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Designing Linux for the Masses
Kelly McNeill sent in a pointer to this article by Todd Burgess. Here's a quote from it: "The concept of Linux for the Masses is an honorable goal but one that must not be taken too lightly. The purpose of this article is to point out several of the current limitations in Linux and what should be done to create a usable system." You might want to hit the links at the bottom of the article and check out some of Todd's earlier writing on the subject of Linux usability. You may not agree with him, but his opinions are always backed by sound thinking and are well worth reading.
I'm glad that articles like this are being written; the issue of usability is one that Linux geeks have ignored for too long and are still mostly ignorant about.
An operating system is good if it helps you get a job done with as few problems as possible. Stability and efficiency count, and Linux shines at this. However, usability is just as important, that's why KDE and GNOME have been created, and they both still have a long way to go. There's little point in stability and efficiency if the user can't get to it because they're first required to learn 100 different arcane interfaces and commands.
The author is right with his assertion that interface design shouldn't be left to the programmers of applications, as they tend to design from the inside looking out as opposed to the user's point of view, from the outside looking in. Not only that, but interfaces need to be tested, and this is done by exposure to users unfamiliar with the program. If the users have trouble understanding the interface and can't use the program properly, 99% of the time it's the fault of the interface, not the users.
There's a horrible attitude that's quite pervasive in the threads above and it's one of pointless elitism: that Linux should be for geeks only, if you make it easier to use then you get more and stupider users and you lose configurability and the ability to do the complex things you can do now. And it's all utter crap:
a) If you really want to use an OS that hardly anyone else is using, there are loads out there: Plan 9, RiscOS, OS/2 etc. They all have lots of good points. Just don't expect much of an application or support base and don't expect much progress. If you want to be part of a minority, you pay the price.
b) Everyone reading this had to learn Linux at some point. Would you rather spend more or less time learning how to do something? (Personally, I'd rather spend less time learning and more time doing)
c) Unix has already progressed in terms of usability from when it started; there are applications in common use that greatly simplify necessary Unix tasks, and they purely exist because of usability needs. If you don't think usability is a major issue, try replacing your favourite text editor with ed or pico. It's just as powerful, but it's a hell of a lot less usable. The fact is that most of the "we don't need usability" idiots depend far more on usability improvements than they think.
d) Decent computing power should be available to everyone. We believe that Linux has that power. If it's held back by bad usability, there's no point railing against Microsoft, because we're not providing a usable alternative. (And do you want the less tech-able of your family using Microsoft forever? I bet you get pretty sick of the support calls...)
I disagree with the author's assertion that all feedback from programmers should be rejected; programmers are users too, and you're not going to get feedback on a C++ IDE's usability from your average secretary. All feedback should be counted and considered.
However, the author makes a very good point about hardware - why the hell does the average need to know what hardware is in the machine? Why do I need to mount drives manually or know which graphics card I have? This is all stuff that the computer should be detecting and taking care of for me. It just gets in the way.
Usability is vital if Linux is to prosper. Fortunately, there are more and more projects happening that will contribute to Linux's usability and friendliness. Let's all assist where we can and ditch the childish elitism.