> hi all,
>
> i chose 'C' (Better applications).
>
> i'm a full time linux user n give a damn whether govt supports or public
> likes it or not, but i strongly feel that FOSS world still needs quality
> apps in the GUI part.. ya i know there are foss alternatives for almost
> all proprietary apps but what about the quality??
Agreed but FOSS apps should be viewed from non-Microsoftian Point of
view (see below)
>
> jus for example, take OpenOffice.org. it works fine for normal text
> processing, but when u try 2 do some serious things, say mail merge, it
> really sucks.. another example is GIMP, u'll know it if u r seriously
> into designing stuffs.. KU guys, i think u're goin 2 edit ur video on
> Windows.. but also give linux/foss a try, u'll exactly know what i'm
> tryin 2 say here..
Agreed.
> i know u all will start flaming on me, but before doin that stop dual
> booting n move full time 2 foss for a week, u'll know.. i'm a full time
> linux/foss user n have even convinced my lab instructor 2 accept my
> reports done in octave instead of matlab, but i seriously feel that we
> need some QUALITY here.. the day foss will outperform proprietary apps,
> ppl will start using it even if government bans it..
>
> no that doesn't mean i'm not satisfied with foss, it's been one of the
> joys of my life. but jus my +1..
Hey Jwalanta,
It's definitely not your fault here. I can sort of see where you are
going. This is not the end-user's fault at all. It is the standards that are at
fault here and certainly players like Sun, Microsoft et. al do play a big role
here. When they implement certain format as the de-facto for certain
applications and never open up the specifications, who is at loss? You guessed
it. It's the end-user. This is a simple analogy of vendor lock-in or in
business world, a "monopoly". And I am not blaming them. Infact, they should
make money, by-all-means "do" make money but provide a means to achieve
platform-independency instead of locking in to one OS.
Now, to sort of pour an idea into your situation, I started out as a windows
user (unknowingly, no one even told me about Linux) and I got used to the ways
of Graphical User Interface of Windows. Namely -
a) Windows Menu Bar at the bottom left
b) Refresh Desktop on Mouse Right-click in the desktop
c) Control Panel
d) Microsoft word, excel,
e) Double-click install types of apps etc..
When I switched to Ubuntu and then Debian, I found it's GUI a pain; an
entity trying to withstand the face of giant M$ "word" and "Control Panel"
world that had so much "embedded" in my brain that I saw nothing as real OS
unless it provided those features. In my mind initially, if it didn't meet the
standard of "Microsoftianism", it wasn't a "good enough" OS. Now, that was a
real problem because I had trouble doing everything I normally did in Microsoft
Windows using Click-And-Point. So, I had to change my mindset, seek help, read
documentations and talk to lot of people. I tried to think in broader sense how
to tame my mind. And tame I did using "not-so-always" friendly apt, slapt,
xterm, dpkg, you name it.., but then I started to realise that the FOSS world
was so much better with freedom and curiousity fulfilling OS and that there
were many such users like me out there. We met up on IRC, forums and discussed
ways to best utilise FOSS applications and how to achieve in better ways than
windows NT in what we did.
Today I am happy happy Linux user and I recommend it to anyone who has a sense
of freedom and appreciation for art (Linux is an art, really! and Linus was the
artist, we are mere a ponderer of that art ;)
So, all users of Linux who started/heard about it from SFD 2007 meetup,
try Linux. Start your adventure today and you'll never look back again (except
for maybe gaming, but that is changing gradually). Follow your mind where your
heart is and rest will be assured!
BTW, I feel that GNU/Linux applications are OK for normal users but serious
users of GIMP, OoO should read documentation and try to achieve functionality
from the application in Linux way (may involve console hacking, changing
source, recompiling etc..) rather than try to enforce the Microsoftianism (for
e.g., Click-and-Run) way in FOSS application which is not always gauranteed to
work. Nonetheless, I would also appreciate if there was more unified approach
from distribution vendors like for e.g., without having to edit my shell script
everytime i want my NIC up/down or handling the service subsystem in a more
transparent fashion etc..
I vote for a) Govt support (both personnel support and subsidising a fund) in
terms of OLPC and LSTP projects to be precise and supporting it genuinely,
without foul play and double standards.
[................]
Cheers,
nepbabu
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