On Sat, 16 Jun 2001 06:11, Wendell Gragg wrote:
> I think that you have hit on the crux of the problem for Linux...it
> still requires a fairly high degree of technical proficiency to
> install and run it. As long as this is the case, MS and MAC will
> have an advantage in the consumer market. Granted, this platform
> has come a very long way with the improvements in KDE and Gnome just
> in the last year, but it is still full of glitches that will hamper
> it being widely distributed and pre-installed on home machines.
UNIX (including GNU/Linux) *can* be made ready for the desktop. MacOS
X is proof.
> For example, I have had a number of problems getting printing to
> work correctly since I installed LM8. It turns out that I had to go
> in and change some settings in a cup.conf file to get it even half
> way reliable. I also have had problems upgrading as the RPM manager
> does not seem to have a list of update sites except in the security
> tab. This can be confusing (and still is to me) because when one
> sees a tab for security, he/she will assume that this is for
> security related updates only. What if I don't want that kind of
> update? Where do I get them?
>
> Burning CD's is another problem. I have tried to get the two cd
> burning programs installed by default to burn cds. Gcombust finally
> has, but I can't get it to make a bootable copy of the install disk
> 1 for LM8. There is no documentation I can find and the it
> certainly not self explanatory.
Is your CD-ROM drive actually bootable? My friend bought a new
computer only a few months ago and he found that the CD-ROM drive
wouldn't boot with any bootable CD. If you burn Mandrake from an ISO
image then the resulting CD will be bootable.
> My point is that unless one is very competent with OS's, Linux is
> hard to use and understand. Even when one has been working in the
> field for 27 years as I have, there is a steep learning curve. For
> all of Microsoft's problems, their OS works most of the time out of
> the box and is not that hard for the average consumer to use.
> There are many sources of help for the non-techie as well as the
> tech. Classes abound (both for free and for fee) on how to use
> things such as Word and IE5. ( I know because I am the automation
> coordinator for a public library system and we offer free classes.)
> These are hard things for any OS to overcome. Can it be done? Yes,
> but the platform will have to continue to mature and great emphasis
> will have to be made on improving and simplifying interfaces and
> insulating the non-technical user from the internals of the system.
> Most users will not put up with what I and many others who have
> posted here for help have had to go through. The difference between
> them and us is that we have the mindset of not letting the computer
> win and enough technical know-how to try different things.
>
> Perhaps, as world governments and more in business embrace the
> concepts that Linux is founded upon, and time effort and money are
> put into simplifying things, then the average consumer will be
> willing and able to buy into it also. The next couple of years
> should be interesting, especially considering what MS is doing to
> combat piracy.
>
> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>
> BTW, I am a user who has installed Linux twice. Once about a year
> ago and then abandoned it because I did not have time to learn it
> and now, because I wish to get my feet wet into the "Unix" world and
> because I don't like what MS is getting ready to do with its
> licensing. They are not intended to bash anybody or anything, but
> only to honestly express what I feel could hold up the revolution.
> Before anyone flames me, please let me get my asbestos underwear!
>
> Wendell Gragg
>
>
> From: "Solver" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
> >To: "Linux Newbie" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >Subject: Re: [newbie] Wow
> >Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2001 21:32:25 +0300
> >
> >Well, for me Linux still is a secondary OS. I'm now going to start
> > doing office jobs in StarOffice, but as long as I can't get modem
> > to work, I can't
> >do Internet stuff.
> >Also, I have been writing apps for VisualBasic, and continue to do
> > that in Win. But, I spend an even increasing amount of time in
> > Linux. I'm proud with
> >my OS knowledge:
> >I have perfect knowledge of Windows 3.0, 3.1 and especially 3.11,
> > as well as
> >Windows 95 and 98. I know NT series (especially W2K Server), even
> > though I really hate W2K. I know the very basics of BeOS - at
> > least I can install it,
> >install apps under it, and do some little job. I'm familiar with
> > the Solaris
> >OS, and am now gaining knowledge of Linux. When I get to interm.
> > user level,
> >I'll use my programming knowledge to recompile the source to suit
> > my needs. Solver
--
Sridhar Dhanapalan.
"There are two major products that come from Berkeley:
LSD and UNIX. We don't believe this to be a coincidence."
-- Jeremy S. Anderson
