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Open-Source Software and "The Luxury of Ignorance"
Bootsy Collins writes "Using the recent experience of trying to configure
CUPS
on his home network, Eric Raymond has
written an interesting new screed on poor design of user interfaces in general, and configuration interfaces in particular, in open source software, entitled
The Luxury of Ignorance.
A sample quote: 'This kind of fecklessness is endemic in open-source land. And it's what's keeping Microsoft in business -- because by Goddess, they may write crappy insecure overpriced shoddy software, but on this one issue their half-assed semi-competent best is an order of magnitude better than we usually manage.'"
Wow. If he can't configure CUPS using gui-based programs, then he definately needs to do something else with his time (like jump off cliffs). I know several major distros have pre-installed control panels that help you configure your printers. Most even have wizards to do it for you. Then there's always the CUPS webserver to do it (http://localhost:631). Or the X Printing Panel (xpp). Or the Printer Utility Program (pup). Or...
If you are going to karma whore, at least try to get your acronym definitions right.
Maybe ESR could just whip out some of those guns he's got, further arm hiself with his rampent Xenophobia, and kill-em all with a hearty dose of intolerance.
Sorry... been reading his blog. I am truly frightened, and rest assured that moving away from Chester County, PA was the right thing to do.
I just gave you several examples of people/businesses chosing cheap vs. quality. I guess I shouldn't bother debating with a moron.
1f u c4n r34d th1s u r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d
Why the hell aren't we? Linux will never take back the desktop, nor will open-source, as long as this continues - in my opinion, all major open-source projects should freeze - right at this instant - all code dealing with function, and start focusing on form. Yes, form follows function, but only if you actually bother on form!
Joe Sixpack never shared his toys with us in grade school (sports balls, frogs), high school (cheerleaders), and college (coeds, frats). What makes you so insistant on saying we should share our toys - and go through so much effort to make them useable by him? He certainly didn't try to give us tact, fashion sense, muscles, or coordination so as to allow us to play with his toys in the past.
Furthermore, if everyone is using Linux, then there'll be less need for administrators. You don't want that.
They're plebeian. I know that's kind of a harsh thing to say, but it's true. Did Goddard make sure that his family all knew how liquid fuel rockets worked? No, of course not. It would be useless knowledge.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
Start Digikam, select your Canon model, download pictures. No kernel recompilation there. Why are you messing with the command line? Welcome to the GUI!
Sorry, no experience with webcams so I can't say.
Under SuSE, launch the fetchnvidia script and WOW, it installs the kernel module itself and even alters your XF86Config file! No recompile involved here either.
Your complaints are pure troll. You complain about having to recompile the kernel 4 times but you're using Gentoo. What do you think you're doing? If you don't want to recompile your kernel every time use a binary distro like SuSE or Mandrake.
OSX Apple Human Interface Guidelines
ignorance is when you have well designed guidelines on how to do it, guidelines that have worked very well over the last 20 years, and you decide to ignore them and instead re-invent the wheel. you may or may not like Apple, but these guys are the leading experts on usability & computers, period.If it's such a shitty product, why doesn't it give everyone issues? Why did Microsoft release it, if it can't even play videos properly? Why does it work perfectly for the vast majority of people? By your logic, if two Ford Explorers have faulty seatbelts and loose ashtrays, they all do.