🚀 go-pugleaf

j.stokes@bohm.anu.edu.au (Jason Stokes) writes:

> It still requires quite a lot of enterprise and intelligence - a lot of the
> things aren't documented very well, and if you are used to a nice, point 'n'
> drool interface, you will be in for a shock.
If you ever tried to upgrade an older computer 386/486 to W95 with
plug'n pray (which of course didn't work) you probably got a shock 
too - I gave up after two dozen re-boots and bought a new computer.

> 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.

> 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.

> 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.

> There are lots of people who haven't coped with Linux very well.
Possibly.  

I have two teenagers using one of my two Linux systems.
The 13yo is doing her assignments with StarWriter. She took about 15
minutes to learn to logon/off, mount/unmount fd0 and the cdrom.  
The 18yo now has root privileges (which he uses sparingly) and after 
3 month with not much help from me is copying source code from cdrom,
configuring, compiling and installing them.  

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.

What satisfaction could you get from mastering double clicking on an 
icon?

That was my 3 cents worth ;-)

-- 
Manfred Bartz <mbartz@werple.net.au>
------------------------------------
    LINUX --- live free or die