Joe Hylkema said:
I'm living proof that it's more than ready for the desktop. I was running Linux as the sole OS on my sole desktop box before I became a computer science student here at WSU. Even now, I've had but one CS class (Introduction to C programming) and I'm running Linux just fine, thank you. I INSTALLED it and am running it beautifully even though I am myself only a notch above a desktop user.
For the SuSE CEO to say this is most disheartening. :(
People here on this list are, generally, clueful about Linux and are not who people are talking about when speaking of "desktop users". I've worked in tech- and customer-support, I know what they're
isn't pretty. More to the point, I don't think Linux will cut it with them until it's pre-installed, there is a pervasive support structure (and I mean to the point that BIOSs are written for Linux,
----- Original Message -----
From: John Grant
have linux drivers included on the CD in the box, etc.), and support in general is as common as for Windows.
Desktop users generally don't want to, they certainly won't enjoy it, and they're happy to do without, even if it means they're not getting the most out of their system or makes it less flexible. Desktop users include people who say, "beige" when asked what kind of computer they have, flip the power switch when they're done with the computer, and see nothing wrong with using root as their main account. Linux needs to consider these types of people in any attempt to move onto
<snip> the desktop. In a single user system there is no concept of root there is only user. I would suspect that in most of these systems the software was preloaded. I just set up one such box and to make it even simpler to use I renamed the Outlook Express icon to say e-mail, I renamed IE to surf the web and Telix was rename o newsgroups. This is the only win95 machine I have and it's for the girlfriend to play games on. That's all that's on this machine games and a net connection.
Which is not to say that none of these things are being addressed. Linux can, with a certain amount of effort and skill, be used as a desktop system now. With 2.4 Linux will be in an even better position to push (further) onto the desktop. And of course that's hardly the end of Linux's evolution.
For the SuSE CEO to say this is most disheartening. :(
As for preaching Money$uck's FUD, I don't think that will be an issue much longer. The government has already said "we're not talking splash screens or contractural revisions."
As far as Dyroff's comments go, don't take the article at face value. Not knowing what /else/ he said to CNN, and since CNN got to pick the quotes, that could be more CNNs slant than anything else. I've gotten so that I assume anything CNN, ABC, NBC, and the rest say is biased toward their advertisers and owners, shoddily researched, contextually disconnected, overhyped, and/or simply wrong. [Other than that, they're ok. ;) ]
If you ignore the CNN text, Dyroff basically said:
- Linux doesn't have apps. - Linux needs apps, - businesses will lead the first large-scale adoption of Linux on the desktop, - hardware support is improving, - Linux users are more computer literate than the average desktop user, - people who aren't familiar with unix have the most
It's much easier to use linux on the desktop if it is your first system. If you are upgrading your system then you have to deal with the legacy code, and data. Spread sheets and DOC's move over quite well but I'm still working on moving the .DBX 's from OE5. I have found 1 tool but it chokes if here are too many messages in the folder. I have found that I can browse the file as text so that may be the final solution. I've been thinking what's needed is a migration tool. The old version of lotus had convert which let you inport spreadsheets from almost anywhere at the time and WP had the same or documents. It seems as MS has obtained dominance that the support for other formats has been dropped. I remember having a lot of trouble with a word 2.0 document in word 6 when we had 5 different word processors in use in the office. We couldn't agree on a standard so we ended up converting a lot. problems with
Linux, - 6.4 will be out next month, - Red Hat sells more boxes in the U.S. than SuSE, - SuSE is expanding its international markets.
I was at a Borland/Inprise show this week and they said that there was 10,000 apps waiting for Kylix to be ported to linux. At an installfewst on the weekend we had 168 people show up during reading week! My one concern was the number that were running linux from a GUI. I suppose the easy path would be to install VMware or get WINE working to make for a smooth transition, but running one OS on top of another was my original complaint against Windows in the first place and why I never when to win3.1 until borland C++ version 3 made it a requirement and my machine wasn't big enought to run OS/2 very well.
I could balk at the first comment, but my (linux newbie) brother is constantly coming up with apps that don't have a Linux counterpart, or if they do, they don't interoperate with their Windows counterpart, so the perception is definitely there. Last week it was netmeeting, for example. (If anyone can help with this question btw I'll be happy to pass any suggestions along.)
Is there an index of equivalent programs? Is there a place to advertise new programs? Shareware and Freeware has always had trouble getting into retail outlets. There is a VMS-to-linux howto maybe we need a Win-to-linux howto as well. -- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/Support/Doku/FAQ/