The troubling issue revolving around whether or not Linux will become more than just a choice for the "power user" is the lack of enthusiam by many people for investigating challenges related to learning how to install and use a different operating system.
The current mantra in technology circles appears to be "make it easy to use and the user will flock to your doorstep." Instead, why not highlight the sense of accomplishment that comes from identifying an issue, investigating the facts, and developing a workable solution? Does every aspect of computer design need to relate around the assumption that the average user has no interest in problem solving?
Hardware incompatibility? Learn to find information in forums on the web, learn to utilize a search engine in a more effective way. Need a specific program to accomplish a task? Go out and discover whether or not one exists and whether or not it will fulfill your need.
It's disheartening to think that most people are not at least a little bit excited by a challenge. True, many will claim there is simply no time in their lives to spend working out a software or hardware bug. Conversely, one could argue that there are plenty of folks (myself included) who really enjoy identifying a need and finding (or creating) a workable solution. Personal computers are seen as a tool to accomplish a task; I offer the opinion that the tool itself provides a sense of enjoyment and accomplishment when tuned and tweaked to meet my needs.
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The troubling issue revolving around whether or not Linux will become more than just a choice for the "power user" is the lack of enthusiam by many people for investigating challenges related to learning how to install and use a different operating system.
The current mantra in technology circles appears to be "make it easy to use and the user will flock to your doorstep." Instead, why not highlight the sense of accomplishment that comes from identifying an issue, investigating the facts, and developing a workable solution? Does every aspect of computer design need to relate around the assumption that the average user has no interest in problem solving?
Hardware incompatibility? Learn to find information in forums on the web, learn to utilize a search engine in a more effective way. Need a specific program to accomplish a task? Go out and discover whether or not one exists and whether or not it will fulfill your need.
It's disheartening to think that most people are not at least a little bit excited by a challenge. True, many will claim there is simply no time in their lives to spend working out a software or hardware bug. Conversely, one could argue that there are plenty of folks (myself included) who really enjoy identifying a need and finding (or creating) a workable solution. Personal computers are seen as a tool to accomplish a task; I offer the opinion that the tool itself provides a sense of enjoyment and accomplishment when tuned and tweaked to meet my needs.