🚀 go-pugleaf

Manfred Bartz wrote:

> > Linux is *not* for everyone.  It isn't *nearly* ergonomic enough for a
> > mass-market OS.  Some day, it might be, and there are people working
> > (slowly) on making it easier to use.

> Easier?  Like W95?  I hope they don't succeed!
> I have been involved with some programming for windows.  It took an
> almost heroic effort to coax MSVC into using a fixed pitch font for my
> windows.

At the programming level, Win95 is a nightmare.  I'll give you that. 
The only way to cope with the windows API is to buy an expensive VDE and
pray.

As far as install goes, horrific installs are not unique to Win95
upgrades. There are plenty of horrific Linux installs as well. 

> > Things like the dotfile generator -
> > I'd like to see more utilities like that.

> Any attempt to hide functions from the user - even if well intentioned
> - introduces more complexity and potential bugs, it is also very
> frustrating and dis-empowering to have parts of the system hidden from
> you.

Excuse me a second...
  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH HA HA HA HA HA.

Ok, let's think of some other times in computing history when that's
been said.

1950's:  Compiled languages

   Assembly language bigot:
      "Any attempt to hide machine-level details from the programmer -
even if well intentioned - introduces more complexity and potential
bugs... it's also very frustrating and dis-empowering to have parts of
the system hidden from you.

1970's: GUI research at Xerox.

   Terminal interface bigot:

      "Graphical User Interfaces are easy toys.  Any attempt to hide
filesystem details to the use introduces more complexity and potential
bugs - it's also very disempowering to have parts of the system hidden
from you.

1980's:  WYSIWYG word processors and desktop publishing packages

   "Word-processing without using a typesetting language is an easy
toy.  Any attempt to provide a graphical interface to text publishing
encourages bad habits and dis-empowers the user.

(there is something in this last point, admittedly.  Desktop publishing
has given us "wired" magazine, for example.)

> > There are lots of people who haven't coped with Linux very well.
> > Look, there are people out there who do everything as root.

> Like myself.  I have taken on Linux a year ago, tossed Windows off the
> hard disk 3 month ago and I have not yet been able to figure out a
> practical way of working on a user level.  However, I expect that
> within the next 6 month that will change.

I rest my point re: many Linux newbies doing everything wrong.

> The beauty of linux is that you not only get to play with the toy -
> you get to put it together.  And you get the satisfaction of having
> mastered a difficult skill.

Big deal.  This was a major marketing angle of the Sirius Cybernetics
Corporation in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", if you remember. 
The frustration of using the system is entirely masked by the
satisfaction of getting the system to work at all.  In other words,
Linux's fundamental design flaws are entirely masked by its superficial
design flaws.