[ltp] Alternative operating system

[Jake Holmen]

OK - here's my two cents.  : )

I beleive Microsoft has had a fair bit of a head start over Linux in a 
couple of areas.
1) - there were only 2 GUI OS's around when Windows started coming out
that supported ibm clone pc's.  One was Win 3.1, and another one (a bit 
later, was OS/2.)
  Win 3.1 won the larger chunk, and people have stuck with the M$ 
experience.  They are conditioned to using "standard" software.

Yes, people are understanding PC's a lot better now than then, but the 
crunch of it is, M$ still has a cunning ploy when it comes to the average 
(not nerd) Joe Bloggs.

Firstly - people have been conditioned to the way M$ software "works" eg the 
GUI experience with the X in the corner, and the menus etc.
when software comes out that doesn't follow "standard"  (ie lotus notes) 
people get annoyed/ frustrated.

My thought for Linux overall:  Keep it Standard.  Even keep it simple!
(hard to do when it's open source, I know)

Secondly,
M$ is "intuitive" when it comes to installing stuff (plug and play) and when 
it comes to installing Software. - just stick in the CD-Rom

YES - it uses your whole hard drive as a crapper and fills it with 
undesirables.  But many average users don't care/ know about that.  They 
just want to be able to type their documents, check their email, surf the 
net.

My thought for Linux overall: Try to "standardise" the install - like Red 
Hat is attempting to do, like Caldera is attempting to do.
IT IS GETTING BETTER!

A lot of users (not me! I like to hack)
don't want to have to "dick around" with the software to get it to fit into 
their machine.  Unfortunately that seems to be the norm with Linux.   It 
takes time to learn how to do that.

Things I would like to see Linux (of any flavour) do better.

1.  Install "out of the box" with an EASY FEW questions asked... ie

"do you want a word processor and email and Net access?"  Y/N
"I see you have a pcmcia modem, I'll set that up for you...!"
"Your monitor is a xxxsoa!!  I'll set that up for you..!"
"I found your printer attached, I'll set that up for you...."

And then - lo and behold it works!  I can surf the net, by dial up..
I can send / receive email, I can write and print documents.

To me that sounds Idealistic, but we have a good system to work with.  
(Linux)   We have the opportunity to trim Linux to fit average users and 
make it Easier for them.   Can we do it?  YES.
Are we doing it at the moment?  No.

Cheers.


BTW - can anyone help me set up my pcmcia modem under Linux again? it died, 
and I can't use it under Linux, just windows at the moment.



______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
----- The Linux ThinkPad mailing list -----
The linux-thinkpad mailing list home page is at:
http://www.bm-soft.com/~bm/tp_mailing.html