Just few facts.
> Tzafrir Cohen wrote:
> ... If they managed to work with CDE on IRIX,
IRIX always used their own desktop and window-manager (4Dwm)
and not the crappy CDE (However, it is completely true that
converting a technically skilled user population in a Unix
oriented company to Linux doesn't compare with converting
any john-what-is-a-keyboard style of users).
> Amir Tal was astonished about DreamWorks converting to Linux.
This is hardly news. Not only DreamWorks and other players in
the field has been clustering Linux for several years (the
first widely published example was the Titanic). They transitioned
to Linux on the desktops more than a year ago:
- One of their chief technical people gave a keynote speach
about how they produced Shrek (I happend to attend the Oreilly's
Open-Source convention in July 2001).
- Linux Journal has published a front cover story about it
in August 2001, and some other stories throughout 2001
about the conversion of the *whole* film industry to Linux.
> Excited Amir Tal was quick to deduce the impact on home users:
> so, linux IS ready also for the desktop ??
As pointed by other people, the only similarity between a typical
DreamWorks artist and a typical home user is that the screen
of their desktop machine is situated on top of their desk :-)
Just not to conclude this response in depressing tone, I want
to stress that technicaly I have no doubt that Linux already
can be used as a much better desktop system than windows.
(I know non-technical people that use it on a daily basis).
However, the obstacles to major adoption of Linux in this
role are not technical:
- Preinstallation by OEM's, so end users won't have to install
it. Installation of Linux is already very easy, but this
is not the point. Most people who complain about Linux
installation complexity never installed Windows...
(yes, I know major OEM's started to offer it since 1999,
but I mean on a bigger scale -- so it will be on the shelves
of Office-Depot and their kind. This will take time).
- Availability of many "semi-sys-admins". Average john-what
never really administered his Windows box despite it's
published "friendlyness". He always calls his neighbour
who works "with computers" or his son "which is a real
genious" to fix his problems. These "wizards" serves as
a "help-desk" for the home users.
Again it'll take time until enough people of this sort
(basic knowledge of the OS, can ask the right question in
a mailing-list, etc) will be available (BTW: the Linux users
groups all over the world and in Israel as well are doing
magnificent work in that respect).
Sorry about the somewhat long and OT reply (maybe it should be
destined to "whatsup" :-)
Bye
----------------------------------------------------------------
Oron Peled Voice/Fax: +972-4-8228492
[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.actcom.co.il/~oron
"... one of the main causes of the fall of the Roman Empire was that,
lacking zero, they had no way to indicate successful termination of
their C programs."
-- Robert Firth
=================================================================
To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with
the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command
echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
