On Thu, Mar 01, 2001 at 01:59:46PM -0600, Michael Schwager wrote:
Not sure how that response was supposed to help, but Julia hit the nail on the head (see http://www.forsitesolutions.com/Techstuff/techie_manifesto.htm, also http://www.unfinishedrevolution.com/book.html).
There are millions of people like her (and me) who want to use computers to get from point A to point B. If every driver of every car on the road needed to become a mechanic, imagine how inefficient we would be- what an absurd situation.
Julia's difficulties point to the heart of the problem with Linux' adoption as the OS of choice for the desktop. The sooner we realize it the better.
Well, we could simply say goodbye and good riddance to millions of people too busy or with no desire to become an expert kernel hacker. How absurd is that?
I do sympathise with Julia, but you must understand that Linux is a variant of UNIX. UNIX/Linux provide the user with an incredible amount of control over the computer. This control creates the need for complexity. I have been using Linux for a couple of years now, and have seen great advances in the UI space. Things are much easier for beginners now then they were then. This is a good thing. Unfortunately, developers must still deal with that complexity, and some of it must be passed on to the user. If Julia, and other newbies are willing to put in the effort, then they will be rewarded with a fully functional, fast, stable, and very cost effective operating system. If they are not willing... well then perhaps Linux/UNIX is not for them. Victor Cardona -- Victor R. Cardona vcardona@home.com "Behold the keyboard of Kahless, the greatest Klingon code warrior that ever lived!"