I completely stand with you on this one Kevin I saw the report about KDE and ease of use .. I think with the new X4 i really do think that linux is now ready to fight for desktop supremissy. Office tools are there with star office and Aplixware. Nigel ----- Original Message ----- From: "KevinO" To: Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2001 3:48 PM Subject: Re: Why Linux will win and Micro$oft will lose > There is a big difference between using an operating system and > installing or configuring one. > > Most Windoze users haven't a clue how to do either one. > > Give a preconfigured Linux box to someone who has never had a computer > before and the ease of use > is as good or better than Windoze. ( A recent report rated KDE 2 better > than MacOS and WinXP for ease of use.) > > I personally have setup two Mandrake boxes for computer newbies. One to > a friend of mine and the other > to my girlfriend's daughter. In each case I helped them get their ppp > setup. They have had very little > difficulty in web browsing, using email, etc.. One of them had some > experience with windows, the other > had never used a computer at all. > > We must be careful when we talk about what the 'average user' wants > to/can do. The average user > just wants to turn it on and use it. In this case, a Linux box isn't any > more difficult to use than anything else. (Until it comes time to deal > with a proprietary file format/protocal. But there are office suites > for Linux that help with that also). > > This is something to remember as we contemplate installfests and newbie > meetings. > > -- > Kevin O'Connor > > "cg.mk.snow" wrote: > > > > First of all, I would like to say, I like dabbling in Linux. It is a good > > O.S. with alot of great stuff. The changes that have been made in the past > > few years have been great. However, in order to boot Microsoft off of its > > high chair Linux is going to have to be accepted by a majority of computer > > users. Before the "Average" and "New" computer users can make Linux work > > several things will have to happen. > > > > 1) Need to get rid off all the offshoots. For hackers, a variety of > > different styles and versions of an o.s. are great. However for someone who > > uses their computer to get email and surf the web 20 different types of the > > same thing only confuse and bore him. This is one of the big stumbling > > blocks for Linux. The first question most people ask about Linux is "What is > > the best type of Linux to use, red hat suse, caldera, ...". Sorry Linux, > > that really should not be the first big decision. At an absolute maximum, > > there should be about 3 types of Linux. One for the average user where > > everything happens automatically and only loads the basic multimedia type > > programs. The second for hackers who enjoy programming, and like to dabble > > in .conf files. The third for Server situations. > > > > 2) Not everyone wants to be a programmer. There are several signatures I > > have seen that imply the world of computers will be perfected when everyone > > programs for fun. They also imply the average person would want to go into a > > .conf file and have to add some term or variable. I would hate to break it > > to everyone, but the average computer user does not care to do much more > > than open email or a web browser and download mp3's, talk to friends, or > > download backgrounds. Right now in order to properly configure Linux, the > > user has to be familiar with how a programming language works. I personally > > have not been able to get anything to work on my machine without typing in > > info on a file that had an "if", "for" "else", or some other programming > > language type function. > > > > 3) Should not need to know what an HOW-TO is. I personally think this is the > > absolute biggest stumbling block for Linux. The average computer user > > should not have to read through 10 HOW-TO's that reference 10 more HOW-TO's > > to get something simple like the internet going. No "average" computer user > > should even have to know what a HOW-TO is. If the program or task the user > > is doing cannot do everything it is suppose to by itself then there should > > be a well written, logically organized, indexed help section. BTW, Man pages > > are just as bad as HOW-TO's. If my mother decided to buy and install Linux, > > she should not have to read a PPP HOW-TO in order to get the dial up > > connection going. In fact, she should not even know that PPP exists. The > > most she should have to do is click a button that says something like "set > > up internet" and answer simple questions like " Are you using a dial up > > modem or DSL". Hate to break it to everyone, but before Linux boots > > Microsoft of their high chair, The HOW-TO's have got to go. > > > > 4) Learn how to name programs. I should not have to do a web search to find > > out what a program does every time some cryptic letter scheme is brought up. > > For example, the discussion about setenv. Please tell me there could not > > have been a more descriptive name for that. Just looking at the letters does > > absolutely nothing for me. In order to under stand this I am sure I will > > have to read for several hours on the internet. (In all honesty I am unsure > > what it is now.). If my wife read an email that told here how to use setenv, > > her eyes would glaze over, she would get a headache, and I wouldn't get any > > bootie that night. I hope we all agree this is unacceptable. > > > > If any of the things I said, made you mad and makes you want to flame me, > > congratulations, you are the reason Linux has not outpaced Microsoft. If you > > are too stubborn to realize that the average user does not want to be as > > smart about an o.s. as you, Linux will never work. Most users do not want to > > read a multitude of Books and online documentation, they want to get online > > and rip some MP3's. I really hope Linux does take off. One day, I hope to be > > knowledgable enough to maybe make some programs on my own. Geez, maybe even > > say something intelligent about Linux. The problem is, in order to make > > Linux big, people like my wife or mother, who have no desire to dabble, need > > to be able to use Linux and not have to reference alot of additional > > documentation to do it. > > > ________________________________________________ > See http://PLUG.phoenix.az.us/navigator-mail.shtml if your mail doesn't post to the list quickly and you use Netscape to write mail. > > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss >