On Fri, Mar 09, 2001 at 12:40:07PM +0100, Frodo Baggins wrote: > On Fri, Mar 09, 2001 at 11:03:06AM +0100, Fr?d?ric Aguiard scripsit: > >...snip... > > You can't ask a secretary to understand all the complexity of a linux > > system. You can't even ask her to use a shell, nor anything like vi or latex > > or anything else. This is not HER job. She just needs a tool, a tool > > providing her what she needs for her daily work, a tool that does not break > > up in her hands while just using basis functions, nor doing something > > reasonably foolish. > > I, as a computer engineer, can understand most of the subtle technical > > This is bullshit. Classical from head-inflated engineer to despise of > 'secretary' as unable to understand the wonderful things they do oh > soooooooo weeeeeeeeeeellllll.
Agreed, sounds like a case of Ivory Tower Syndrome to me. Personally, I think the problem doesn't lie in learning another OS (in this case linux), it's *unlearning* what one is used to (in this case microsoft). Many a vaunted engineer has proclaimed they can't get anything done in windows because they're used to *nix, the same is true for your average clerical worker as well. Primarily because, until recently, decent office products were only available with windows, therefore it was adopted. I remember seeing the secretaries at a hospital when I was a child, typing away on terminals connected to the hospitals refrigerator-sized minicomputer. I don't know what OS it was, but they sure as hell didn't seem to have a problem with cryptic command sequences or the CLI. It's all about what you're used to, not what you're "capable" of. -Rob
