Adieu, Fedora

[James McKenzie]

On 6/12/11 7:30 PM, Stephen Bunn wrote:
> On Mon, Jun 13, 2011 at 11:22 AM, John Aldrich <jmaldrich at yahoo.com 
> <mailto:jmaldrich at yahoo.com>> wrote:
>
>     On Sun June 12 2011, David wrote:
>     > On 6/12/2011 8:48 PM, Tom Horsley wrote:
>     > > On Sun, 12 Jun 2011 17:20:39 -0700
>     > >
>     > > When you run Windows for the first time, annoying tutorials badger
>     > > you incessantly about learning how to use the Windows interface
>     > > and/or adapting to changes made in the new version of Windows.
>     >
>     > FUD
>     >
>     I disagree. He makes a very valid point. New installs of Windows
>     always
>     come up with a tutorial and "helper" app. I have never seen
>     anything like
>     that on Linux. It's as if the developers are too busy with
>     programming the
>     next iteration of their favorite app to be bothered with
>     documentation, and
>     NO ONE has yet come up with a grand-unified "help" document (trust
>     me "man
>     $appname" doesn't always work...)
>
>
> Seriously? You aren't really trying to argue the point that windows 
> has better documentation than GNU/Linux.
>
> That and the *goal* shouldn't be who has the most users.  The *goal* 
> should be a desktop that does what the user base needs it to do.
So, we should deliberately make the system hard to use so that people 
like you can 'rub their noses in it'.  No.  Sorry, but the user base 
needs to grow.  People are tired of using poor quality software written 
to a broken OS.  However, Linux is appropriately though of as being a 
'genius' operating system.  Until we move it from that position, people 
will 'stay away'.  Ubuntu was an attempt to move Linux to the masses.  
Given the current state of the UI, this became harder and harder.  With 
a new UI, this may become easier.  And for those of us 'power users' the 
bells and whistles are still there. You just have to change the way you 
do things.  And on a Mac, root still exists, it just takes six steps to 
enable it.

> The GNU/Linux user communities need to stop this nonsense of trying to 
> compete with Windows and/or OS X.
Then what should they do?  Stand around the coffee machine saying "I 
have this wonderful Operating System, but no one will use it because the 
UI sucks?"  No.  They need to move forward and develop a UI that 
EVERYONE can understand and use.
> Instead we should be focusing on building an operating system that 
> works for the existing user base. If its good other people *will* 
> learn it.
If that were true, everyone would be using OS/2 today.  For its time, it 
was the best operating system.  It was bullet-proof and was used in both 
the banking and nuclear industries.  Tell me of one bank today that is 
using it on their teller machines?  Bank of America was the last major 
bank that received an exception from the U.S. Federal Reserve to put 
WindowsXP on their teller machines.  You can build the best mousetrap, 
but I'll still go to the local hardware store and buy a mousetrap that 
was patented in the 1800s and is made by the Victory Trap company.  
Why?  Because the damn thing works.  And that is what a majority of the 
Desktop users want.  They don't care if they have to hit the 'Big Red 
Button' two or three times a day.  When the thing starts, they want to 
use it.  Not play with it all day.  And that is why Windows sells and 
Linux doesn't.  Sad to say, but Gnome3 may be the step in the right 
direction for the 'common ordinary user'.

James McKenzie