Mailinglist Archive: opensuse (1587 mails)

[rclark@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Ralph Clark)]

dizzy wrote:

> Michael Johnson wrote:
>
> > On Wed, 18 Nov 1998, dizzy wrote:
> > > yes -
> > > <rant>
> > </snip of man newbie issues>
> > Well, Linus said the next step for Linux is making it more useful for
> > average pc users.
>
> ha..  I was thinking of that today. I bet Linus had no idea that his work
> would end up being significant competition with a *Billion* dollar company
>
> > It's hard for me to understand, as I didn't experience the kind of pain
> > and angst that most people did when I started using Linux. I expected it
> > to be difficult and it wasn't. The guy posting about taking 6 months to
> > get connected to the internet...is a real shocker, IMHO. I think to make
> > it more usable you have to make it usable apparently for the BELOW average
> > user, NOT the average user.
>
> Wrong --->IMO
> the average or below average user wouldn't even friggin remotely consider
> Linux.

Double Wrong!

First point. I think this will change very soon. Already the consensus is
changing to favour Linux as a server platform and if current trends continue the
same could happen with the desktop. KDE, Gnome and Enlightenment are very
attractive to look at and this is a big selling point. Ease of use issues are
being addressed via tools like YaST and Caldera's COAS project.

Mainstream application availability is not a problem any more. We have Netscape,
Applixware and Star Office; Corel will have all or most of their desktop products
ported in a year - and full Win32 support on Linux too if I read recent reports
right. And maybe even Lotus Smartsuite will make it onto the Linux desktop.

Progress on the availability of games for Linux is already under way, which
addresses another huge market. And what a draw for gamers: Quake frame rates
indicate more performance on the same hardware when running under Linux.

Also, since Linus has reaffirmed his interest in the desktop question as it
relates to world domination,  I have no doubt this will happen ;-)

Second point: if you think the technological intelligence or ability of the user
has anything to do with operating system purchase then think again. There are
more technically-challenged people with computers than you think. Many computer
owners can't even work out how to do simple things under Windows because they
just don't know how to get started, the whole IT thing is just beyond them. They
bought their computer in a burst of enthusiasm and now it just sits there on the
sideboard gathering dust. "I'm too busy" they say defensively. This is closer to
a picture of the real "average" user I think (you won't find him on this mailing
list or on Usenet, he probably doesn't know what those are and couldn't figure
out how to get there anyway). With all the retail computer outlets now aiming at
the man in the street who hasn't already bought a computer (i.e. those who don't
really want one anyway) this is bound to become even more common.

It's usually mooted that the software is to blame and that computers must become
easier to use, i.e. more intelligent. So I guess until the entry-level computer
actually becomes more intelligent than the "average" user, both the computer and
the user are just going to sit there staring blankly at each other wondering what
to do next. I have a problem with that. I don't want my computer to be smarter
than me, and that model will probably come out 6 months later. Then Usenet and
mailing lists will be full of condescending chat about you and me - written by
our computers while we weren't looking.


--
rclark@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx        Ralph Clark, Virgo Solutions Ltd (UK)
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