Let me explain the process where I (a Linux n00b) have encountered a problem:
Browse interenet
Find interesting software mentioned on Linux message board
Type name into 'get software' application included with distro
Find version that is a year old
Software doesn't work all that well because old version sucks compared to new one
In other cases, the software isn't listed at all. I'm running Mandrake. For some reason, I recall MPlayer either not being available through my 'get software' app, or not wanting to install for some reason.
I know my options, and I've got MPlayer working on my box because I understand download, config, make install, but grandma doesn't, and won't.
Relying on the individual distributions to deliver packages is a poor model. It duplicates too much work. Here, Linux's diversity works against it. If it were possible to build a package that worked on any distribution running on the same platform, grandma could download software in the same way she does on Windows. Double-click setup.exe and click next next next.
Yes, but who needs to buy IBM to take advantage of this commoditized espionage stretegy when there's Newegg!
Re:Stock prices hardly reflectt his
on
Linux, Inc.
·
· Score: 1
If it's of any interest to you, some analysts are beginning to recommend a buy on companies that are heavy into the Linux market, such as Novell. My boss laid a 'recommend buy' report on my desk this morning because he knows I like to play around with Linux. I wish I could remember which brokerage it was from.
Also, you're looking at around a 6 year window (no pun intended) until the next big MS Windows release. That's a fair amount of time for IBM, Novell, et al to get off their duff and push into the desktop market.
Certain devices (such as digital cameras) will complain that they are plugged into the keyboard. You get an error message that reads something along the lines of "device plugged into low-power USB port", or something like that.
If I were to buy a Mac Mini, I think the $129 WiFi + bluetooth option would be a no brainer. Who buys a small form factor computer, only to plug a bunch of external clutter into it?
I have the feeling that the revolt against DRM will not come until it's too late. Too may people are content to drop a DVD into their set top combo DVD/VCR that they bought at Walmart for $40 and watch the movie. Until DRM starts to affect these people, there will be no change.
Wow, this sounds really nice. It's not uncommon to use one controller for many R/C devices. Normally you'd create a profile for each R/C device you intend to control, then switch profiles using an special interface or switching cartridges. Hopefully this will allow improvements to the management/switching of these profiles.
I'm completely clueless here, but would he be correct in stating the Red Hat's Linux is the biggest contender amongst distributions? If it is not, where did he get the idea, and why would he choose to anoint Red Hat over any other distro?
Apparently infrastructure management is a pretty big problem in FL. Most municipalities have no clue where their lines are anyway, so it doesn't help to call them. This was a huge problem for the many EOC's around the state with the recent hurricanes.
It doesn't sound like the author has spent much time trying to get users to switch software. Migrating the software is nowhere near as hard as migrating the users. Just trying to get my clients (almost all small businesses) to switch to Firefox has been a nightmare experience. Any change you make in configuration instantly becomes the cause of any problem that crops up in the next two weeks. If I install Firefox today, and the network printer goes down next week, it will be because I installed Firefox.
Linux, OpenOffice, et al may be great, but users suck.
The other downfall the author suffers from is assuming that small business owners/employees operate inside a small confined set of operations. This is applying enterprise logic to the small business level. At nearly all my small business clients, everyone is an "admin". Apparently it is appropriate for everyone in the company to have decision making capacity when it comes to their computer. I'm their computer tech, not their business consultant. I can tell them that it's a bad idea to run all this crap software, but they'll do what they want, or they'll find a computer guy who will let them.
Many of these small businesses don't run their business consistently enough to survive with a boxed solution. They constantly install new software and experiment with off the wall solutions. It's poor business sense, but they keep paying me to fix the stuff they break, and I keep coming back for another paycheck. The first time the "director of operations" tries to install some shareware bean counting app and it doesn't work, they'll hang me from the nearest tree.
I paint a gloomy picture, but I'm just describing my business. I try to weed out "bad clients", but you've got to make a living. Most of my clients fit the bill for a system like this pretty well... in theory.
The problem with this business model isn't the technology, it's the personnel. And we all know, you can't fix a personnel problem with a technology solution.
I know we're talking PC's here, but I have to say, Apple has awesome technical support. Are their margins any better than the PC manufacturers? I would guess that they are, given the price point of their systems. Maybe these people should stop compaining and start replying with their pocket book. I've called Apple tech support on three occasions and always had an extremely knowledgable, english speaking individual answer my questions. The one time I was outside the area of expertise of the rep, he quickly transfered me to someone who knew the area better.
No, but an error message with some context and a user friendly message would be nice. My mother does not understand mount or unmount. She would understand, "CD-ROM drive cannot eject because it is in use." Is that such a terrible thing?
I can go from a VW to an Acura and I don't have to relearn how to use a car. I don't need specific training on how to operate an Acura. I make small adjustments. Difference like "discard" changes are easy to decipher in context. If you can't get past that, you're just plain computer illiterate. However, other tasks like installing (AND removing) programs should be much easier than they are on Linux and on the Mac.
There's lots of headway to be made, and if you put the burden squarly on the user to "learn" the "GNOME way", you'll be having this same discussion 10 years from now.
Hi. I know this is a very sensitive subject (as I can tell from the responses/debate raging here), but I'd like to make a plea from a plain old user's perspective.
Would it be so bad if I could move from Windows to Linux without relearning every detail of my day to day computing needs? I'm not asking for a copy of Windows... well, maybe I am... what does it matter? I want to move away from Windows. I really do. The problem is, I've tried Linux several times in the past, and today I still run into the same problems I have in the past. Really simple stuff. How do I install a program? Ok, I discovered rpm's and even used a couple. Once the program is installed, where did it go? How do I start it? These things are really simple, and everyone is still arguing over spatial interfaces. My mother could never deal with this level of complexity.
Consider this my plea. I dislike Microsoft from many, many perspectives. I paid the extra money to switch to a Mac at home because of this; however, I really enjoy building and customizing my own systems, so I keep a PC around for gaming and those occasions you just "need a PC". Plus, Apple is very fond of releasing new versions of their operating system every year and then not making program updates available to users with "old" versions. The upgrade cycle is going to bankrupt me.
I would be happy to pay for Linux, and I would shout to all my friends and relatives from the rooftop if I knew of an alternative operating system that I felt confident they could use. I think that all of the issues brought up in this usability review hit the nail on the head. I'm hopeing deep down inside that the community will read and take to heart these considerations.
Slashdot Mirror
Life easy for developers you say? Who at MS believes this is important?
waaaait for it...
Can you run Linux on it?
"Hey, it's a joke, but at least Intel took a really good step: Including SpeedStep by default on their DESKTOP processors."
Do they really have much choice? I mean, the 660 runs at 73C under load.
The barcodes are coming! The barcodes are coming!
I agree wholeheartedly. Not to mention, we've now got Slashdot perpetuating the GHz myth.
"...reports from design partners say 4.6GHz is likely. By comparison, the fastest current Pentium PC processor tops out at 3.8GHz."
Let me explain the process where I (a Linux n00b) have encountered a problem:
In other cases, the software isn't listed at all. I'm running Mandrake. For some reason, I recall MPlayer either not being available through my 'get software' app, or not wanting to install for some reason.
I know my options, and I've got MPlayer working on my box because I understand download, config, make install, but grandma doesn't, and won't.
Relying on the individual distributions to deliver packages is a poor model. It duplicates too much work. Here, Linux's diversity works against it. If it were possible to build a package that worked on any distribution running on the same platform, grandma could download software in the same way she does on Windows. Double-click setup.exe and click next next next.
Why is it that no one ever waxes nostalgic like this over FoxPro?
Infrared tan? Someone has confused IR and UV.
Why not remedy the hosting issue while you're at it. Dreamhost is offering triple bandwidth up until February.
Yes, but who needs to buy IBM to take advantage of this commoditized espionage stretegy when there's Newegg!
If it's of any interest to you, some analysts are beginning to recommend a buy on companies that are heavy into the Linux market, such as Novell. My boss laid a 'recommend buy' report on my desk this morning because he knows I like to play around with Linux. I wish I could remember which brokerage it was from. Also, you're looking at around a 6 year window (no pun intended) until the next big MS Windows release. That's a fair amount of time for IBM, Novell, et al to get off their duff and push into the desktop market.
Certain devices (such as digital cameras) will complain that they are plugged into the keyboard. You get an error message that reads something along the lines of "device plugged into low-power USB port", or something like that. If I were to buy a Mac Mini, I think the $129 WiFi + bluetooth option would be a no brainer. Who buys a small form factor computer, only to plug a bunch of external clutter into it?
This is exactly what came to mind when I read this "news" clip. This type of presentation is shameful!
I asked 7 people in my office what elucidate meant. Only one person knew, some shrugged, and one asked me if that was really a word *sigh*
I have the feeling that the revolt against DRM will not come until it's too late. Too may people are content to drop a DVD into their set top combo DVD/VCR that they bought at Walmart for $40 and watch the movie. Until DRM starts to affect these people, there will be no change.
Microsoft creating and charging for anti-spyware tools is like a heroin dealer running a rehab clinic.
Wow, this sounds really nice. It's not uncommon to use one controller for many R/C devices. Normally you'd create a profile for each R/C device you intend to control, then switch profiles using an special interface or switching cartridges. Hopefully this will allow improvements to the management/switching of these profiles.
Does this mean RH will be outsourcing their support to India as well?
I'm completely clueless here, but would he be correct in stating the Red Hat's Linux is the biggest contender amongst distributions? If it is not, where did he get the idea, and why would he choose to anoint Red Hat over any other distro?
Apparently infrastructure management is a pretty big problem in FL. Most municipalities have no clue where their lines are anyway, so it doesn't help to call them. This was a huge problem for the many EOC's around the state with the recent hurricanes.
It doesn't sound like the author has spent much time trying to get users to switch software. Migrating the software is nowhere near as hard as migrating the users. Just trying to get my clients (almost all small businesses) to switch to Firefox has been a nightmare experience. Any change you make in configuration instantly becomes the cause of any problem that crops up in the next two weeks. If I install Firefox today, and the network printer goes down next week, it will be because I installed Firefox.
Linux, OpenOffice, et al may be great, but users suck.
The other downfall the author suffers from is assuming that small business owners/employees operate inside a small confined set of operations. This is applying enterprise logic to the small business level. At nearly all my small business clients, everyone is an "admin". Apparently it is appropriate for everyone in the company to have decision making capacity when it comes to their computer. I'm their computer tech, not their business consultant. I can tell them that it's a bad idea to run all this crap software, but they'll do what they want, or they'll find a computer guy who will let them.
Many of these small businesses don't run their business consistently enough to survive with a boxed solution. They constantly install new software and experiment with off the wall solutions. It's poor business sense, but they keep paying me to fix the stuff they break, and I keep coming back for another paycheck. The first time the "director of operations" tries to install some shareware bean counting app and it doesn't work, they'll hang me from the nearest tree.
I paint a gloomy picture, but I'm just describing my business. I try to weed out "bad clients", but you've got to make a living. Most of my clients fit the bill for a system like this pretty well... in theory.
The problem with this business model isn't the technology, it's the personnel. And we all know, you can't fix a personnel problem with a technology solution.
I know we're talking PC's here, but I have to say, Apple has awesome technical support. Are their margins any better than the PC manufacturers? I would guess that they are, given the price point of their systems. Maybe these people should stop compaining and start replying with their pocket book. I've called Apple tech support on three occasions and always had an extremely knowledgable, english speaking individual answer my questions. The one time I was outside the area of expertise of the rep, he quickly transfered me to someone who knew the area better.
No, but an error message with some context and a user friendly message would be nice. My mother does not understand mount or unmount. She would understand, "CD-ROM drive cannot eject because it is in use." Is that such a terrible thing?
I can go from a VW to an Acura and I don't have to relearn how to use a car. I don't need specific training on how to operate an Acura. I make small adjustments. Difference like "discard" changes are easy to decipher in context. If you can't get past that, you're just plain computer illiterate. However, other tasks like installing (AND removing) programs should be much easier than they are on Linux and on the Mac.
There's lots of headway to be made, and if you put the burden squarly on the user to "learn" the "GNOME way", you'll be having this same discussion 10 years from now.
Hi. I know this is a very sensitive subject (as I can tell from the responses/debate raging here), but I'd like to make a plea from a plain old user's perspective. Would it be so bad if I could move from Windows to Linux without relearning every detail of my day to day computing needs? I'm not asking for a copy of Windows... well, maybe I am... what does it matter? I want to move away from Windows. I really do. The problem is, I've tried Linux several times in the past, and today I still run into the same problems I have in the past. Really simple stuff. How do I install a program? Ok, I discovered rpm's and even used a couple. Once the program is installed, where did it go? How do I start it? These things are really simple, and everyone is still arguing over spatial interfaces. My mother could never deal with this level of complexity. Consider this my plea. I dislike Microsoft from many, many perspectives. I paid the extra money to switch to a Mac at home because of this; however, I really enjoy building and customizing my own systems, so I keep a PC around for gaming and those occasions you just "need a PC". Plus, Apple is very fond of releasing new versions of their operating system every year and then not making program updates available to users with "old" versions. The upgrade cycle is going to bankrupt me. I would be happy to pay for Linux, and I would shout to all my friends and relatives from the rooftop if I knew of an alternative operating system that I felt confident they could use. I think that all of the issues brought up in this usability review hit the nail on the head. I'm hopeing deep down inside that the community will read and take to heart these considerations.