On Tue, 3 Jun 2003 22:13:56 +0200
"Theo v. Werkhoven"
* Sun, 01 Jun 2003, zentara@zentara.net:
I see, so a salesman or doctor "out in the field" with a linux laptop dosn't need to know what to do if there is a boot failure?
Well no, I don't expect an end-user to do these things. Both professions have way more important things to do than screw around with /etc/inittab or bootfloppie while they're doing their business. And luckely for them Linux isn't a system that 'just' fails for no apparent reason. So they won't have to worry about such a thing because that's one of the reasons they use Linux right?
Well linux isn't quite foolproof yet........... How many times have you seen people ask how to boot their system, because the hard drive won't boot because some init script, or module load is hanging? It has happened at least once to almost everyone. So you need to know how to adjust bios settings for a floppy or cdrom boot, and start a rescue session. Of course, I've seen windows users in the same situation call their OEM's tech support, and some part-time student doing tech support tells them to reinstall from the OEM cdrom. :-) I don't think it will go over well, if you train people to use linux, then tell them, if you have a problem, leave it with the sysadmin for a few days and he'll fix it.
Also, one of the most frequent questions I hear new converts from Windows ask is: "Where is autoexec.bat"?
You're joking right? autoexec.bat isn't in use anymore since NT, if these users want to compare Win9x with Linux than they should first join us in the 21st century before they try to learn a new game.
No, I'm not joking. The last versions of windows I have bought are w95 and wME. They both have autoexec.bat. The people contemplating switching to linux , often come from these older versions. Alot of them jump ship because of the nasty new windows EULA. I'll never buy a newer version of windows. boot.local is part of the 21st century. Many times I've seen advice, "just put that line in boot.local". I have a few in their myself.
--show them the basic routine for compiling c source: -> configure, make, make install
Same comment as above.
I don't agree. One of the most frequently seen questions is "I saw this great new app, but the rpm won't work, how do I compile it?"
And when you tell them to read the INSTALL file they...?
Well that was my point. When someone first encounters a compiler, they need someone to show them a couple of times, just so they over being intimidated by it. Most programmers already know what a Makefile is, what a.out is, and what strip is. But someone new to linux, needs about a half hour of explaning how the whole shebang works, not to make them an expert, but so they are not intimidated to try it on their own; and that it won't break their machine. Making a cake is the same way. An 8 year old who watched his mother make 10 cakes, will jump in and do it himself. While a full-grown adult, with no kitchen experience, will balk at following the clear instructions on the box. Maybe they never heard of pre-heating, or whatever. A little on-the-job-instruction goes a long long way. Well, I've said enough on this. :-) It's really good that we are even discussing the possibility of the nation of India choosing linux as a standard. How they all get "linux-savvy" is out of our control. Maybe a "Computer Peace Corps ? " Have them travel around to villages holding "install fests", and giving away old copies of linux. Maybe even old pentium systems. (It would be a nice way of keeping them out of our overfilled dumps.) Probably 1 or 2 kids from each village would have the apptitude for it, and become unofficial sysadmins for everyone else. Alot of villages are being setup this way, a couple of computers which everyone shares. Linux is perfect for that. And it's within the budgets of people who make less than $2000 per year. Finally, just because someone dosn't have modern Western schooling, dosn't mean they are dumb. Quite often the opposite is true. -- use Perl; #powerful programmable prestidigitation