I initially thought that Civileme's post was just a bit over the top. After
reading this, however, I think he was pretty-much spot-on. I suggest that if
Judith wants something more like Windows, she have a look at other OSs like
MacOS, OS/2 or BeOS. OS/2 is a single-user OS, and it has quite a few good
applications written for it (many of them ports from *nix). I used to run it
back in the Warp 3 days (around 1995).
GNU/Linux *will* become more user-friendly, but it will take time. It is not
quite there yet for the average user. System elements like the root-user
dichotomy will never disappear, for they are fundamental to system stabliity.
Implementing work-arounds to this would only defeat GNU/Linux's security
(both physical and network, including Internet), and anyone knowledgeable
enough to code such a system (assuming it is possible) would not do so
because their knowledge would tell them it is a bad idea.
As Civileme mentioned in an earlier post, MS try to blur the distinction
between application and OS, so migrating Windows users end up blaming "Linux"
when their desired function supposedly does not exist. People must remember
that GNU/Linux is not Windows, nor will it ever be Windows. It is an entirely
different OS, with entirely different ways of going about things. People need
to keep an open mind when trying something new, and they should stop
expecting everything to work just like Windows.
The oft-abused term "intuitive" means different things to different people,
depending on their own personal experiences. It has often been said that it
is far easier to introduce a total computer newbie to GNU/Linux than it is to
teach the same thing to an experienced Windows or MacOS user. The total
newbie is starting with a clean slate. (S)he does not have any prior
expectations on how something should work, and so is not 'hobbled' by past
experience. The Windows/MacOS expert, on the other hand, must un-learn
everything they had learnt previously, and shelve any expectations, in order
to learn the new OS.
IMHO, the *real* growth for GNU/Linux in the consumer market will not be in
wealthier nations, where MS is already established. The action will instead
be in poorer nations and areas, where the free GNU/Linux and cheaper hardware
will enable millions to own computers and embedded devices (consoles, set-top
boxes, PDAs, etc). With this in mind, focussing on luring Windows users with
a clone-interface would be an extremely short-sighted strategy.
On Mon, 9 Jul 2001 05:40, Romanator wrote:
> Jeferson Lopes Zacco wrote:
> > -----Mensagem Original-----
> > De: "civileme" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Para: "Judith Miner" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Enviada em: domingo, 8 de julho de 2001 04:27
> > Assunto: Re: [newbie] Internet Security
> >
> > > And despite the fact that I enjoy your posts, this is my last one to
> > > you
> >
> > and
> >
> > > note it is on-list. It occurs to me that if you are a Microsoft shill,
> > > or executive, that you could be a lot more productive to your company
> > > by
> >
> > wasting
> >
> > > my time than you could be by being negative on the newbie list.
> > > Civileme
> >
> > Interesting ... I had just written an e-mail congratulating Judith on her
> > posts. After reading yours, tough, I must admit they do make some
> > sense...and I haven't seen a reply of hers to your post. I would give a
> > most outraged reply if I were mistaken with a Microshaft plant. And it
> > looks weird to me that she doesn't know how to get the cedille, yet she
> > knows so much about other things. I'm still not convinced she is a plant,
> > tough. Time will tell.
> >
> > On the other hand, I guess that her posts didn't manage to scare anyone,
> > if that was her intention. That linux needs to get easier to configure if
> > it wants to atract Window$ users is a fact. Mandrake has gone a long way
> > towards it by making the installation process easy- it is, in fact much
> > easier and quicker than window$. But there is still work to be done, as I
> > pointed in my last post. Will it be done? It depends on the community
> > attitude towards new users, and their ability to handle micoshaft
> > attacks, which will increase from now on. And it seems that the attacks
> > can be very violent and unexpected indeed...
> >
> > --Jeferson L. Zacco aka Wooky
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Linux registered user #221896
> > -------------------------------------
> > Computers are used to solve problems that wouldn't exist if computers
> > weren't
> > invented in the first place.
>
> I have been following Judith Miner's email posts since 1996 through the
> her Wordstar postings on another news group. It appears that she is not
> new to the Microsoft Windows OS. This goes back as far as Windows 3.11
> and DOS.
> I don't know if she is really who she says she is... but she has been
> pi**ssing off at lot of people over the years. She is well known through
> other newsgroups. My comments are not because I think I'm better than
> she is nor am I a Linux elitist or guru.
> However, almost every post on our news group is a lecture on how Linux
> has not been geared to the normal person who doesn't understand command
> lines. Well, I say, rather than being spoon fed - as you did with
> Windows, try the GUI. If you do not understand the command lines, read a
> good book on Linux(remember books?). If there's something you don't like
> in the Linux OS, change it.
>
> I read that you have a lot experience with the Windows OS. Are you
> telling us that you learned this all without reading a single
> Windows or DOS book? This is BS.
> On one hand, you show a lot of knowledge about TCP/IP but turn around
> and talk through both sides of your mouth about no knowledge on fire
> walling etc. etc. etc. Poor me, I am a normal Windows user wanting to be
> a normal Linux User.
>
> Rather than spending time typing up many emails, why don't you provide a
> "wish list" to Mandrakesoft for them to review. Or, try another flavor
> of Linux such as Caldera? I'm sure a lot of your ideas are already in
> the works, and will be addressed in their future releases.
>
> Rather than checking a web page that doesn't necessarily have all of the
> answers, start reading a book about Linux. I am just a normal user of
> Linux, who happens to have Windows NT4 installed on another partition
> for other softwares that will NOT run on Linux.
>
> Either way, we encourage any one's constructive input.
>
>
> Roman
> Registered Linux User #179293
> "su is not the root of your problem
> but the start of a new journey"
--
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
