Mailinglist Archive: opensuse (1377 mails)

[kc8chq@xxxxxxxx (Robert C. Russell)]

I could not resist making a comment concerning Linux for the "masses."

I've been tinkering with Linux for about a year. I am not a 'SysAdmin'
though I's certainly like to have that knowledge.

In fact, I did not even own a PC prior to April of last year, though I
had been working in AutoCAD for about two years. My experience and
knowledge were limited to that software(R12 for DOS).

I discovered "Linux" and saw an opportunity to access something a friend
had introduced me to a few years ago. In that case it was Unix and a Sun
Sparc Station(it seems he even commented about Forth, which is of
interest to me.)

After a few thing s transpired including installing my first HDD and OS/2
3.0.
And I even decided to take a stab at multiple OSs; Linux and OS/2.

Slackware installed, but X would never come up. Then I tried Debian. Wow!
I even managed to have X running, though as with OS/2 PPP never
progressed to the point to run.

A year later I have OS/2, SuSE 5.2, Debian 2.0, and RedHat 5.1all
running. I do not currently have a provider that supports PPP so I am
limited to running Minicom, which is not all that bad. I still have much
to learn about command line Unix, but the point is that Linux HAS come
along way. Particularly in the commercial distributions; I refer to the
very preconfigured installations, which are possible as in SuSE and
RedHat.
Debian2.0 seems to have progressed very far from the 1.3.0 I first
installed; it was a very basic configuration, but it worked.

>From my perspective, of all that I have tried SuSE was the most "turn
key' of all that I have tried. It and Debian were able to have a Linux
box complete with X, running with the most ease; SuSE was by far the most
complete though I've yet to get my sound card to run(though it sounds as
though someone else on this list managed to do so very recently(ah there
is hope!)) and I'm wondering what will transpire with the Hauppauge
WincastTV-dbx card I have? There is hope.

M$ makes it possible to make a reasonable living, but I see a very bright
future in Linux, with a lot more access to various programming languages.

The Linux community is "innovative."

Best regards,
Bob Russell <><
kc8chq@xxxxxxxx
 
Penguin inside! Now THAT'S Cool!
On Tue, 25 Aug 1998 21:30:54 -0400 "Fred A. Miller"
<fmiller@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
>
>(Ted Harding) wrote:
>
>[snip]
>
>> So, in my experience, the "average user" can USE Linux/UNIX quite 
>happily, just
>> as ordinary people drive cars, and know how to put fuel in the tank, 
>but
>> occasionally need to have the wear-and-tear put right, or ask 
>directions in a
>> strange place (instead of knowing how to read a map). But the 
>equivalent of
>> "garage mechanic" and "knowledgeable local inhabitant" do need to be 
>available,
>> otherwise the "average user" can get stuck.
>> 
>> Does this represent a realistic compromise between the extreme views 
>that
>> A) "Linux is not, and never can be, for the masses"
>> B) "Linux will develop so that it can be installed and run with no 
>knowhow"
>> ???
>
>It really depends on development over the next year, IMHO.  To put a
>different "twist" on this, how much different is your scenario than 
>most
>MAC users today?  Most are totally ignorant of how their 'puter works,
>and occasionally they have problems, and need assistance.  At least
>those who've been using 'DOZ have some level of competence, although,
>granted....not much.  I'm responsible for 2 new Linux users in the 
>past
>2 months.  Neither one has ever used anything but 'DOZ but are doing
>very well with Linux.  Yes, I ASSISTED them in the install etc., but
>they did the "work."  Will they have problems?  Probably, and I'll 
>help
>them out when they do.  But, I proved that even a Compaq can run Linux
>reliably.<g>
>
>Fred
>
>-- 
>- Windows 98 supports real multitasking - it can boot and crash
>simultaneously -
>Fred A. Miller, Systems Administrator
>Cornell Univ. Press Services
>fmiller@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>fm@xxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
>-
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>this text in its body: unsubscribe suse-linux-e
>

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