Quoting Eli Billauer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
> Keep in mind: If Linux, or to be more precise, the main distros of
> Linux, will be aimed for "everyone", they will also be adapted to that
> level. Which means that we'll all find a paperclip helper in Openoffice
> very soon.
Bzzzzt... Faulty thinking here.
One of the faulty thoughts that bog Linux Desktop is the belief that Windows is
the right way to cater for the common people, and therefore, if we cater to
those people, we have to do it the Windows way.
Thus, both Gnome and KDE look surprisingly like Windows, and OpenOffice looks
not-so-surprisingly like MS-Office.
Well, it ain't necessarily so. Have you heard of an operating system called
"MacOS X"? Surprisingly, it's very simple to use for lay users - it has a "cool"
attractive GUI, simple utilities every grandmother can understand, and no
annoying paperclip icons.
But it also has a Unixish core, which basically means that almost every
application you know in the Linux world has been or can be adapted to MacOS X.
You can access the command line and do everything you need.
So, basically, all the power is in, but the hassle has been spared from the lay
people.
I'm not trying to do an Apple commercial here - the point is that this is the
example we need to learn from. Maybe adopt the old Apple slogan ("Think
Different", and I also support the new one - "Switch").
MacOS X is a proof that you can make an OS which is easy on the user and
powerful enough for the power user. If you manage to combine that with the
obvious Linux benefits (everything is transparent, no "secret holes" kept from
the users, etc.), then you hit the target.
The bottom line is that when we state a goal of "Conquering the Desktop", it's
not synonymous with "Being Like Windows". I want the former, I would like to get
away from the latter.
Herouth
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