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Novell's Releases Linux Usability Testing Videos
sp3298622 writes "Novell is releasing primary desktop research, including over 200 videos and analysis of usability tests, at betterdesktop.openSUSE.org. Vice president of collaboration and desktop engineering for Novell, Nat Friedman: As a programmer, it's sometimes difficult to know how ordinary people with no technical experience are reacting to your software. Linux people tend to know other Linux people. In these usability tests, we selected test subjects who were experienced with Windows, but who had never heard of Linux, and asked them to perform basic tasks using the Linux desktop."
and asked them to perform basic tasks using the Linux desktop
I consider running Ad-Aware a basic task for my Windows machines. Remember that a basic task can be different depending on the OS you're using.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
I did the following to install Firefox:
I've installed stuff on Windows. It's regularly harder than that. Are you trolling on purpose or is it just ignorance?
Any sufficiently advanced libertarian utopia is indistinguishable from government.
Might this only result in the Linux desktop becoming more like Windows?
It might, if the Linux desktop hadn't already been imitating Windows for the past ten years.
Yes yes...we all know this is a troll and trying to be funny. But the flaw in your troll came around the time when you wanted to compile the Quake source...since in your troll you eluded to the fact that you "bought" Windows to install (which by the way is much more than just a hundred bucks if you're buying it from scratch and not the upgrade path) why wouldn't you have "bought" Quake as well, since you could probably buy it for like 10 bucks. PLUS it would come with the original WADs of the game that isn't included in the source.
Ok, back to the compiling of the source for Quake. Why? Why do that when you could download compiled versions of this game...hell you can even download compiled versions for Linux too. Tsk tsk...you were doing so well too.
Come on...let's construct a bulletproof troll next time! Slashdot is too sophisticated now to let sloppy work like this slide.
"Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
Give me a break, I know this is a joke! I like Linux as much as the next guy, and I use it on a daily basis, as well as Windows. Please.... I think that there are 2 primary groups that can identify with this situation, and it really wouldn't be a situation if Linux hadn't paved the way for it...
You have the Linux dependancy, binary, complier nightmares
or
The days of little hardware support in Windows 95/98/NT.
Now, both have come a long way, and there are merits to both OSs, however, the situation of which is being refered to is almost an exclusive problem with Linux.
I have never been required to re-compile all of my system binaries, patch the kernel and update all my dependancies in Windows in order to play a game, however, in Linux, this is standard practice.
The number of steps involved in a driver or application installation process doesn't necessarily matter if those steps make more sense to a wider audience. Let's see, which is easier to understand to a complete newbie?
... Google the application name (assuming that you don't know the URL), download the application, then double-click to follow the simple installation process.
... Type some cryptic combination of letters and symbols that represent things that most consumer-level computer users couldn't possibly understand.
And, you know, the least I can say for Windows is that it works quite well, and - other than the operating system itself - you don't necessarily need any commercial software to make it fully usable. I could really care less that most Linux distros are "complete" immediately upon installing them. You know, maybe I don't like Konquerer or Mozilla. For every complaint that IE isn't a complete Web browser, you'll likely get several complaints that Konqueror is excessively bloated.
In fact, KDE itself is so bloated that it comes off as clunky to most inexperienced Linux users who would rather not have to tweak their operating system just to get it running smoothly. Although Windows isn't "complete" immediately after installing it, I can at least take comfort in the fact that the user interface itself works quite well.