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Can Ordinary PC Users Ditch Windows for Linux?
Carl Bialik from WSJ writes "Mark Golden, a reporter for Dow Jones Newswires, tried to switch from Windows to Linux, and found it too complex for his liking. He writes: 'For me, though, using the Linux systems didn't make sense. I often send documents and spreadsheets between my home PC and the one at work, which uses Microsoft Office. And the files are sometimes complex. Meanwhile, for both personal and professional computer use, I want access to all multimedia functions. While solutions may exist to almost every problem I encountered, I was willing to invest only a limited amount of time as a system administrator. Claims by some Linux publishers that anybody can easily switch to Linux from Windows seem totally oversold.'"
Oh well, maybe in "another five years..."
But we're getting there.
I could see how it'd be difficult for him to invest the time it takes to set up, since I'd bet the clock on his VCR has been blinking "12:00" for 20 years.
Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
Finally she asked us, "Do I need Linux?" and both of us realized that neither of us wanted to be Linux admins for her so we said no.
She wasn't that ugly, was she?
Ease of use is one thing...(sorry, gotta reboot)...I wonder if he...(again a reboot)...
would consider another (damn windows; rebooting) factor: (reboot) stability.
Let me answer your problems for you.
1: Linux is not Windows.
2: Linux is not Windows.
3: Linux is not Windows.
4: Linux is not Windows.
You see, this is all symptomatic of a larger problem - you want Windows on your box, but you haven't installed Windows, you've installed Linux. And Linux is not Windows, so after you installed Linux, you didn't have Windows.
This is leading to all your problems. For example, setting permissions doesn't work like it does in windows. this is because Linux works like Linux, not Windows, which is understandable when you consider that Linux is not Windows. Also, you wonder why you have to use the console when Windows users don't. This is because Windows doesn't really have a console. Linux does, because it's Linux, and so is not Windows.
Now, there are various reasons why this Windows/Linux confusion might happen. For example, you might have got the CDs confused. This is less likely these days thanks to the proliferation of Sharpie markers.
More likely is that you wanted a Windows that is not broken. I know that feeling! But, alas, Linux can't help you there. Linux can get you a Linux that isn't broken, but it's still Linux, which is not Windows.
~~~~~ BigLig2? You mean there's another one of me?
It's time for another installment of: can you guess the year?
We give you 3 newspaper headlines and you try to guess the year. Ready?
1) Renewed tensions in the middle east spark violence
2) Republican accused of ethics violations
3) Gas prices could rise says analyst
4) Linux still to complicated for the avg user.
Can you guess the year?
A PC for people without any training or experience whatsoever should have:
* Voice recognition, so the user can yell at and curse the machine with comfort
* AI intelligent enough to handle stupid questions and demands
* The always handy CD-drive so the user can use it as a coffe-mug support...
* one-button mouse for those compulsive M$-geared next-clickers...
* VR 3D-glasses rather than a monitor, so that users can imerse themselves into a 3D desktop and search for files and other resources scattered all over in dark, messy 3D labyrinths filled with daemons, trojans and other plagues... good thing you have your handy BFG with you...
I don't feel like it...
I completely agree. The amusing thing is that the reaction, by some clueless geeks, to your comment will be to create a new distribution! This new distribution will be the one EVERYONE uses and it will be SWEET!!!!
Yeah, I counted. Get's old pretty fast.