On Tuesday 17 June 2003 09:16 pm, Greg Meyer wrote: > On Tuesday 17 June 2003 09:37 pm, w9ya wrote: > > Yesterday I was at a client's. I was installing software using the > > 'drake' gui tools while they watched. The clients remarked that they were > > sure glad they didn't have to install software on linux. They went on to > > say the they were use to a much easier install process. They are not > > stupid. They are not slow. > > My personal opinion is that this has to do with familiarity and not > difficulty. Installing software is not difficult if you evaluate the tasks > that go into it. I think if you had a user that had never experienced > Windows and asked them to install something on XP they would have the exact > same reaction and have the same questions. How do you start the installer? > What is this C-drive? How do I start the program?, etc.
Well, I will disagree for two reasons; 1 - The original point I was commenting on was that the 'drake' installer was getting more complicated by being broke into several sections. This is a fundamentally flaw concept for newbies to take on. We can disagree on this, but having more than one program to take care of installing and removing software might just be more involved. 2 - Installing ahs nothing to do with "how do I start a program" etc. i.e. A user use to m$ systems only asks to install a program. I think the earlier point about having one program that can scan on a keyword such as "email" and let the user know what is currently installed, what it is called, where in the menu(s) it is located as well as what might be available to install, along with a one button install would be ideal. Or put another way; if a user can use some other op system's installer without having to think about it, and a linux system can be even better by being more infomative but just as easy to use, then it is a win-win situation. > > When people criticise Linux for being hard for Windows users, they are > really criticizing it for being unfamiliar to Windows users. Try this. > Take a typical home Windows user and change the desktop theme so the > background and icons are different, and then move their desktop icons to > different locations. I give you a 75% chance that they won't know what to > do. IMO, if you want mass adoption, you have to make it easy and making it > easy means making it familiar. I'm not advocating that, but I think it a > truth. Um, you are way out of field on this. In fact many users of m$ op systems change their themes, but cannot fathom adding software to linux. I know, this is what I do for a living. > > BTW, remove your reply-to setting, it's causing replies to your Cooker > messages to get addressed to you personally. Nah, because I do more than just work this mailing list. In fact I seldom actually send mail here. Thanxs anyways. You might try to just work around it. I do on other people's mail all the time. Best Regards; Bob Finch
