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Re: Linux Community Should Plant Seeds for Consumer Demand
Posted by: Jeremiah T. Gray 2008-06-19 10:15:23
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Most anyone in the free and open source software realm can tell you not only that Linux is better than Windows, but also that it is an optimal alternative to the closed source and proprietary operating system from Microsoft. Anyone at a Linux-oriented event or group can assure you that you have no need or even legitimate reason to continue using commercial operating systems nowadays. Indeed, GNU and Linux have radically transformed software development and systems administration in practice and in culture.
Several problems.....but the biggest one is
Posted by: aquaadverse 2008-06-20 00:24:31 In reply to: Jeremiah T. Gray
Ask any Windows user why they won't switch to Linux and you get the these two reasons most of the time: Poor hardware support, and needing to use the command line.
The first is getting better. Number two not so much. I'm continually amazed at the people who try a Distro, then use Google, as they do when fixing a Windows issue, and pooch the install by following the advice. The advice usually involves a bash shell. I can understand the need. With no single GUI, the command prompt is the best way of passing instructions and insuring they'll work. It is amazing, though, that many people will totally screw an install of even noob friendly Ubuntu totally unaware of Synaptic. GUI Package management is probably the biggest advantage Linux has to a novice. Yet it gets almost no play.
I've shown a couple of people who had been using computers since the DOS day, one started on CPM, where the GUI package manager was. One had totally screwed his install from doing the normal Google search and going to separate websites trying to install nonfree multimedia extentions and programs. I told him to open Synaptics and search for restricted-extras. After seeing how one click would have done the job and kept it updated automatically, he asked me why this was hidden away? I had no good answer.
Google learning Linux. The vast majority of sites are collections of using the command line. I'm not against people learning to use the command line, it's one of the reasons we have such a powerful OS. But it's stupid to continually tell people what they've heard about needing to spend time there is false when it's hard to find supporting evidence using what has become the first step in Windows troubleshooting. We need to do a better job on this.
The first is getting better. Number two not so much. I'm continually amazed at the people who try a Distro, then use Google, as they do when fixing a Windows issue, and pooch the install by following the advice. The advice usually involves a bash shell. I can understand the need. With no single GUI, the command prompt is the best way of passing instructions and insuring they'll work. It is amazing, though, that many people will totally screw an install of even noob friendly Ubuntu totally unaware of Synaptic. GUI Package management is probably the biggest advantage Linux has to a novice. Yet it gets almost no play.
I've shown a couple of people who had been using computers since the DOS day, one started on CPM, where the GUI package manager was. One had totally screwed his install from doing the normal Google search and going to separate websites trying to install nonfree multimedia extentions and programs. I told him to open Synaptics and search for restricted-extras. After seeing how one click would have done the job and kept it updated automatically, he asked me why this was hidden away? I had no good answer.
Google learning Linux. The vast majority of sites are collections of using the command line. I'm not against people learning to use the command line, it's one of the reasons we have such a powerful OS. But it's stupid to continually tell people what they've heard about needing to spend time there is false when it's hard to find supporting evidence using what has become the first step in Windows troubleshooting. We need to do a better job on this.
