And I have to disagree.
I've had problems with Win9x installs, but they were no big deal. I've
installed M7.2 (at least tried to), M8, and Debian, and I've had a number of
initial install problems. (And neither hold a candle to the MacOS Classic
installs, but that's probably cheating.)
I don't say this to beat up on Linux. I think M8 kicks butt once it's
running, and Debian makes a terrific server. Plus, the install is only a
small determinant of the overall value of an OS.
My mentality is that Linux is growing quite fast. With growth comes a
certain degree of instability and immaturity. So, I accept the bumps, muddle
through, and try to make it easier for the next guy. So much progress has
been made. I can't wait to see what the next incarnations of GNOME and KDE
bring.
But I don't expect the average computer user to do the same, and the Linux
community must always strive to make Linux more accessible to the common
person. What I am afraid of is that Linux advocates get comfortable with
the ease of use issue when there is work to be done.
What would be more interesting than anecdotes is to look at all the web
boards/Usenet groups of Windows and Linux and see the % of posts by the
confused for mundane issues like installs, getting the mouse, graphics card,
sound, etc. to work and so on.
What would be even more interesting would be to have install or task-oriented
bake-offs in a mall with various computers and grab people at random to
see who can install a base system or app faster with pre-determined
benchmarks. Good publicity stunt if you really believe your stuff is better.
Steve
