too many choices (distros)

[Craig White]

On Wed, 2005-10-05 at 14:03 -0700, Alan Dayley wrote:
> Darrin Chandler said:
> > I don't really enjoy the choices as much as I might. There are sooooo
> > many distros these days, and it's been very hard for me to tell the
> > difference between them. I've tried to figure things out from
> > distrowatch, etc., but it's still a big mess in my mind.
> 
> If I make take a tangent on this thread and focus on the "too many
> choices" point...
> 
> First off, I understand the "too many" point of view.  I also recognize
> that it is a view that will not go away anytime soon.  I also accept that
> it is not a view that is "wrong" or stupid, it just is.  I do find it
> facinating when compared to other things.  For example:
> 
> "There are sooooo many types of housing to choose from.  Apartments,
> condos, townhouses, big, small, downtown, suburban.  And that is not even
> touch on architecture, features, paint color and everything else!  It's
> hard to figure out!"
> 
> Or
> 
> "There are soooo many different modes of transportation to choose from. 
> Walking, bicycle, electric, gas, diesel, small, big, truck, sedan, Chevy,
> Ford, etc.!  How do I choose!"
> 
> Or
> 
> "There are soooo many different kinds of food to eat...."
> "There are soooo many different kinds of shoes...."
> "There are soooo many different kinds of shrubbery...."
> 
> The above examples sound silly to me because few people sit around
> complaining about the diversity of choices for those things.  My point is
> that, to me, choices that have to do with computers are among the few
> (only?) areas of our life where more choice is bad.  Or at least more
> choice is more often categorized as bad.
> 
> Maybe it's because computers are still fairly new with only about two
> decades in the general public.  Maybe it's because Microsoft has been so
> successful dominating things that people equate their products with what a
> computer is.  Maybe it's just complex enough that it scares people.  Maybe
> it's because computers become so key in our lives, holding all that
> personal information, etc. that the choice is more intimate to our psyche.
> 
> Whatever it is, I look forward to the day when people accept choice in
> their computer operating environment as a matter of course, just as
> picking between a mediterranean style or early american style couch is
> just a matter of personal taste.
----
or the menu at Chompies

;-)

Craig


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