I Just Want to Kill People

[Brink15]

Earlier Brink mentioned that Linux had a steep learning curve. Thats a myth a current vesrsion of Mandrake, Red Hat or SuSE is every bit as warm and fuzzy as the popular consumer OSes (assuming your hardware is supported) if not more so. The only thing that makes it hard is that its new. Switching from Mac to Windows or vice-versa a desktop user would face the same difficulties, unfamiliarity. However Linux is not exactly a gamers OS, yet.

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I disagree. Although the latest versions of Linux do have much improved GUIs they still require a modest degree of comfort with computers. The market for Linux here in the US is still limited to geeks and business people who are very comfortable learning new systems.

 

Heck, I think the environmental changes between Win98 and XP were very simple and yet I have seen a lot of resistance from users. The most common response I received when migrating businesses to XP was they had heard it was so difficult. The bottom line is that there are still a lot of people out there who use computers every day in their work who still have only a very basic understanding of computers.

 

When I say steep learning curve I'm not implying learning to use Linux is like learning machine language. For the average user who doesn't have a depth of computer knowledge it is far easier to transition from one O/S, i.e. Win98, to a similar O/S, i.e. XP.

 

[adikgede]

I think you are reiterating my point. The difficulty is not with Linux in particular but anything new. Most office people would have a much harder time being made to switch from MS Office to Open Office/Star Offiice (available on M$W, Mac OS X and Linux/Unix) than they would with a new desktop.

 

When I was in school you had a choice between Mac, MSWindows or Solaris in the computer labs. PC users wouldn't use a Mac if it were available and vice versa. So if you didn't wan't to wait just go to a lab with a few Sun workstations and unless someone had escaped from the CS building there was usually a seat available. Ironically except for MS Office apps all the computers were using all the same apps. Gopher, Mosaic/Netscape Pine for mail and the library services behaved almost the same no matter what computer you used.

 

If you have a raw computer with no OS on it Linux is easier to install than Windows, you are less likely to have to track down third party drivers, and most of the applications you will use are included with the distribution. This is of course is contingent on having PC hardware that works with Linux.

 

I have found in situations where the users are pretty clueless it makes less difference not more. I have installed Linux in schools and law offices here, and it is usually only the users who have become acostumed to using a particular app that quickly notice that they aren't using MSWindows anymore. In the office my wife inherited from her father they never grew accustomed to using MS Office so it wasn't hard for them to start using Applixware.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Brink15]

If you have a raw computer with no OS on it Linux is easier to install than Windows, you are less likely to have to track down third party drivers, and most of the applications you will use are included with the distribution.

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Have you installed a recent release of XP? I have yet to have a driver issue with the exception of a few scanners.As a matter of fact I solved the issues with the Compaq drivers by installing XP after Win98 failed to recognize the older components.

 

I also disagree with the statement that most of the app.s I'll be using will be included with Linux. Many won't even run on Linux without a shell. If I want to build a server, particularly a web server, Linux is the way to go. For home use? Not yet anyway.

 

[adikgede]

I also disagree with the statement that most of the app.s I'll be using will be included with Linux.

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I was not referring you, Brink, but you as in: someone, a person, people. i.e. If the hardware is suported a single linux DVD or a set of installation CDs will have all the drivers you need and all the software you need if you are one of 9 out of 10 users that only use email, web browser, chat, instant messaging, xmms, an editor and maybe spread sheets or personal finance ledger. For most home users this is more than enough.

 

The only thing holding them back is a friend, salesperson, or some other kind of expert who feels like they have a personal stake in what other people use. Computers are all about helping you get work done. If there is a special bit of software that makes people choose OS A over OS B than thats what they should do. However if the computer is for common tasks than that can be done by just about any desktop OS, the decision is based upon ease of use, performance, reliability, and cost.

 

A new user can learn to use a Linux or Unix based computer just as easily as learning to use a Mac or MSWindows. so if the apps are there its just a matter of reliability performance and cost.

[Brink15]

if you are one of 9 out of 10 users that only use email, web browser, chat, instant messaging, xmms, an editor and maybe spread sheets or personal finance ledger. For most home users this is more than enough.

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9 out of 10 people where? Here in the states the majority of people I speak with (non-techies) uses their computers for photo editing, video editing, MP3 downloads and CD burning, gaming. I can probably count on one hand the people I know who only use the app.s you list. A simple look at the largest selling software titles proves otherwise.

[adikgede]

9 out of 10 people where? Here in the states the majority of people I speak with (non-techies) uses their computers for photo editing, video editing, MP3 downloads and CD burning, gaming. I can probably count on one hand the people I know who only use the app.s you list. A simple look at the largest selling software titles proves otherwise.

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I think my guestimate represents a larger percentage of user habits than the people you come into contact with. Even if 9 out of 10 new computers come with a CD Writer it doesn't mean that all of those users will burn cds. Even if the majority of new computers have some digital image editing capabilities, it doesn't mean that the majority of users of new computers also have a access to a digital camera still or motion, and also use that with their pc. Even if a particular game or office suite is the most popular seller that doesn't directly translate to usage patterns because bundled software, like a browser, wouldn't show up in those statistics. Furthermore projecting sales upon usage patterns on existing systems is also problamatic.

 

Nevertheless the applications that provide the functionality for the requirements of your user set are available on most current Linux distros. The major shortcoming would be in the area of games of which offerings will be small because of the smaller user base. However there are probably more games available to linux than most people realize.

 

http://www.icculus.org/lgfaq/gamelist.php

 

As I said before if there is a specific bit of software that has no functional equivelant in Linux then there is no point in using Linux. However most people don't know that the software for what most people do is available for Linux, and most people don't know that in terms of ease of use Linux is no more difficult to use than more popular operating systems. In terms of ongoing maintenace its probably easier to use.