Here's a thought. Seems like no one has noticed that other than Lindows, and perhaps Mandrake, none of the major linux vendors are interested in Joe Home User. They are all concentrating their efforts on the Corporate user. You know, the guy who has a professional SysAdmin to setup and maintain his box. In this setting, linux makes a compelling solution. It's solid, stable, and has zero liscening costs. OpenOffice/StarOffice work great, Kde3/Gnome2 are both nice desktops. Evolution is killer for email (can even be made to work perfectly with an exchange server, well, at least as well as Outlook, and without all the virus problems).
So I think it's kind of silly to keep talking about how Joe Home User is having all these problems using a product that is not meant for him. About the same as complaining that a Nascar is too hard to maintain for the average driver.
1. No 'best' browser. Gosh, how about the nice thing we call choice?
2. Prompting for a filesystem scan. Damn, if only this was adjustable, oh yeah...
3. Printing needs to be easier to configure. It can't get much easier that printconf (for Red Hat users).
4. Make it easy for the user to find out how to do things. Yeah, reading a book or taking a class (or searching online) is so hard. When will people realize that a computer it a techinical thing? You have to be willing to do a little homework, even with a mac (if you've never used one).
5. Cleaner redraws. Ok, sure.
6. Die stray processes, die! Ever tried ctrl-alt-escape in KDE?
7. Easy way of sharing files. You like in windows, where I find places like Doctors offices "sharing" all their patient records on the internet? Check out programs like share sniffer if you want to find them too.
8. Sound support. Ok, if you want professional audio production cards, you got me, but for most other sound cards there just isn't a problem.
9. No common editor which supports "soft wrapping." Well... pico does this (ctrl-j)
10. No easy way to configure X - especially change resolution on the fly. Actually, it couldn't be easier to change resolutions on the fly. Hold ctrl and alt, then hit - or + on the numberic key pad. This cycles you through all your selected resolutions, on the fly. Just make sure you selected all the ones you want when you setup x (Red Hat users use Xconfigurator to select resolutions).
Mr Joe Average is someone who wants to install their OS, boot it up, and it works. He wants to be able to upgrade his PC , and have the hardware work in a few short minutes. He wants to read email, browse the web, talk to his mates online, and play some games.
Um, no. Mr. Joe User is crackhead who thinks that he should be able to turn on a computer and magically understand every aspect of it's operation. Mr. J wants to call tech support and have them tell him how to use his computer because he paid all that $499.00 for it, and they owe him some help. Mr. Joe User doesn't want to take any training or read any books or manuals. Mr. Joe User takes his car to Jiffy-Lube to get the oil chainged, but thinks he can install ram himself? No, no, not Mr. Joe User.
Mr. Joe User is the guy at our office (we run linux desktops) who doesn't get to have the root password on his box. Mr. Joe User is a user, he gets to come into work. Type in his user name, type in his password (he can do this because he keeps it on a sticky on his monitor) and lauch an office suite. In support, we don't hear from Mr. Joe User much any more, since we switched to linux, he desktop is stable, and he doesn't have the power to mess it up.
Is linux ok for Mr. Joe User? Sure, my grandma uses the system I setup for her to browse the web and send email, all on linux. Does she have the root password? Does she even know what a root password is? No, to both.
Mr. Joe User is a fool is he thinks he can be a system administrator without any training, reading, or studying, regardless of the os. My father uses Windows, and he called be all the time because he fouled something up, grandma rarely calls about the computer. She knows how to use her car and she knows how to use her linux computer. Would she try to change her spark plugs or oil? Nope. Would she try to recompile her kernel? Nope.
If he wanted a killer unix on the desktop, he should have bought a new Mac instead of that MS crap. Right and left, people are switching to macs from Windows, linux, and ??... Or so Apple would have us believe.
The only reason I would ever used Sat based radio would be that I am prone to taking long drives. So long, that I drive out of range of the radio stations to which I listen.
Why would you pay for radio that has commercials? Burn your own cd's or get an on board mp3 player.
Radio is cool because it is local. Local news, local bands (if you are lucky!), certainly local promotions. You'll never hear "Drive to Sandy's Salt Shack right now and the first 40 people get free concert tickets!" on sat radio.
In short, sat radio is cool for long haul truckers, but when I want better selection that radio, I make my own programing, and you should too!
As you glide in, guns blazing, your last thought, as your body is charred by dragon flame, is that you should have remebered that dragons (at least good ones) have thick armoured scales.
I wonder if there is something useful I can do with metal lump that is left from the frame of your melted hang-glider. Perhaps I can setup an old AIX server to hand out some simple web pages...
Slashdot Mirror
3. Cups - redhat uses lprng (atleast it did last time I used it) cups is much easier to configure
Red Hat Linux 7.3 now includes both Cups and LprNG. I agree with you, for many reasons, cups is better.
Here's a thought. Seems like no one has noticed that other than Lindows, and perhaps Mandrake, none of the major linux vendors are interested in Joe Home User. They are all concentrating their efforts on the Corporate user. You know, the guy who has a professional SysAdmin to setup and maintain his box. In this setting, linux makes a compelling solution. It's solid, stable, and has zero liscening costs. OpenOffice/StarOffice work great, Kde3/Gnome2 are both nice desktops. Evolution is killer for email (can even be made to work perfectly with an exchange server, well, at least as well as Outlook, and without all the virus problems).
So I think it's kind of silly to keep talking about how Joe Home User is having all these problems using a product that is not meant for him. About the same as complaining that a Nascar is too hard to maintain for the average driver.
Just something I've noticed...
1. No 'best' browser.
Gosh, how about the nice thing we call choice?
2. Prompting for a filesystem scan.
Damn, if only this was adjustable, oh yeah...
3. Printing needs to be easier to configure.
It can't get much easier that printconf (for Red Hat users).
4. Make it easy for the user to find out how to do things.
Yeah, reading a book or taking a class (or searching online) is so hard. When will people realize that a computer it a techinical thing? You have to be willing to do a little homework, even with a mac (if you've never used one).
5. Cleaner redraws.
Ok, sure.
6. Die stray processes, die!
Ever tried ctrl-alt-escape in KDE?
7. Easy way of sharing files.
You like in windows, where I find places like Doctors offices "sharing" all their patient records on the internet? Check out programs like share sniffer if you want to find them too.
8. Sound support.
Ok, if you want professional audio production cards, you got me, but for most other sound cards there just isn't a problem.
9. No common editor which supports "soft wrapping."
Well... pico does this (ctrl-j)
10. No easy way to configure X - especially change resolution on the fly.
Actually, it couldn't be easier to change resolutions on the fly. Hold ctrl and alt, then hit - or + on the numberic key pad. This cycles you through all your selected resolutions, on the fly. Just make sure you selected all the ones you want when you setup x (Red Hat users use Xconfigurator to select resolutions).
...what do all those angry spacemen have to do with any of this?
Mr Joe Average is someone who wants to install their OS, boot it up, and it works. He wants to be able to upgrade his PC , and have the hardware work in a few short minutes. He wants to read email, browse the web, talk to his mates online, and play some games.
Um, no. Mr. Joe User is crackhead who thinks that he should be able to turn on a computer and magically understand every aspect of it's operation. Mr. J wants to call tech support and have them tell him how to use his computer because he paid all that $499.00 for it, and they owe him some help. Mr. Joe User doesn't want to take any training or read any books or manuals. Mr. Joe User takes his car to Jiffy-Lube to get the oil chainged, but thinks he can install ram himself? No, no, not Mr. Joe User.
Mr. Joe User is the guy at our office (we run linux desktops) who doesn't get to have the root password on his box. Mr. Joe User is a user, he gets to come into work. Type in his user name, type in his password (he can do this because he keeps it on a sticky on his monitor) and lauch an office suite. In support, we don't hear from Mr. Joe User much any more, since we switched to linux, he desktop is stable, and he doesn't have the power to mess it up.
Is linux ok for Mr. Joe User? Sure, my grandma uses the system I setup for her to browse the web and send email, all on linux. Does she have the root password? Does she even know what a root password is? No, to both.
Mr. Joe User is a fool is he thinks he can be a system administrator without any training, reading, or studying, regardless of the os. My father uses Windows, and he called be all the time because he fouled something up, grandma rarely calls about the computer. She knows how to use her car and she knows how to use her linux computer. Would she try to change her spark plugs or oil? Nope. Would she try to recompile her kernel? Nope.
If he wanted a killer unix on the desktop, he should have bought a new Mac instead of that MS crap. Right and left, people are switching to macs from Windows, linux, and ??... Or so Apple would have us believe.
The only reason I would ever used Sat based radio would be that I am prone to taking long drives. So long, that I drive out of range of the radio stations to which I listen.
Why would you pay for radio that has commercials? Burn your own cd's or get an on board mp3 player.
Radio is cool because it is local. Local news, local bands (if you are lucky!), certainly local promotions. You'll never hear "Drive to Sandy's Salt Shack right now and the first 40 people get free concert tickets!" on sat radio.
In short, sat radio is cool for long haul truckers, but when I want better selection that radio, I make my own programing, and you should too!
Also, install your shell of choice, gnu utils (if you like them or know them) and it makes life a lot simpler.
Don't forget books like Essential System Administration, that list different flavors for every command/procedure.
That said, it is ALWAYS easier to take care of a bunch of things when they are all the same.
Sigh... It's doesn't matter how big the gun is, the dragon is enchanted. 'Nuff said :)~
As you glide in, guns blazing, your last thought, as your body is charred by dragon flame, is that you should have remebered that dragons (at least good ones) have thick armoured scales.
I wonder if there is something useful I can do with metal lump that is left from the frame of your melted hang-glider. Perhaps I can setup an old AIX server to hand out some simple web pages...
No one can break into my house because I have a moat and a drawbridge, and a dragon behind the door. Old, but effective.