Why can't there just be dumbed-down, pre-configured, default settings with a gui interface as an addition to the current high-powered, open-ended situation. In other words, wouldn't it make everyone happy if you could have a installation choice where RedHat (substituted your vendor of choice) would make all the default choices for you a la microsoft but we could still go in and use the high powered tools that we prefer to use? Low end administrators who are used to the MS world could administer there boxes using the dumbed down interface.....and real administrators could use the same tools that they've grown accustomed to. I don't think Linux has to be dumbed down....just has to be given a gui administration applet that has all the default settings selected for them. If I am really missing something here, let me know. I'll be the first to admit that I'm green. But my linux server install went really well, now I have to play with Oracle. Cleve
> > From: David Jackson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: 2003/02/26 Wed PM 03:31:09 EST > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [brlug-general] Recent column.. > > On Wed, 2003-02-26 at 10:40, Dustin Puryear wrote: > <snip> > > In its present form, Linux is a good solution for a number of markets, > > but the OS doesn't have what it takes to be successful in the two most > > important (i.e., profitable) ones: the consumer (i.e., desktop) and > > > enterprise server markets. > > > > Dustin Puryear <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > I know this reply is long, but please read on. > > You bring up a valuable point. I think that the one thing that Linux > lacks, more than anything else, is a single driving vision. Which, in > turn, brings up the question of; should that goal be merely to replace > Windows? > > It's easy to forget why Linux was written in the first place, when we > let ourselves lapse purely into the "Windows versus Linux" mindset. > Linux was written as a freely available alternative to Unix, that could > run on commodity-class computers. That was the goal in the beginning, > but it certainly is not the goal now. The goal now -appears- to be to > replace Windows. > > As much as we may all have a distaste for Windows, why should we strive > to be like it? Why is it wrong for us to retain the ability to make > numerous choices regarding our desktop? Certainly, this means that > there's no unified guide to the user interface, and no code sharing, but > do we really want that kind of restraint placed on us? > > That's one of the reasons why I am glad that there's both Gnome and > KDE. I can use either one, as I choose to. Or both. Currently, I use > Gnome, but it would be a non-issue for me to switch to KDE. I prefer > Gnome, and it's approach. It's not like Windows. > > But, I must admit, a part of me asks, do I really want mainstream > America using Linux? Mainstream America does not want choice, they just > want it to work. Choice requires thought. Choice requires a more > complex system of reconfigurability. This reconfigurability comes at a > cost; it's harder to do. It requires a higher degree of technical > skill. > > So do we "dumb down" Linux, so that it's more like Windows? I, > personally, would just use Windows if that was the case. It has more > commercial-quality games for it. I use Linux because it gives me a > greater deal of control than Windows. I use Linux because it puts the > tools to do really cool things in the palm of my hand. Sure, it's > harder to use than Windows. But with that cost, comes a great boon. > > But all of this revolves back to the point of all of this; do we > sacrifice freedom of choice, so that Linux is more accessible to the > consumer market? I don't think a single one of you would say yes to > that question. > > So, Linux will grow up, when Linux decides that it's time to be Linux, > and stand on it's own merits, and quit trying to be like it's big, > fault-ridden brother, Windows. Just like the Mac, Linux has to come > into it's own. > > David > > > > _______________________________________________ > General mailing list > [email protected] > http://oxygen.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net >
