A couple of other points just to swing the balance back the other way ... a) with Windows, downloading and installing new software is likely going to be easier [unless apt-get has some GUI program I'm unaware of--actually, I think I did hear of one before]. Of course, how often is our "clueless user" going to be installing new software? If he is, he's probably going to have a bigger problem downloading Windows EXEs and wondering why they're not working, than any real problem trying to figure out how to install things.
b) typically, a "clueless user" can't run a computer on his own anyway. He usually has a "support base" of other more knowledgeable people who can help configure things, fix the computer when Bad Things Happen, etc. My guess is this is the reason why all the pre-installed Linux computers were returned (whoever it was that posted that thought-provoking anecdote)--these people probably had a support group of people they could run to when their computer broke, and when something happened and they didn't know how to fix it, they ran to these people who then said, "What, Linux?! Ooh, I have no idea about that one ... why don't you just try installing Windows? I'm used to that." ~ Ross On Tue, 4 Nov 2003, Nathan R. Garza wrote: > You know, Ross has a good point. Until I read his post I was almost > agreeing with the redhat guys. But really, if linux was preinstalled > and configured, all the "hard stuff" would be out of the way. It > shouldn't really be that much more difficult than moving to OS X from > Windows, and that's not really that bad. It might actually be easier, > all things considered. -- This sentence would be seven words long if it were six words shorter. ____________________ BYU Unix Users Group http://uug.byu.edu/ ___________________________________________________________________ List Info: http://uug.byu.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/uug-list
