[aclug-L] Re: Reactions to the following?

["gLaNDix (Jesse Kaufman)" <glandix@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 22 Jan 2002, John Alexander wrote:

> No need to, it runs fine for me under WINE. My honest impression and gut
> feeling is that Linux won't take off for the average joe/joan until the
> install matches Windows '9x in simplicity, with all the inherent
> assumptions. But then, do we all want our OS to be making all of those
> assumptions for us?

Have you tried RedHat or Mandrake lately?  Pretty brain-dead install on
both...  Actually, I think RH 7.1 is simpler than windows! : ^ )  We are
running RH7.1 for our NW575:eDirectory Design & Imp class and people who
had never seen linux before in their life were able to install RH w/o a
hitch...  i think the biggest thing is the lack of GOOD applications...
sure, there are tons out there, but how many have you seen haven't been
updated since 1998 or are still in 0.x releases and for obvious reasons...
personally, if I had a better system, I would run either Linux or FreeBSD
on my workstation all the time (except for games, of course)...
unfortunately, some of the nicer UI's and apps are just too darn slow on
my computer...  and running anything bigger than Notepad in WINE is
REEEEEEEEALLY pushing it! : ^ (

Another one of the biggest reasons why linux hasn't been able to really
make a mark as a desktop OS is because of it's lack of support for
proprietary formats, such as Word, Sorenson-encoded QuickTime files,
Windows Media (or is there support for this, I haven't really looked
since I prefer Ogg or Mp3 to WMA and MPEG to ASF)...  unfortunately, there
is not a whole lot linux application developers can do, since companies
like MS change their proprietary format with every release...

Linux on the desktop has come a LONG way even since I started (that
fateful Saturday Install when Clint helped me setup my first RH5.1 install
a few years ago)...  I think it has a future, but some things in the
computer industry will either have to become more open, or we'll have to
prove to the general public our formats are better than the formats
they've been brainwashed into for so many years...

anyway, just my $1.50 or so... : ^ )
gLaNDix

P.S. I'm trying to do my part with my last point...  I'm actually *gulp*
teaching 15-20min "Linux Lessons" at the beginning of each of our NW580:
Service & Support classes here at Hesston! : ^ )  ahh, molding the minds
of our youth....  muaahaahaahaahaa!

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