[ale] Re: your mail

Pete Hardie pete.hardie at dvsg.sciatl.com
Fri Sep 24 10:38:59 EDT 1999


Greulich, Thomas G wrote:
> 
>         snip
> > (The following is a general statement) It seems like to ask Linux newbies
> > nowadays
> > to read a little bit before hand is almost a crime.  Perhaps its because
> > most of
> > them are migrating from more "user-friendly" environments like that other
> > operating system that starts with a W, and take offense to the fact that
> > they
> > might have to do a little research in order to use their computer.
> > (Several
> > times to the isp-linux list have I been snapped at by a newbie because I
> > told
> > him he might have to read some documentation =)Man, Linux nowadays is a
> > walk
> > in the park compared to that cryptic version of Slackware I was installing
> > way
> > back then -- there was nothing user-friendly about that, I assure you.  It
> > almost hurt =]
> >
>         Yeah, and we walked uphill both ways.....  ;-)

Barefoot in the snow, too.

>         I feel I have to speak up at this point.  Several of the responses
> to this thread have basically been saying that the only way to 'properly'
> install and use Linux is to go through the steep learning curve that most of
> the folks on this list have gone through.  That's fine for those who want to
> be on the leading edge.  But if we truly want to make LInux more universal
> and to steal market share from M$, we are going to have to come to grips
> with the fact that we need to attract users who see the computer as a tool,
> and nothing more.  People who want nothing more than to install the OS,
> their productivity apps, and get to work.  People who would migrate to Linux
> because of cost, stability, etc.   They don't care how or why it works, just
> that it does.  Until we can tap this group, Linux will stay in the realm of
> the hobbyist.  If we don't tap this group fairly soon, people will start to
> remember LInux as this fad that passed.  Linux currently has the attention
> of the press and the mainstream users.  If we don't do something to ease the
> entry for the mainstream users, we will have lost our opportunity.

While I agree with this to a large extent, I do think that it is a bad trend
to have people installing something as significant asthe OS without thinking, 
especially as the Internet connectivity increases.  Think of all the ISPs who 
have badly configured mailers and firewalls, allowing spammers to bounce their
spew off of many machines, etc.

For the general user, Linux should be like Windoze - it comes installed from
the vendor.  What percentage of end users install Win95/98/NT?  A small one,
for sure, and smaller still who do so without assistance from tech support or
a technical friend.

That said, the people who are migrating from Windoze do need to make a paradigm
shift - freedom begets responsibility - you are free from monopolistic control,
which means you are responsible for learning more about your machine and how
it really works.



-- 
Pete Hardie                   |   Goalie, DVSG Dart Team
Scientific Atlanta            |
Digital Video Services Group  |






More information about the Ale mailing list