I completely stand with you on this one Kevin
I saw the report about KDE and ease of use .. I think with the new X4 i
really do think that linux is now ready to fight for desktop supremissy.
Office tools are there with star office and Aplixware.
Nigel
----- Original Message -----
From: "KevinO" <
kevin_oconnor@geocities.com>
To: <
plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us>
Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2001 3:48 PM
Subject: Re: Why Linux will win and Micro$oft will lose
> There is a big difference between using an operating system and
> installing or configuring one.
>
> Most Windoze users haven't a clue how to do either one.
>
> Give a preconfigured Linux box to someone who has never had a computer
> before and the ease of use
> is as good or better than Windoze. ( A recent report rated KDE 2 better
> than MacOS and WinXP for ease of use.)
>
> I personally have setup two Mandrake boxes for computer newbies. One to
> a friend of mine and the other
> to my girlfriend's daughter. In each case I helped them get their ppp
> setup. They have had very little
> difficulty in web browsing, using email, etc.. One of them had some
> experience with windows, the other
> had never used a computer at all.
>
> We must be careful when we talk about what the 'average user' wants
> to/can do. The average user
> just wants to turn it on and use it. In this case, a Linux box isn't any
> more difficult to use than anything else. (Until it comes time to deal
> with a proprietary file format/protocal. But there are office suites
> for Linux that help with that also).
>
> This is something to remember as we contemplate installfests and newbie
> meetings.
>
> --
> Kevin O'Connor
>
> "cg.mk.snow" wrote:
> >
> > 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.
> >
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