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Linux's Difficulty with Names
JohnTyler writes "This article at XYZ Computing takes a look at Linux's strange naming practices. When compared to their Window's equivalents, the names of many Linux programs are difficult to recognize and even tougher to remember. This may seem like splitting hairs, but it is actually an important usability issue. Just think, if you had to do a bit of graphic design which would be easier to pick out of the menu, GIMP or Photoshop? Or if you wanted to play a song, Media Player or xine?" The article is a bit thin, but it raises an excellent point.
Well, one single thing you're missing... Unix is not meant for you to understand right away. Its not designed for winblows user to come over and feel right at home. And no, we wont change. So please do a world a favor, and open up a book... Quit complaining. i actually prefer to keep the idiots in a cage. keep windows away from us.
I know you meant that number facetiously, but a quick search of my main XP box at work shows 1472 ".exe" files and another roughly 2000 somewhat-executable files (assorted scripts, dlls, and other extensions generally considered unsafe to allow your email program to open). Of those, oddly enough, over half begin with "w" or "m"
And if I do a search of my linux box for files with +x, I find a whole load, many with the same name which do different things (grep versions...) and many that only work if i launch them from a set directory. Also many components of applications and scripts that if I just run em, will break stuff.
Now. lets take a look at the install mechanisms. You usually install windows programs from a CD, which autoruns if you are a beginner, or download them from a website. Both make pretty icons with sensible names. For windows components, you download them from the MS website, which has in-depth descriptions.
Now. Lets download Linux components (I tried: kubuntu). Load up adept. Find a load of packages called k*, x*, lib* *-dev *-shlib *-doc. They have very short, un helpful descriptions. Most of these are of the form "KExampleProg - ExampleProgram for KDE" (look at the games ones - they are mostly 'game for system' and the like. These are useless. You can't search for useful packages and THERE ARE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS of them. Windows does not have this problem.
Linux is written by computer programmers, not computer end users, and it still suffers for it.
Yeah, it sucks using Windows or Linux.
... and then they built the supercollider.