From: Christian Convey[...]
By "easier" I mean, for instance:
- All digital photo apps are able to see a camera.
Wait a minute. This is a new demand. Here you can see how Debian differs from the mentioned "non-geek" distros, and I'll try to explain that there is no arrogance in this distinction.
If all digital photo apps should see your camera, they should all use the same programming interface. At least, they have to be aware of the camera and communicate with it the same way. This may work if there is the one and only driver in the one and only kernel. Often, there are many possibilities how to deal with things. It's the same with user interface guidelines, shortcuts (is it Alt+X or Strg+X?) etc. etc.
In Windows, almost all programmers use the same programming interface, the one provided by Microsoft. In Linux, you have unnumbered possiblities. You can stick to the GNOME or KDE guidelines, you can follow something else, and nobody prevents you from programming with a 10 years old library such as the Athena Widgets (look at a real "ghostview" or xfig). It's the liberty of every programmer to program how he wants to.
In a "non-geek distro", you have a *selection* of programs, or at least a suggestion which most people follow. There are only programs with a similar look'n'feel and a similar way to get things done, providing the user a coherent and logical interface, although probably most programs are developed by different groups of programmers.
In Debian, you have almost everything. If anyone makes a nice package which complies with the guidelines and it doesn't hurt other packages, it's included. Therefore, you can choose from a huge amount of packages, and you can use lots of packages which are quite useful each, but with a completely different look'n'feel. Debian honors the programmer's liberty by including everything which is formally correct. Your liberty is also honored: It's your decision which program you use. If it doesn't exist in the distribution, you can even "debianize" foreign packages. Having such a variety, any kind of "magic" is able to create a big mess to programs which aren't aware of their existance. Or the magic has to be really, really good, but that takes lots of time. It's completely understandable that someone who wants to have *something* and who doesn't want to browse through all his possibilities would prefer a "non-geek distro", maybe even debian-based. In this way of view, the lack of "ease-to-use" is really inherent in the Debian system, sometimes.
Having a choice always takes time. But its existance is essential. Of course, using "good magic" is desirable, and I agree completely with the speaker before me: It's this having some comforts by preserving the whole range of choices, associated with the system of collaboration of thousands of people connected only by the Internet, which I find the most exciting of using Debian.
Have a nice day, merry Christmas, Viktor.
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