from the quill of David <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> on scroll
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> How? Is asking him to log in as root and
> > edit the groups file really the level of user-friendliness that we
> are
> > trying to achieve here?
> >
>
> and Why Not Brian?
Your question doesn't really answer my quesion, so let me make my
question more clear: are we trying to capture a percentage of the
Windows user base or not? If no, we can drop this thread now. If yes,
then what percentage? Small, medium, large, or as many as we can? Any
answer but small should preclude asking the user to log into a tty/start
an xterm as root and running cryptic commands like that offered. How
many are going to get the quotes wrong? 50% at least I say.
> what is so terribly wrong with someone actually learning how to use an
> Operating system properly in the first place,
Nothing if they want to learn. Most don't. Most want to turn on the
computer get their business done and be done with it. We (hackers) are
not the majority of users. We (hackers) are not the critical mass that
Linux (companies) is(are) striving to reach.
> to me, that is one of
> the great Joys i have useing Linux, is to have control of my computer,
> and when something DOES mess up, also have the control to go in and
> fix
> it myself.
I agree with you 100%. That is a great joy for me. It is not for Joe
Average User though.
> Or, should everything just be packaged nice and neat ala MS, install
> it, hope it works, and when that sound card does not get recognized by
> MS, pay $100 to some tech support line, and THEN maybe it will work
> afterwards?
We are hopefully after something better than MS, but from a user point
of view, yes they want to open the box install it and have it go. If it
does not, it will not be seen as an attractive alternative to the
"break-and-go-and-break-and-go..." OS that they already have.
> Just some thoughts Brian, not a flame,
I didn't take it as a flame. Just try to keep in mind that Mandrake is
a company with a payroll and expenses and all that, just like MS, and
they do need to (continue) to make a profit to succeed. To make that
profit all while selling a relatively inexpensive OS, they need to have
a critical mass. Hackers are not that critical mass, Joe Average User
is.
> When you buy a new car, you always have to read the manual to see how
> everything functions in it.
Indeed, but you are not asked to lift the hood and put spark plugs in to
get it off the lot. The car manual would be (roughly) the equivillent of
(say) the Gnome user's manual.
b.
--
Brian J. Murrell InterLinx Support Services, Inc.
North Vancouver, B.C. 604 983 UNIX
Platform and Brand Independent UNIX Support - R3.2 - R4 - BSD
