[ale] Best Desktop Env or Distro for Windows users?

tfreeman at intel.digichem.net tfreeman at intel.digichem.net
Wed Aug 21 15:07:14 EDT 2002


On Wed, 21 Aug 2002, Charles Marcus wrote:

> >> Who *cares* what the Users think, ultimately?
> 
> > Anybody who wants the Users to accomplish something
> > positive. While I will agree that the loss of eye
> > candy and other sources of bloat will improve the
> > utilization of the hardware, it isn't going to help
> > sell the majority of people I know on the value of
> > ditching a legacy environment, MANAGEMENT included.
> 
> I was responding to a message that said that management had already given
> the go ahead to ditch the legacy (Windows) environment.
> 
> And it would actually be easier to go straight to a minimalist WM type of
> environment, than give them KDE, then take it away.
> 
> > Unhappy users expect hand holding, will sabotage
> > equipment, insult customers, and generally cost way
> > way more in the long run. OK. I'll admit this last
> > is an assertion that I can not document/prove. It
> > does fit with my experience tho.
> 
> Well, if management is keeping a handle on things, they will find out about
> garbage like this pretty quickly and file criminal charges (sabotaging
> equipment), and or fire someone (for being rude to customers), depending on
> the circumstances.
> 
> I cannot imagine Users doing the above just because management took away
> their Windows and gave them IceWM.

I can. Rather easily actually. Piss off the group secretary, and perhaps 
instead of one typo every three pages, you get one per page. Sure - if 
_you_ catch them, the customer doesn't notice, but you are going to miss 
plenty of errors. While the secretary is stressing over the word 
processor, faxes aren't being delt with correctly. Jump on their case 
about the faxes (and don't forget to keep up the typo checking), and the 
filing can slip. Or supplies will run out. Or watch the medical leave time 
inch up. 

Active, deliberate sabotage for mandating a change in computer 
environment? Probably not, unless coupled with being a real jerk. My point 
is, users/employees/people who think they are being used and/or abused 
frequently will rebel. It usually is subtle, often amplifying normal human 
difficulties, and over time it will be expensive. 

Sure you can document the loss of productivity, fire the 
individual, and spend the money to hire a replacement, train them etc. For 
a few percent of your people, the trade may be economically feasable or 
even desireable. Do similar damage to the majority of the organization by 
giving them what they feel is a downgrade, and everyone will find out you 
have an unhappy office.


> 
> Charles
> 
> 
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