Okay, let's leave the demeaning digs aside for a minute...then you can go back to your fun... :-)
In an odd sort of way, you have hit on one of the benefits of Windows and some characteristics of its users. Linux users are mainly developers and tinkerers. For this group, computing *is the experience*. This group likes to look at new technology, upgrade to better versions, eliminate coding limitations, and solve world hunger via better computing (e.g., MIT's $100 laptop), etc. Linux users, typically, enjoy figuring out why the computer isn't working and then have fun fixing it. That's why open source is more popular in the Linux world -- profits are secondary to the 'real cool stuff', which is computing. In contrast, Windows users are typically people who use a computer to solve a different type of problem. Windows is geared towards a group of people who use computers simply as a means to and end. Windows users, typically, want the letter written, the music downloaded, the database kept, to surf the net, e-mail sent, etc. The average Windows user only wants to use a computer for word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail, IM, web browsing, music, and stuff like that. (With all it's Linux experience, Google's figured out the real market.) For that group, the computer is the tool and *not* the subject of interest. The difference between the typical users of Linux and Windows is very similar to the technological interest difference between corporate officers and engineers. Please ignore status rankings for the sake of this analogy. Corporate officers, generally, don't have time or interest in technology. If their computer breaks, they call corporate support and say, "My computer broke. No, I don't know what's wrong, just come fix it." Conversely, most engineers will try to troubleshoot the problem, read a newsgroup, download a 'fix', and try to solve the problem. A Linux user would say, "Why call tech support, you have the source code, you should be able to fix your own computer." A windows user will say, "I don't have time or interest in this." In a similar sense, most of us have developed this attitude towards cars. We may know how to fix them, but can't afford spending time to do so -- especially during the family vacation. On vacation, our task is getting the family to Yellowstone, not in 'chipping' the engine with a part we bought in Las Vegas. Right? Years ago, I was using an old version of Red Hat. I had a certain research task that had captured our VP's attention. That brought my timeline so near term that I was struggling to get all the code working. It came down to a bug somewhere in the video driver stack. I spent a lot of time researching the problem and found that I had to download a new package -- written by some student, somewhere. When I compiled and installed that, I found that it had several undocumented dependencies. I download, compiled, and installed those and found that they had some undocumented dependencies. I was in a hurry and found myself going down a seemingly never ending patch path. Given my timeline, I could not enjoy 'solving the computing problem' as I had to solve the original problem. In that instance, I just wanted the computer to work -- so I could work on achieving my original goal. Was I a "sleep-deprived, disinterested user" who had no prior planning, and was programming on a whim? Certainly not. Nevertheless, I didn't want to solve computer problems and would get chastised for doing so. I just wanted the darn thing to work ... so that I could. This is a user-OS difference that I have observed over the years. Another is that most end-users are Windows users. Windows users would be willing to switch to Linux for reasons of cost, but they don't want to (or can't) become computer tinkerers. Linux has some really, really outstanding features, but despite it's looking more and more like Windows, is not ready to meet the demands of that market segment. Will it ever? I don't know, Linux is developed by engineers for engineers and so it continues making advances in that direction. Window's emphasis is on the user experience -- sometimes at the expense of the underlying systems, but that's a different discussion. The other day, someone asked about a journaling application that could run on Windows. Given that the individual is on this list, I gather that they are fairly technical, however it seemed like they wanted a turnkey solution and not a new maintenance task. The answers ranged from installing web servers and interpreters like python (which I've found very useful in computer security, btw), to managing Wiki variants. Those are all really good answers. Let me repeat that, those are all really good answers. However, they missed the mark in that they were providing an engineering solution to an end-user requirement. I don't know exactly which answer met the requirement. However the one that seemed to fit was the one that said to use notepad and MS Word. Why? Not because it was necessarily the best solution, but because it was likely the best one for an end user. Remember, Windows users are not dumb, they just have a different goal in mind -- and the computer is just a means to their end. The goal of this group is some variation of building software to benefit all mankind. This is an admirable goal. However, for those solutions to be generally useful by the general population, they have to keep in mind those users' goals. For some graphics analysis tasks, I use an open source tool called 'Virtual Dub', which can do some amazing things. I also use GIMP, have read some of its source code, and don't mind installing GTK. However, for the general user's graphics tasks, they use MS Paint, Internet Explorer, or even PhotoShop. The general user doesn't care what happens as long as the picture displays. So, how wide is the chasm between Linux users and Windows users? In some ways, it's pretty big. It's not an intellectual divide, but rather an interest level or goal oriented divide. Just keep in mind your target audience. For engineers or server-side stuff, Perl is great. For general users, they need InstallShield to guide them through the installation process. Those differences are not bad ones -- we just need to understand them. If we want to build applications that the general church (and beyond) will use, then they need to be geared towards the general user's requirements. The reality that we must keep in mind is that the average genealogy computer user is retired (and not a retired engineer), that the average Scout Master is whomever likes to camp and can tolerate teenagers, the average Ward Clerk is likely an accountant, and the average Bishop is an organizer/manager. While there are many engineers and scientists that fill those callings, I don't believe that they make up the majority. Even for engineers, how many financial clerks want to be doing system upgrades on Sunday after church rather than 'just getting it done' and going home? On Fast Sunday? Sometimes applications just need to get the job done rather than satisfy our CS curiosity in order to meet users' needs. That can be really difficult for a programmer to want to do.... Well, that's my $1.02... Steve -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Thomas Haws Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 1:36 PM To: LDS Open Source Software Subject: [Ldsoss] Linux and Windows--How wide the divide The recent discussion about Troop/Youth advancement tracking and this question about journal writing software for Windows have startlingly refreshed my appreciation that the Linux masses and the Windows masses are truly on different planets. I don't think that the Linux masses truly appreciate, or perhaps even understand, the extent to which Windows users are conditioned to use the computer without mind focus. Windows users really and truly expect as a birthright that we should be able to successfully use our computers to do amazing things even while our brains are half asleep and we are focused on other things. In my programming activities (in the Windows realm), I have slowly come to understand and accept that my programs must be usable: -After a 3-year hiatus -On half my brain (in sleep-deprived, disinterested mode) -With no planning -On a fleeting whim Perl, Apache, and Mediawiki are wonderful. But you have to be honest in asking yourself, "Could I get this going in Windows if I were nearly apathetic, nearly focusless, and nearly brain dead?" This is no disrespect for any user; people are busy and have other interests and responsibilities. Even the Java Runtime Environment is pushing the limit, I'm afraid. I'm not sure who needs to change. Is focusless operation an entitlement for users, or is user focus an entitlement for authors? But I know the divide is wider than our discussions seem to acknowledge. -- Tom Haws 480-201-5476 OpenOffice.org v. MS Office: Kids love OOo. Wife didn't notice I switched. Get OOo free. "There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for" Gandhi _______________________________________________ Ldsoss mailing list Ldsoss@lists.ldsoss.org http://lists.ldsoss.org/mailman/listinfo/ldsoss _______________________________________________ Ldsoss mailing list Ldsoss@lists.ldsoss.org http://lists.ldsoss.org/mailman/listinfo/ldsoss
