BeOS is easy on the user in every aspect: installation, configuration, expansion, user interface, responsiveness, you name it. Admittedly, Linux desktop distributions have made strides in the right direction, but overall, BeOS still offers the best user experience on the desktop (this is my opinion, of course).
To me, and I am sure that many average desktop OS users would agree, being able to install new drivers with ease is part of that user experience. That Linus or kernel hackers do not care about making installation of third party drivers easier may be fine for them, but it does tell how little importance they place on the user experience.
Most users are not hackers, nor do they have the skills (or want) to configure their operating system using cryptic commands from a terminal window or editing obscure text files.
I think that BeOS fans and developers in general believe that the average desktop user deserves better. Many contribute and support the OBOS project because they think that even after more than two years of Be Inc. being defunct, OpenBeOS and the other BeOS incarnations (like Zeta) still have a very good shot at serving desktop users better than other operating systems (including Linux with the 2.6 kernel), as well as evolving into the future.
I guess this is the point that I was trying to make.
# Quote from Ximian's Robert Love interview on OSNews.com (http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=5459)
OsNews: Where would you like to see kernel 2.8 or 3.0 to go towards? Are there plans to implement a "visual" method and help users install easily third party drivers, like nvidia's or winmodem drivers instead of using the command line to achieve this?
Robert Love: There is definitely no plans to make binary drivers happier. Linus has made it clear: he and many other kernel hackers just do not care about them. I don't mind that, either!
Slashdot Mirror
BeOS is easy on the user in every aspect: installation, configuration, expansion, user interface, responsiveness, you name it. Admittedly, Linux desktop distributions have made strides in the right direction, but overall, BeOS still offers the best user experience on the desktop (this is my opinion, of course).
To me, and I am sure that many average desktop OS users would agree, being able to install new drivers with ease is part of that user experience. That Linus or kernel hackers do not care about making installation of third party drivers easier may be fine for them, but it does tell how little importance they place on the user experience.
Most users are not hackers, nor do they have the skills (or want) to configure their operating system using cryptic commands from a terminal window or editing obscure text files.
I think that BeOS fans and developers in general believe that the average desktop user deserves better. Many contribute and support the OBOS project because they think that even after more than two years of Be Inc. being defunct, OpenBeOS and the other BeOS incarnations (like Zeta) still have a very good shot at serving desktop users better than other operating systems (including Linux with the 2.6 kernel), as well as evolving into the future.
I guess this is the point that I was trying to make.
Koki
Perhaps this may give you a hint?
# Quote from Ximian's Robert Love interview on OSNews.com (http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=5459)
OsNews: Where would you like to see kernel 2.8 or 3.0 to go towards? Are there plans to implement a "visual" method and help users install easily third party drivers, like nvidia's or winmodem drivers instead of using the command line to achieve this?
Robert Love: There is definitely no plans to make binary drivers happier. Linus has made it clear: he and many other kernel hackers just do not care about them. I don't mind that, either!
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