On Friday May 24 2002 1:41 pm, Charles Griffin wrote:
--- Matthew Johnson
wrote: I think the guy is basically right -- until linux can install perfectly without requiring users to drop in to the command line to update the XF86Config file in order to get nvidia drivers working, or to change the font installation directory, or to change symlinks and edit lilo.conf and fstab in order to get a cdrw working, or do other such things, it is not ready for the masses.
Man have we missed the boat!!!! How many Windoze installs "install perfectly without requiring users to drop in" to the registry? or to a dos prompt? How many times have you ever gotten a video card and a raid controller to work exatly right, together? Come on people. The real issue is that there are 4 programs all half baked that do the same thing, and NO INSTALL routine. Why can't we look at how OpenOffice does its install, separate it out to its own smaller project and use it for all the wonderful apps out there? Why don't we get all the disseparate projects together and combine them into no more than 2? Why does Linux need 15 different browsers? Why not 2 or 3 that really knock you over? Now that I have paid for my Linux distro (SuSE pro 8.0) I feel I have a small vested interest in seeing it suceed. And, I agree with Charles, I like what Linux is all about, and I like the OS as a whole. But here are some things Linux needs to really become the M$ Killer: 1. An Application delivery mechanism, that leverages a directory of some kind (LDAP, NDS, or NIS). This way you could deliver applications and uninstall applications by associating them to an application object. (ZEN for Desktops kind of thing). 2. A remote control feature that lets you control the active desktop. Telnet is good, and VNC is better, but every now and then you need a PCAnywhere, (especially when you are trying to support a remote user). 3. A "setup.exe" for apps. the whole "./configure -> make -> make install" should never be seen by a new user who is not "deeply technical" and wants to know what is going on behind the covers. This could be used by some distros, and not by others depending on what you want in a distro. 4. Support from Hardware vendors to provide their own drivers with equal functionality to their Windoze counterparts. (Hey some of you very talented programmers could help here instead of writing another text editor and wasting your talent). Thanks for listening to my rant, I'll shut up now, and try to learn more about this OS. -- See Ya' Howard Coles Jr. John 3:16!