Hello folks! I assure you - this is not off-topic.
A short time ago I wrote a small paper on the psychology of expectation. In having several hundred monitors read it, I was able to demonstrate from their commentaries the sex and approximate age of the respondees with 80% accuracy. It is all about prior conditioning. The divisions in Linux are identical to the range in the natural sexes - all four of 'em. The Geek is a geek for many reasons, often complex. The Simple User is one for a single reason. To get a specific job done. Period. To remove the emotive accelerants from the issues here we need to create 4 new classes of interest/function: 1. Simple User. A businessperson or pro wanting to utilise their time more effectively/productively. 2. Super User. As above, but forced to undertake technical activities to achieve "tools results" (Me!) because of lack of resources outside. 3. Hobby Geek. Somebody who finds intense research satisfying. Extremely focused hobbyist - because it is a safe outlet. Phase2: Will often try to make money out of it - only ever as a sideline - their psychology is capitalism adverse. Cause Super Users a lot of grief with well-meaning bad advice/efforts. 4. Pro Geek. Makes an actual living as technician in the field. Highly paid for his (rarely her) work, if ANY good at all, due to general great lack of competence in the technical area. Always extremely busy. Extremely poor communicators. Need to simply be given the job to do. Never ask them questions. The vast gulf between User and Geek is similar to that between male and female - as whatsisname said: "from different planets". The User simply wants the tool to be *monetarily* usable. Period. He is only trying to make money in the violent competition of the outside world. The Geek simply wants to overcome obstacles and enjoy feeling superior in the only area he can. Now - don't shoot the messenger! This is a fairly apt generalisation of reasonable accuracy. Look around you. :-) Geeks LOOOOVE command lines! Users HAAAATE anything made unnecessarily complex. They Looove GUI. Your humble correspondent a year ago set out with high ideals to design and construct a genuine Newbies Guide Book. It was to be based on the author's own experiences.............. he gave up. Nobody was able to get a *single* machine of his to work in an acceptable commercial manner. And now this: http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/security/story/0,2000024985,20263960,00.htm Yet and yet, hope springs eternal. I will buy yet another box and try again. This time with Win4Lin and try to bridge the gap between the market-aware world and the totally cathedral-like views of the many intelligent but incredibly naive people who think "it will all happen because we are nice". Big Bill must light many a candle in the cathedral for the miraculous lack of organised competition out there which could have - should have - wiped him out by now - after all, Microsoft is essentially only a very big Dot Com.......... an idea, a hope, a hustle. He must have friends in very high places, no? But that man is a marketing genius. The best hustler on this whole planet - with the money to prove it. And now, back to our regular programme........ Is there anyone out there who has simply put in the CD and obtained a working ( really working - Office suite, communications, ViaVoice, replacement for FrontPage98) and a few user utilities? WITHOUT RESORTING TO ARCANE COMMAND LINE APPROACHES. Can we even say that e.g. the Intel P3 works with it? AMD? (Duron or Athlon?) The 8513 Chipset? The "X" Motherboard? Onboard sound, video? MSI Boards? (Models?) Asus Bds? (Models?) Anyone got Win4lin going in one go? Anyone got WINE to run anything? FrontPage? Cheers, Him Again
Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
