On Wednesday 27 February 2002 11:21, Kevin McLauchlan wrote: . . . . letter
The fact of my trying to operate a computer novice by remote (telephone) control, while not being a Linux guru myself, was what killed us, and sent my brother into the clutches of /t/h/e/ /B/o/r/g/ er, I mean Uncle Bill.
Sigh. Another innocent, lost.
Moan.
/k
Excellent rants, Kevin. You write very well and your thoughts stir up many feelings, perhaps because they ring true to so many of us. As a newbie, I would have given up long ago were it not for this great mail list and the gentlemen who so graciously reside here and help others. I concur--SuSE (or any other distro) is not ready for application to the masses as a suitable home/office desktop candidate as long as there are other OS's which are much more friendly. Unlike Windows in it's early days, Linux must prove itself an adequate replacement to what already exists, if it is to have a life on the mainstream desktop. Linux is more than robust enough . . . but driver and app support leave it lacking. Printing is a pain, 3D video is a hit-n-miss proposition, and networking is nothing short of voodoo for a newbie like me. One brief enounter with SaX2 is enough to fry one's ability to reboot into a graphical interface or use a mouse. I'm on my second go with Linux, having found RedHat too much to handle a few years back. SuSE 7.3 is far more attractive and I am determined to learn and make it work for me, sharing your distaste for Billy G's empire. I've come to accept that it will simply not be an easy experience. Yet I am fascinated sufficiently with the depth, power, and solidity of this OS to go a bit further, as are obviously you. Then again, I also like other forms of self-abuse. May God help us all. Mike R Fresno, CA