From: Curtis Rey
To: Jonathan Drews , Yuri K CC: suse-linux-e@suse.com Subject: Re: [SLE] Linux Commercial Idea as a flop. Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 03:38:21 -0500 As a newbie/Linux novice I can agree with the point about not wanting to deal with "broken apps and half baked stuff". I already have a degree in health care and really don't relish returning to school to learn how to setup and run my OS. I chose Linux because a) It gets me away from M$ (don't get me started on XP/.NET/Hailstorm) and b) because I learn something about the thing I spend most of my time with-the computer. Sure, I would like to learn programming. But I don't want to do so to make it my profession. It's just like medicine. You teach your patient about health care and taking care of themselves. However, you don't expect then to mix there own IV solutions or run their own X-ray machine. It's similar with designing an OS that is to be used by the general public. Open Source is wonderful because the makers can design a system to meet their desires. But, if you want the general public to get behind it and support/use it you'll have to make function on their level. Linux is getting close to this and still gets its geek underpinnigs (geek is not to be taken as derogatory). It will become widely accepted when the common user doesn't have to consider taking night classes in comp sci in order to set up a firewall.
See this is where I think the newbies get it wrong. I understand your argument about how one person doesn't have to be a MD to perform small task healthcare on yourself. But here is the problem. Does Linux fit this bill? Yeah in Windows you can push and click your way through things but in Linux the console and commands in my mind are unavoidable. Plus they are the most powerful enttiies which come with a Unix OS. And you mentioned a person shouldn't have to know how to work an IV. I consider a firewall a highly sophisticated instrument and I do not think it is the duty of the programming community to spend ten years on the development of a utility til they finally managed to make it usable by every person out there. Firewalls I think belong in the domain of the more educated computer professionals. Now if SuSE thinks its their job to break this barrier then go ahead but I don't believe in this. I doubt a person would get much support from any government to run a business which teaches 'PlugnPlay IVs' to the general public. I support the fact to improve things but I am choosy about what should be improved simply because of the reward we get for the investment done. mk _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com