Posted by
michael
on from the includes-two-of-every-application dept.
An anonymous reader notes that OFB has a short blurb about a new Linux distribution, Ark Linux, based on Red Hat and chasing the ever-elusive goal of being "easy to use for the masses".
Re:Linux, BSD, and everything need one thing....
by
bahwi
·
· Score: 3, Redundant
I missed some points in my last message. Sorry.
The entire idea of linux for the masses is linux for everyone. The only way to do this is to take out the difficultires of it. I think if a linux box has a web browser, a media player, a GUI, an e-mail client, and some games, it's reached the usefulness of most people. Not the die-hard gamers, not by a long shot, but by many people. What we consider useful is something that is considered pointless by many. That is why I think it should be so easy to install and use that people who want terminals won't mess with it. It should hide everything about it that is linux, and just be a functional, enjoyable, stable, useful computer. With all the free software we have available, with binary packages that are easy to install, if the OS was easy to install and get up and running, I think it could be a contender for world domination. Damned if I wouldn't be handing out the CDs at the mall, or leaving some for grabs at the local coffee shop.
But the gap is what I want. We may call ourselves 'users' but most of us and what we do are development. For those who aren't, many do not need the command line at all. Windows was doing a good thing hiding it, the problem is they wanted to eliminate it when some of us needed it. It should be a download and a few mouse clicks away to install rxvt, but it doesn't need to be base install for those who don't need it.
And you are right. Although I wouldn't say "Windows-Haters." We want the Windows-Lovers and the Windows-Neutral people also. Linux Lovers probably shouldn't use it, but support would be good if they got Linux running on more and more machines. Especially if it means games would come out for the Linux platform. Lord knows I'd be happy with a Linux Morrowind. =)
The whole idea of choices leave linux-lovers choosing debian, or brewing their own, but this would make Linux more mainstream and on the desktop, but the way free software works assures us that it would not be the only choice. So linux lovers should support it, they can always have what they want. But most people just want a web-browser with flash, an e-mail client, a word processor, and solitaire. Not something that takes a book to install, several hours to configure, and a day or two to go to cnn.com from trying to understand everything. It would take many of us less than an hour to get to that point, but someone who thinks a computer should just handle most of that stuff itself(which, look all around us, it _should_), will get upset and switch.
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I missed some points in my last message. Sorry.
The entire idea of linux for the masses is linux for everyone. The only way to do this is to take out the difficultires of it. I think if a linux box has a web browser, a media player, a GUI, an e-mail client, and some games, it's reached the usefulness of most people. Not the die-hard gamers, not by a long shot, but by many people. What we consider useful is something that is considered pointless by many. That is why I think it should be so easy to install and use that people who want terminals won't mess with it. It should hide everything about it that is linux, and just be a functional, enjoyable, stable, useful computer. With all the free software we have available, with binary packages that are easy to install, if the OS was easy to install and get up and running, I think it could be a contender for world domination. Damned if I wouldn't be handing out the CDs at the mall, or leaving some for grabs at the local coffee shop.
But the gap is what I want. We may call ourselves 'users' but most of us and what we do are development. For those who aren't, many do not need the command line at all. Windows was doing a good thing hiding it, the problem is they wanted to eliminate it when some of us needed it. It should be a download and a few mouse clicks away to install rxvt, but it doesn't need to be base install for those who don't need it.
And you are right. Although I wouldn't say "Windows-Haters." We want the Windows-Lovers and the Windows-Neutral people also. Linux Lovers probably shouldn't use it, but support would be good if they got Linux running on more and more machines. Especially if it means games would come out for the Linux platform. Lord knows I'd be happy with a Linux Morrowind. =)
The whole idea of choices leave linux-lovers choosing debian, or brewing their own, but this would make Linux more mainstream and on the desktop, but the way free software works assures us that it would not be the only choice. So linux lovers should support it, they can always have what they want. But most people just want a web-browser with flash, an e-mail client, a word processor, and solitaire. Not something that takes a book to install, several hours to configure, and a day or two to go to cnn.com from trying to understand everything. It would take many of us less than an hour to get to that point, but someone who thinks a computer should just handle most of that stuff itself(which, look all around us, it _should_), will get upset and switch.