On Sat, 11 Jan 2003, shlomo solomon wrote:
> My problem is that LINUX (as much as it's progressed over the years) is still
> much too hard to install, set up, and use. As things stand now, it's not
> really a viable alternative for John Q. User. As opposed to other OSs (that
> will remain nameless), there's still too much tweaking required. And for a
> non-technical user, it's just impossible.
The real problem was seriously mis-identified. It is now actually easier
to install Linux than MS-Windows.
When I was forced to upgrade my PC's motherboard from one hosting a 300MHz
processor to one hosting a 1.7GHz processor, Windows 95 died (there is
some obscure driver in the Hebrew version of Windows 95, which fails when
the processor's clock frequency goes beyond 1GHz; and a fix is available
only for OSR2 - unavailable for the Hebrew edition) and Windows 2000 was
in serious trouble. Linux 2.0.36 (very old by today's standards) booted
on the new motherboard without problems.
When was the last time anyone bought PC and MS-Windows and installed and
configured by himself all the stuff? The computer shops sell you
computers with your taste of MS-Windows preinstalled, configured and
tested. If you run into problems, they support you under warranty. And
they fight all the problems so that your experience is as seamless as
possible.
On the other hand, with Linux, you have to install it yourself - almost no
one sells a PC with preinstalled Linux. You have to turn to friends and
IGLU for support, rather than rely upon warranty. You have to fight your
own battles rather than have the shop personnel fight for you.
And... you know what? Your Linux battles are easier than the shop's
MS-Windows wars. But since you don't see the shop's backroom, you are
comparing your Linux battles with the experience of an MS-Windows user.
--- Omer
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