Much of this is already possible actually. There is certainly nothing that can't be automated or configured in gentoo with effort. However, distros like Mandrake already hide startup output via splash screen and allow configuration of just about everything through KDE and their own tools. I'm pretty sure I've seen a redhat setup that almost automatically self updated too. But to disallow the manual editting of configuration files would cripple linux as it is known today. I'm not sure why that would be a requirement. Anyway, I think linux IS ready for the typical desktop user, but I don't think the typical desktop user would use gentoo. Gentoo is a power user/administator paradise. But also don't forget that the typical desktop user expects that Windows will be preinstalled, configured, and ready to use. A preinstalled and configured linux box with Mandrake or Ubuntu, would probably work just as well.
On (2005-03-30 08:20), Dave Nebinger wrote: > > We can't make Linux "better" and "ready for the desktop"-- which does > > *not* mean we have to do everything via a GUI, dagnabit; people can > > certainly use the command-line comfortably *if they know how*-- unless > > we identify where people are falling over it and how to remove the > > obstacles to their understanding and ease-of-use. Difficulties using > > error output effectively looks like an obstacle to ease-of-use to me. > > Heaven knows I won't know what to do about it if I do find an "answer" > > (or the beginnings of one), unless that answer is "add to the docs", but > > we all contribute what we can, and asking the question in the first > > place is what I can :-) . > > Unfortunately, Holly, I don't think linux will be ready for the desktop for > quite awhile (yes, that does make me sad). > > Because of the wide use of windows any replacement OS (be it linux, bsd, > macosx, or whatever) would have to function in a similar way before it would > be accepted. The following would be a base set of requirements for such a > replacement: > > 1. Boot totally into a gui - no startup output. Those messages are great > for someone trying to diagnose an issue, but are just confusing to some and > unnecessary to most, which is why windows boots to gui and totally hides > this kind of information. > > 2. Totally configurable via gui - no low-level file editing. As power > users this is something that we want/need, but the windows user expects to > pull up a dialog for the program and click checkboxes to turn things on and > off. I can just imagine the dialogs necessary to configure something like > postfix or sendmail ;-) > > 3. Less service-oriented and more interactive. Sure we run ftp servers, > web servers, mail servers, etc. And we expect them to go off and do those > things without bothering us. But at this point the windows user expects > visual feedback on everything - a mail icon indicating there's new mail in > outlook, blinking network light showing network activity, other tray icons > with menus allowing you to get to the background 'services' right away. > > 4. Self-updating. M$ has been pretty poor in this respect but they are > actively working on it and getting better. My windows box downloads updates > automatically, installs them with a nice progress bar (and not a lot of > detail), and either a) handles whatever is necessary to get the new updates > used or b) asks me to reboot for the changes to take effect. The whole > process is totally brain-dead, and that's what the average windows user is > going to expect. > > I think all of these things would have to come to pass before linux would > make it on the desktop, and I'm not sure I believe they will ever happen. > Nobody wants to take linux in the direction of windows (thankfully), and > since most of the linux developers are power-users they have no reason to > want or include this kind of brain-dead junk in their software. > > > > -- > gentoo-user@gentoo.org mailing list > -- A statistician, who refused to fly after reading of the alarmingly high probability that there will be a bomb on any given plane, realized that the probability of there being two bombs on any given flight is very low. Now, whenever he flies, he carries a bomb with him.
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