Tim, The point about the very specific examples that I gave was that as a group "Windows users" have a strange and wide-ranging levels of understanding of the system they are using.
If you started with Windows 1.21 or your first times is with Windows 7, the skills you learn will stay with you. Even if you came to Windows via Mac/OS or GEM or OS/2 PM or X-Windows or Xerox Star .. you bring along a subset of the whole range of things you can do with Windows. Because Linux does not have the attitude of Windows, "a PC on every desktop and in every home" it has taken shortcuts. So, everytime there isn't a usability study into the user experience of a Linux release, there just isn't the attention to detail. Someone goes, as you did "I can do Alt-F1, arrow, arrow, enter." you drop some potential new users, because Linux "doesn't understand them". Given that a modern OS has huge qualities of these components, many small UI "failings" means the Linux interface fails for more and more people. Someday, someone will stick a few million dollars into sorting this out and there will be a "perfect release" of Linux that anyone can use BY BRINING WHAT THEY KNOW OF WINDOWS on a personally deep level. This does not mean that Linux should simply ape Windows. But it does mean that as an absolute minimum it should behave as everyone (as individuals) expect. I know I can use any interface that is presented to me. I'm happy with a VT100 and vi. That's the problem with Linux, it's designed by people like "us" and not for "every home, every desk". 2009/8/5 Tim Dobson <[email protected]> > Please forgive me but I'm very confused about some of the points you're > trying to me and just want to clarify exactly what you mean. > > Brian Butterworth wrote: > > <snip> > > So, the biggest problem for most users with non-Windows systems is that >> it's not Windows. >> > > Yup, I got all that and completely agree. Interestingly this isn't a > problem if you teach the users from day one. > > Windows, being "Borg" software has accumulated bits from every other OS >> and software package along the way. >> >> For example, to close a Windows window, you can: >> >> - press the "X" button in the top right >> - press the invisible button at the top left and choose close >> - press Alt F4 >> - right click on the taskband icon and choose "close window" >> > > I can do all these, exactly how you have described, in ubuntu > > To maximize: >> >> - click the second-in button at the top right >> - double click on the title bar >> - right click the invible top left icon and choose maximuze >> - press alt-space-X >> - press Windows+Up >> > > I can do all of these bar the last two, which I'm fairly sure were > introduced from Vista onwards. > Also, I appear to be able to do alt-F10 > > Another good example is the use of the menus. In Windows you can use the >> click-click-click method to select from menus, but you can also do the MacOS >> click-drag-drag-drag-release method >> > > I'm can do the same thing here. > > as well as F10+arrowkeys+enter and [Alt]+arrowkeys+enter >> > > I can do Alt-F1, arrow, arrow, enter. > > I think the biggest problem for most X-Windows based Linux systems is that >> they generally have just "native" support for these kind of actions. >> > > Sorry this is what I'm confused about. What do you mean "just 'native' > support"? Perhaps you could explain what you mean here a bit better as I > fail to understand how this leads on to your next point, sorry! > > It is this kind of thing that has made Windows dominant and IMHO the very >> thing that prevents larger-scale Linux use. >> >> Microsoft used to have things like "help for WordPerfect users" in Word >> and "help for 123 users" in Excel. >> Linux distributions just don't have that KILLER instinct that Microsoft >> used to have. >> > > I'm fairly sure there are various guides for windows users switching. > For instance I'm fairly sure the OO.o help has sections like that. > > Oh, and Windows 7 is so good I would pay for it. >> > > I would (and have) paid for Ubuntu & Debian GNU/Linux in the past. > > Glad your happy though! > > Cheers, > > Tim > > - > Sent via the backstage.bbc.co.uk discussion group. To unsubscribe, please > visit http://backstage.bbc.co.uk/archives/2005/01/mailing_list.html. > Unofficial list archive: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > -- Brian Butterworth follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/briantist web: http://www.ukfree.tv - independent digital television and switchover advice, since 2002
