On 22/04/17 06:58 AM, Simon Lees wrote:
Power users are easily able to make a choice (as they know what ot means), new users have no clue what's "better" for them (heck, we can't even agree in here what's "better" for anyone but at least we all have personal preferences, which someone who doesn't know any of the DEs can't have yet). It doesn't matter.
If you have no reason to know which desktop is best for you, then it doesn't matter. Choose randomly, all are good.
Yes but often new users are uncomfortable with just choosing randomly, I know I wouldn't want to.
I would like to point out that in the various e-magazine articles that proclaim the superiority of Linux over Windows is that Linux offers a choice of desktops The issue of "decision paralysis" is a good subject to raise, but it does in turn denigrate the user's intelligence, or possibly imply that they have been terminally brainwashed by The Evil Empire. I'll grant you that there are LiveCDs that offer one-and-only-one desktop, often because of space constraints. But if we think back from the login/chooser, there is the pull-down that offers the choice of any of the installed DMs for this login session. An intelligent new-user might reasonably be expected the experiment with that just as much as he or she might reasonably be expected to experiment and learn with other Linux features and facilities. Contrariwise, if the user doesn't have that curiosity, perhaps they don't have the curiosity to try out Linux as an alternative in the first place. So, continuing to work backwards, if you are going to customise an instillation for a new and inexperienced user I would think the thing to do is encourage them to install anything that looks interesting, in this case multiple desktop managers, and experiment. It all depends, I suppose, on issues like age, mental flexibility and the degree of brainwashing by The Evil Empire[1] whether they think they should be GIVEN one-and-only-one DM, that such choice should be out of their hands, or whether the choice they make is going to be binding on them for all time. I suppose that the people offering such decisions might be equally narrow minded as to think that the 'one-and-only-one' or 'for all time' might be either expected or applicable. However I hope not. Let's not treat the new users as if they were idiots or children. They *WILL* notice that and it will alienate them. [1] YMMV as to interpretation of who to blame for any inflexibility of attitudes. This may vary from "Microsoft", though "The Republican Party", to religious groups. I have seen people approach computers as if the keyboard was going to bite them, people younger than me. I have seen people who use iP{o,a}ds that refuse to use Google hangouts because it was not written by Apple ad who consider Google and/or hence any Android device or product) to be The Evil Empire. Go figure. -- "The Singapore government isn't interested in controlling information, but wants a gradual phase-in of services to protect ourselves. It's not to control, but to protect the citizens of Singapore. In our society, you can state your views, but they have to be correct." -- Ernie Hai, coordinator of the Singapore Government Internet Project -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse-factory+owner@opensuse.org