At 10:32 PM 3/11/99 -0700, Ray wrote: >On Fri, Mar 12, 1999 at 08:51:05AM +0800, ivan wrote: >> >> In a computer context most people want to turn the thing on, plug in a CD >> and voila - there's an operating system - configured and operating. > >These kinds of people really want the system pre-installed and certainly >shouldn't be doing upgrades etc. These folks should probably be leasing >their computer (preferably something along the lines of an Imac.).
No argument - but the only way that any Linux distro is going to be offered as an alternative pre-installed O/S is if the installation procedure becomes as simple as Windows. Sure, there is some fine tuning required with Windows installation but the bulk of the work is done for you which makes it quick and easy for the shop technician. At the least (using Hamm) Debian requires an immediate kernel compilation just to get sound (which requires isapnp which requires a knowledge of interrupts etc...), X requires that you know the video card details and smail after 12 months I still haven't got working correctly (probably laziness on my part but still ...). > >> Regardless of the endless denigration of the quality of Windows and MS >> behomoth, no-one can deny that this above all else has made the computer >> usable for far more people than would otherwise be the case. > >Long before Windows, secretaries everywhere were using Lotus 123, Wordstar, >Word Perfect etc. They wern't geeks, just regular people. Geos and the Mac >were both easier than Windows 3.X so I don't think we would be any worse off >today if MS hadn't taken over the market. >what > >> >> Referring to the numerous discussions on popularising Linux in general and >> Debian in particular I think we should give a lot more respect to the >> "point & click mouse jockeys". They outnumber the geeks & nerds of this >> world at a guess by 10 to 1. > >These "point & click jockeys" are the folks that make it more profitable to >sell crap than quality products. I trust we're referring to Windows itself rather than the aftermarket products which I have found are mostly very good. I agree Windows is unstable and _will_ crash but I have never had a Windows crash in less than 3 days uptime. Joe Average will turn his computer off each night which eliminates most of this problem. Sure there are some aftermarket products that are poorly written and cause crashes more frequently but you'd hardly need to be Einstein to work out that everything's fine if you don't use that one application. I've had complete system lockups under Linux as well - gauging from this list I'd say that everyone does experience this from time to time (at least if they ever install any new software at all). Before anybody gets me too wrong - I am _not_ a Windows apologist. But I do think that the programmers within the Linux community could do a lot more to make it easier for mouse jockeys to change allegiance. > >> We all, I feel, need to bear in mind that Joe Average really does want to >> sit down, turn on and work right from day 1. <Ivan dons asbestos suit> >> Windows in every experience I've had from 3.0 or earlier offers this. > > >Problem is that some of us like our systems to keep working after day 1. I don't think that's a problem - that's why I use Linux for important projects :) > > >-- >Unsubscribe? mail -s unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] < /dev/null > > >
