On 9/4/05, Neil Bothwick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > But to use it you have to set it up, right? ;-)
>
> Wrong. someone has to set it up, but it doesn't have to be the user.
Surely...
>
> > I'm not confusing administering a system with using a system.
> > Although my skill set is permanantly locked somewhere around the 6 out
> > of 10 level I do understand that difference. I also understand what
> > it's like on the other side. I administer not only my own Gentoo
> > systems (numbering 3) but I also administer my wife's Gentoo box, my
> > son's Fedora box, my father's Gentoo box and 4 Pundit-R's that are
> > used as MythTV frontend machines. I get the difference. I love Gentoo,
> > and Linux in general, but it took a long time.
>
> See, you are the admin, your wife etc. are users. they don't care about
> the ins and outs of the system, only what they can do with it.
Fine, but going back to the only thing in the thread that got me
involved (why do I get involved? ) ;-) Walter siad:
"I think lightweight WM's will be important. Linux in general will
have a great "window of Opportunity" when Vista is released. A lot of
current machines will not be able to run it well ("crawl" != "run"). If
people are faced with a choice of throwing out their old W2K, and XP
machines, and buying new ones, versus keeping their machines and
switching to linux, I think we could see quite a few converts. "
Now, if by a 'few' we want to assume one or two who learn enough to
make it work, then I agree with Walter, but that's not very
interesting. On the other hand, if by a few mean mean thousands (not
millions, etc.) then I suggest it isn't going to happen because they
won't be able to administer it themselves and they won't know someone
who'll do it for them like I do for my family.
My 'disagreement', if there is one, is that a savings of $300 for a
new computer and a $99 Windows upgrade won't convince many people to
learn to do it themselves using Linux. It takes a much stronger reason
than that, at least in my limited part of the planet.
>
> > The point is that not a single one of those people could even begin
> > to take a Gentoo CD and end up with a running system, or if they did
> > it would take weeks.
>
> Why would they need to, they have you for that :)
>
3 people do, but thousands don't.
Anyway, 'nuff said. Thanks!
Cheers,
Mark
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