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

[Jeff Vian <jvian10@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

bbales wrote:
> 
> John Alexander wrote:
> 
> >  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?
> >
> > ja
> 
> They don't have to take our control away - just add a newbie install to
> red-hat.  With big disks and pci, most of the questions could be answered.
> Only one or two partitions, swap = twice the memory, set up sound and
> multimedia.  Most modern monitors can be probed and with a little refinement
> and some clever install questions, a newbie could have a working KDE or gnome
> workstation.
> 
> If you want the control, pick one of the other installs and size your
> partitions, make swap what you want, fine-tune your x system, and set up a
> network.
> 
> See.  I made it sound easy.
> bruce

The worst thing is the lack of drivers for the cutting edge cards. 
Video, etc.
MS has the lead there and if Linux can get the specs and do the drivers
for the cards before they hit the market (or the manufacturers
distribute the new drivers with the new cards like they do for windows)
then it could be as easy as you made it sound.

The other thing is installing new apps.
MS has the easy ability to add them to ONE menu system. the luser has no
options on how to set it up (or very little).  Linux has several
different X systems so that is a little more difficult.
Installing apps would require the ability to know which X system is
being used and add the "shortcut" to the menu for the newbie luser who
does not know (or want to know) how to put the entry on the menu.

None of this is insurmountable, but would require some standardization
and probably a single distro for the newbie home luser so they do not
have to think or investigate.
Jeff
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