Do "end users" know the difference between MIcrosoft Windows GUI and the MAC OS GUI or even any GUI
for Unix/Linux and all clones of the type? Yes they do know the difference, but the difference they see is
very little all they know if goin gfrom a windows machine to a mac is that the mouse has only one button.
That difference is very small and because of the adapability of the human mind to changes in the
enviroment (i.e. the computer you are using) the end user learns how to use the 1 button mouse very
quickly. The same applies to going from a windows box to a linux box. They see the GUI looks differenet, but
it still has the basic things the "average end user" needs. Netscape for internet browsing, a terminal window
for non-gui things, Staroffice or any other "office Suite" that can read or write to the most popular office
application in use, and games. NOw we all know that some games just won't work on linux very easily, but
some people have mangaed to "port" them to the linux operating system and even to teh mac os. But still
there are your basic games like nibbles and solitarie for the users to use. The point I am trying to make is
the end user does not care what operating system they are using or what hardware platform they are using.
I am a 17 year old network admin. at a community computer center in Vermont and we have very little
money and did not want to spend it all on Microsoft product and would rather have spent it on computers
capable of allowing users to do what they need to do in a computer lab. To do this we got 10 computers
each with a 2 gig hd and 64 megs of ram with a pentium 233 cpu running redhat 6.2 and staroffice donated
to us from people around the community and from local computer stores. THe people who use these
computers don't even know what GUI they are using all they know is it is a pain to mount a floppy disk
sometimes or they can't play unreal tourny. on them. But for the most part they are content with it and they
can do their homework, and check e-mail, and waste time with basic games. The only problem with linux
that i see is its only free if your time is free. For the computer lab i do all this for i am doing this for free and i
have another job at a local computer store and my boss just doesn't see why i do anything for free. I do it
for free b/c i like the fact we have a cable modem down there and a great bunch of people who come down
there to play chess with or watch a movie with or to goto parties with. To say the least the end user just
wants to be able to use a computer and do his/her homeowrk for school and play a game and check
e-mail, they will learn how to use any platform to be able to do this and linux has made it very economical
(sorry bout the spellin) solution. Big-Moose chevy2001@hotmail.com
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Do "end users" know the difference between MIcrosoft Windows GUI and the MAC OS GUI or even any GUI for Unix/Linux and all clones of the type? Yes they do know the difference, but the difference they see is very little all they know if goin gfrom a windows machine to a mac is that the mouse has only one button. That difference is very small and because of the adapability of the human mind to changes in the enviroment (i.e. the computer you are using) the end user learns how to use the 1 button mouse very quickly. The same applies to going from a windows box to a linux box. They see the GUI looks differenet, but it still has the basic things the "average end user" needs. Netscape for internet browsing, a terminal window for non-gui things, Staroffice or any other "office Suite" that can read or write to the most popular office application in use, and games. NOw we all know that some games just won't work on linux very easily, but some people have mangaed to "port" them to the linux operating system and even to teh mac os. But still there are your basic games like nibbles and solitarie for the users to use. The point I am trying to make is the end user does not care what operating system they are using or what hardware platform they are using. I am a 17 year old network admin. at a community computer center in Vermont and we have very little money and did not want to spend it all on Microsoft product and would rather have spent it on computers capable of allowing users to do what they need to do in a computer lab. To do this we got 10 computers each with a 2 gig hd and 64 megs of ram with a pentium 233 cpu running redhat 6.2 and staroffice donated to us from people around the community and from local computer stores. THe people who use these computers don't even know what GUI they are using all they know is it is a pain to mount a floppy disk sometimes or they can't play unreal tourny. on them. But for the most part they are content with it and they can do their homework, and check e-mail, and waste time with basic games. The only problem with linux that i see is its only free if your time is free. For the computer lab i do all this for i am doing this for free and i have another job at a local computer store and my boss just doesn't see why i do anything for free. I do it for free b/c i like the fact we have a cable modem down there and a great bunch of people who come down there to play chess with or watch a movie with or to goto parties with. To say the least the end user just wants to be able to use a computer and do his/her homeowrk for school and play a game and check e-mail, they will learn how to use any platform to be able to do this and linux has made it very economical (sorry bout the spellin) solution. Big-Moose chevy2001@hotmail.com