On Sun, 16 Feb 2003 08:51:18 -0600
"Michael Satterwhite"
As a general desktop, that is.
I was thinking of the problem I had yesterday trying to restart printing services (which I still haven't found in the documentation).
For Linux to be a general desktop system, it needs to be usable by the general population at large. A middle age non-computer type would *NEVER* be able to use Linux.
That's B.S. I just setup my "totally technologically ignorant" sister to get online. If it's windows, or linux, all newbies need installation help, and a couple hours of training by example. It is unfair to compare windows and linux, because most schools indoctrinate people to windows, so they already have a footing. If schools gave equal time to teaching linux, well.....windows would loose out pretty quick. It is easier to explain the operation of a linux system(which does what you tell it to do), than it is the windows system( which does what it thinks you want it to do) The first attempt was with windows. It was way too confusing. Too many windows opening up, no control over screen appearance, too much worrying about virii, remembering rules about attachments, pop-up ads everywhere, etc. So I put in linux, with a super simple fvwm2 desktop, with a simple custom menu: "world-wide-web" which opened mozilla "mymail" which opens sylpheed "get-online" which dials up I showed her how to open each program in it's own virtual desktop, how to switch between desktops. Now she is doing fine. -- use Perl; #powerful programmable prestidigitation