there is no guarantee that her firefox preferences will be altered. Which means that any progress behaviorally-speaking would be slow if she genuinely tries at all. In the meantime, the OP will continue to receive requests for help during that time. A technical solution will put an end to the calls immediately.

I have to respectfully disagree. The purpose of technology is to make our lives easier. Technology should bend to us--not the other way around.

I don't want this to hijack the thread, and perhaps I shouldn't have even mentioned it. I know the people that suggested such solutions are well-intentioned, but I have received sufficient negative reinforcement in trying to change user behavior that I avoid those solutions whenever there is a technical/engineering solution available.

It's the internet ... thread hijacking happens! And philosophical discussions are better hijacks than politics or religion.

Hi,

I agree that password locking the screen for the DE/WM would be one efficient way to prevent (hopefully) any unwanted keyboard action. Unless the cat is very smart.
Another physical way is to use a plastic hard shell keyboard cover to prevent any key press.

One thing that has been mention is to physically remove the USB connector(for a USB keyboard). I would not recommend repeated USB removal/reconnection. The wipe action will eventually cause failure. A user can purchase a keyboard, video, mouse (KVM) switch and leave the secondary side unconnected. When not in use then just switch out.

Another possible solution is to get a wireless keyboard. These do have a power switch to shut off the power for the keyboard.

Isn't it time to, ummm, feed the cat?

Purr-r-r-r-r-rrrr....

Thought so!

Nice thing about cats, as opposed to humans, is that you quickly resign yourself to the simple truth that you cannot change a cat. (You can't change people, either, but somehow you imagine that you can. Cats simply don't put up with any such guff from humans.) Isn't it time to, umm, feed the cat again?

Sounds like just the thing I need thanks for the link.
Just as darkhelmet said... its much easier to disable some hotkeys then trying to modify my mother and her cats behaviour. Shes 60 years old and just uses her computer for browsing the web. Her computer does get locked when shes not on it. The cats usually stomp on the keyboard when shes using it because they want her attention. I know this wont prevent ever possible problem she could have, but it happens to always be the same problem ever time so far. I don't mind fixing it I just want to make it easier on her so she can enjoy browsing the web with her cats.

Perfectly put.

Had the same 'cats like to dance on he keyboard' issue with someone a few years ago, IIRC I end up using the keyconfig extension to disable most (all? I forget) the hotkey combos.

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Keyconfig_extension

Not exactly 'change' but my sister actualy trained the cat to beg, and do a few other tricks.

The only reason why people dont normally do that anything like that is because you need to be more stubborn than the cat.....which most people arent.