Gustin, I see this will be a long day.
First off, my criticism was directed specifically at GNU/Linux on the Desktop space. Second, I was not questioning anyone intelligence. I am sure that most (if not all) of the members of this list do not fall into the "average user" category. For most (if not all) of us working with GNU/Linux (specially after a little while) is like second-nature. At this point we have either figure out most of the tricks to make things work; or know where to go to get that information. Almost everyone, to a man, to responded to my post have replied based on their experience (and thus missing the point). If GNU/Linux is so easy and transparent; then why is it that Windows dominate the market. The vast majority of people who use desktop computers do not have a clue how it works (and they like it that way). For the most part, using a windows machine will allow you to do the work you need to do, without having a clue how it gets done. Not until GNU/Linux can offer a similar experience will it market share increase and by the looks of it, the opposite is happening. To say that GNU/Linux for the masses is not its stated goal is plain idiotic. Only wide spread use will ensure ongoing funding for the open source projects that make up the GNU/Linux distros. Only wide spread acceptance will ensure there is a GNU/Linux in the near future. Gustin Johnson wrote:
This should not be a goal. Again as I see it, non contributing users are a drain. It may seem harsh, but the only people who matter are contributers. I say this as one who contributes very little. I feel very fortunate that I am able to accomplish what I can with all this free software given how little I have personally put in. Contributing is not just coding, but participating in all aspects of development. It could be testing (I mean proper, boring, rigorous testing, not simply dumping ignorant and uninformed frustrations on to some mailing list or forum), documentation, financial support, and of course coding. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but you should get the point.
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