On Sunday 05 January 2003 12:11 pm, Russ wrote:
> I am a definite newbie to the world of Linux. I have tinkered with it in
> the past but always had issues that prevented me from fully jumping on
> board.
>
> I have been dealing with Windows since I got into computers in the early
> 90's. I am the guy that my friends (and their friends) call when there
> windows computer goes haywire (free tech support). I am no expert on
> Windows but I can find my way around and fix many of the common problems
> that pop up. I have helped friends (and myself) reinstall windows more
> times than I care to remember.
>
> I said the above just to show you that I am actually qualified to jump
> in on this thread. I bought a new hard drive for the purposes of
> tackling Linux again (with Mandrake9). I wanted a dual boot system
> (Win98 MD9). My windows partition is still not up and running (no sound,
> no Internet, video in basic mode). Mandrake9 was up and running within 5
> min after install (it took me that long to find the papers that had my
> mail setting and computer name - cable internet connection). Now you
> tell me which was easier to install?
>
> The problem comes from the steep learning curve from Win to Linux. As I
> get into it again, some of it is coming back to me. I still have a long
> way to go to be as efficient in Linux as I am in Windows. I do know that
> I want to get away from Windows altogether. The way things look so far,
> it looks like I may be able to with MD9. So I plug away. First order of
> business is to tackle wine.
>
> I can say that if Linux continues to mature as it has and MS continues
> their idiotic policies, more of us will join you. Do not be afraid of a
> less than perfect review. Jump for joy for a favorable one. You are
> gaining ground.
>
> Russ
>
> On Sun, 2003-01-05 at 04:52, Anne Wilson wrote:
> > Of course some of the problems come from the fact that everything changes
> > so fast in Linux. We are all hungry for the latest and greatest
> > 'improvements'. There's nothing stopping us from taking an earlier
> > version, but do we? As I have said before, getting x.0 of anything is
> > almost bound to have issues.
> >
> > On Sunday 05 Jan 2003 10:37 am, Brandon Vanderberg wrote:
> > > Me too, but I tried it again later and it's working now.
> > > I'm sorry I read it though. The best part for me was reading the
> > > responses to his article. ;)
> >
> > Some of them amazed me - some made me angry. In the first place I think
> > people do discount how long it took to get windows expertise. More
> > important than that, I do wonder about some of these self-styled experts.
> > To state that it was necessary to use an Expert install in order to keep
> > his partitions is blatant b***sh**. Many other comments suggest to me
> > that the user is not prepared to learn anything, wants everything on a
> > plate. OK - but accept that you have no control at all if you do.
> >
> > I have long held that a newbie to windows gets a pc with windows
> > installed. He has no choice, and the limited choice available to him is
> > not apparent unless he takes the trouble to learn about it - and many do
> > not. The reviewer is right that those initial problems are tackled by
> > vendors or geeky relatives/friends. The main difference with linux is
> > that the user is unlikely, in many instances, to be offered it by the
> > vendor, and by the numbers game, unlikely to have friends/relatives
> > sufficiently expert to want to be responsible for his system.
> >
> > I'm not pleading perfection in 9.0. nor for that matter in Mandrake, and
> > I know there is a need to have a need-list (re fixes or improvements) as
> > well as a wish-list (by which I mean the less urgent).
> >
> > It made interesting reading, though, even if I did keep thinking 'funny,
> > I didn't get that problem'.
> >
> > Anne
I agree with Russ and like Russ I am the one that family and friends call for
Windows support. I was a die-hard if somewhat disgruntled Windows fan until
XP and Palladium started to hit the news. I am now completely off of Windows
on my computer (my wife and sons are a different story). The learning curve
is steep but in part because I keep wanting to look at things in a Windows
fashion. I am becoming more comfortable and somewhat more proficient with
Linux. I have SAMBA, VNC, WINE, CROSSOVER (demo for the moment) installed and
have loved every minute of the learning experience (even the exasperating
times). Course, I have bought 3 books on the subject matter and need to buy
at least one more. Linux is reaching a point that the slightly above average
computer user can now learn what to do and how to do it.
The news articles are encouraging. And I honestly believe (because I know that
I have), its the support people that are/will have a grassroots impact on the
way people are thinking about the Linux distros.
Sorry, on my Linux soapbox...
David Williams
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