In a previous message, Derek Fountain wrote:
lack of sensible drag and drop behaviour across applications,
? Windows has very poor D&D. Linux isn't always better, but the middle-click paste is universal and far more flexible than Windows.
I suppose it depends on how one defines sensible behaviour. On Windows I open Word, then drag and drop a .doc file from Explorer onto it. Word opens the file ready for editing. Do the same onto OO Writer from Konqueror and the path to the file is entered into the document!
Try doing it in a variety of Windows apps and see what happens (most won't follow this behaviour)! It's not an OS-level thing so saying "MS Office does it like this so every other app should" isn't helpful when comparing the OSes. You are really only comparing apps - so, if they run MS Office on linux, they'll see no difference in functionality from when they use Windows.
Linux on the desktop is just about ready for engineers who know what they're doing, or people who have a limited set of requirements needed to fulfill a predictable set of tasks.
That's a little harsh - I don't fall into either group and yet SuSE is perfect for me. I am a self-employed editor, using my computer heavily for web, MSWord, email and many other things that aren't "a predictable set". But I agree that linux isn't really ready for Joe User yet.
So how do you differ from Joe User? Why is it ready for you, but not him?
I'm willing to spend a little time mucking around in config files and using the command line. Most people aren't. That's the issue with linux ATM. You don't have to be a software engineer to use it but it helps not to be afraid of the system, either.
In your case I'd say that web, email and word processing make for a pretty limited work area.
You didn't say "limited", you said "predictable", and there's a big difference. *Everyone* works within a limited set of tasks. The question is whether they are the same tasks all the time (as in an office machine) or not. And I use quite a varied range of software.
How about things like DTP or press ready CMYK graphics?
No, because there are no good solutions ATM (as I'm sure you know). There are a couple of DTP apps that are showing promise but nothing that's at production level. And I'm desperate for the GIMP to support CMYK - I have quite a lot of work that could then be done using it that I presently use RISC OS and Windows for.
How about web site development?
A fair bit - I use Bluefish to maintain four websites, two of them mine and two for other organizations.
How about a programmable graphical database front end?
I'm just starting to play with Rekall, which is very nice, because I desperately need something that is equivalent to Access, FileMakerPro or Datapower (pick your platform...) - i.e. something that gives nice, clear forms, powerful facilities and good-looking reports. With a little more work, Rekall is looking like it could finally become the desktop DB front end that linux seriously lacks - nothing else that I've seen even tries to produce reports that could actually be printed and sent to a client without serious embarassment.
I need all of those on a regular basis.
Good for you. I use apps in some of those areas and some apps in areas you don't mention (scriptable word processing, image manipulation in RGB originated from digital camera and client files, music and video manipulation, PIM and PDA syncing, instant messaging, and games). We all use a "limited" set of apps. The question is whether there is somewhere between "engineers" and "predictable tasks" - I think that the answer is "Yes".
Linux on the desktop has only solved a small subset of the problems users face. It needs time to mature.
I never questioned that. Indeed, I said explicitly that it wasn't ready for Joe User. However, for a great number of people, it does everything they need very well - indeed, better than Windows. I am one of those people and I assume you're another (or why are you using it?). John -- John Pettigrew Headstrong Games john@headstrong-games.co.uk Fun : Strategy : Price http://www.headstrong-games.co.uk/ Board games that won't break the bank Knossos: escape the ever-changing labyrinth before the Minotaur catches you!