First of all, I would like to say, I like dabbling in Linux. It is a good
O.S. with alot of great stuff. The changes that have been made in the past
few years have been great. However, in order to boot Microsoft off of its
high chair Linux is going to have to be accepted by a majority of computer
users. Before the "Average" and "New" computer users can make Linux work
several things will have to happen.
1) Need to get rid off all the offshoots. For hackers, a variety of
different styles and versions of an o.s. are great. However for someone who
uses their computer to get email and surf the web 20 different types of the
same thing only confuse and bore him. This is one of the big stumbling
blocks for Linux. The first question most people ask about Linux is "What is
the best type of Linux to use, red hat suse, caldera, ...". Sorry Linux,
that really should not be the first big decision. At an absolute maximum,
there should be about 3 types of Linux. One for the average user where
everything happens automatically and only loads the basic multimedia type
programs. The second for hackers who enjoy programming, and like to dabble
in .conf files. The third for Server situations.
2) Not everyone wants to be a programmer. There are several signatures I
have seen that imply the world of computers will be perfected when everyone
programs for fun. They also imply the average person would want to go into a
.conf file and have to add some term or variable. I would hate to break it
to everyone, but the average computer user does not care to do much more
than open email or a web browser and download mp3's, talk to friends, or
download backgrounds. Right now in order to properly configure Linux, the
user has to be familiar with how a programming language works. I personally
have not been able to get anything to work on my machine without typing in
info on a file that had an "if", "for" "else", or some other programming
language type function.
3) Should not need to know what an HOW-TO is. I personally think this is the
absolute biggest stumbling block for Linux. The average computer user
should not have to read through 10 HOW-TO's that reference 10 more HOW-TO's
to get something simple like the internet going. No "average" computer user
should even have to know what a HOW-TO is. If the program or task the user
is doing cannot do everything it is suppose to by itself then there should
be a well written, logically organized, indexed help section. BTW, Man pages
are just as bad as HOW-TO's. If my mother decided to buy and install Linux,
she should not have to read a PPP HOW-TO in order to get the dial up
connection going. In fact, she should not even know that PPP exists. The
most she should have to do is click a button that says something like "set
up internet" and answer simple questions like " Are you using a dial up
modem or DSL". Hate to break it to everyone, but before Linux boots
Microsoft of their high chair, The HOW-TO's have got to go.
4) Learn how to name programs. I should not have to do a web search to find
out what a program does every time some cryptic letter scheme is brought up.
For example, the discussion about setenv. Please tell me there could not
have been a more descriptive name for that. Just looking at the letters does
absolutely nothing for me. In order to under stand this I am sure I will
have to read for several hours on the internet. (In all honesty I am unsure
what it is now.). If my wife read an email that told here how to use setenv,
her eyes would glaze over, she would get a headache, and I wouldn't get any
bootie that night. I hope we all agree this is unacceptable.
If any of the things I said, made you mad and makes you want to flame me,
congratulations, you are the reason Linux has not outpaced Microsoft. If you
are too stubborn to realize that the average user does not want to be as
smart about an o.s. as you, Linux will never work. Most users do not want to
read a multitude of Books and online documentation, they want to get online
and rip some MP3's. I really hope Linux does take off. One day, I hope to be
knowledgable enough to maybe make some programs on my own. Geez, maybe even
say something intelligent about Linux. The problem is, in order to make
Linux big, people like my wife or mother, who have no desire to dabble, need
to be able to use Linux and not have to reference alot of additional
documentation to do it.
Just my 2 cents.................ok, ok, ok it was more like a cold $20. But,
I do think it is true.
Cliff
----- Original Message -----
From: "jeffrey l koehn" <
caveman@cyclox.com>
To: <
plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us>
Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2001 7:46 AM
Subject: Re: Why Linux will win and Micro$oft will lose
> On Saturday 10 November 2001 02:21, you wrote:
> > From your keyboard to Gates' ears, Brother. Amen! BTW, where I
> > come from, this is called "preachin' fire and brimstone to the
> > choir". ;-)
>
> Yea, I know but I keep track of Micro$oft, Linux
> and economics and from time to time
> I have to post something like this.
>
> ---------------------------cyclox
>
> Love the enthusiasm, but maybe need to aim it better
> > and choke it down a bit.
> >
> > jeffrey l koehn wrote:
> > > Linux will win and Micro$oft will lose. So
> > > sit back and watch it happen.
> >
> > ________________________________________________
> > See http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml if your mail
> > doesn't post to the list quickly and you use Netscape to write
> > mail.
> >
> > PLUG-discuss mailing list -
> > PLUG-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us
> > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
> ________________________________________________
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