Amos Shapira wrote:
My mom just got her first computer a year ago and until today she has no
clue as to what she sees on the screen, even though she somehow manages
to achieve some very basic goals with it. I bet I could have helped her a lot
more remotely if she had a Linux on her desktop but everyone else in the
family who were in the business of helping her veto'ed against it (and even
against Firefox and Thunderbird).
A properly setup Linux desktop from, let's say, last 18 months or so, shouldn't
be harder to computer users to use than the equivalent Windows XP system.
My feeling is that the main reason people "prefer" Windows is first and
foremost because this is what they get with their computer and 99.999%
of the time it's also the only system they ever heard of, let alone saw or
(gasp) used. The original poster's situation falls under that explenation
because his father saw Windows (and ONLY windows) in his office and
wanted the same thing.
You don't get Windows automatically with your computer. You buy it.
But the default operating system is Windows (the latest version, depends
when you buy). I mean, most people just don't think about any
alternative. Your mother, my father, my brothers, any office - they
just don't know anything else. Windows is not perfect, but it's the
best thing they know. Most people never used anything else. And not
only Windows, but the whole MS suite - Office, Outlook, IE, Media Player
- you name it. People just use whatever default software which comes
with their computer.
I have been to Australia and Thailand and used Internet at public places
(such as Cafes). They all use Windows! All with IE. It seems like
EVERYBODY is using Windows. It's much easier to be like everybody, use
whatever they use. It's like with communication - how many people you
know that don't have a regular phone number, but instead use something
like Skype? I'm referring to the main phone, not alternative. It's much
easier to do what everyone else does. And everyone use Windows. Except
some computer geeks...
The same problem is with FireFox - it doesn't come with Windows, you
have to install it. It doesn't support Flash (not the default
installation as far as I know). Many websites will not work with it
properly. Then most people prefer not to use it. Most people use IE.
I used Netscape once, moved to IE a few years ago when I had problems
with Netscape. I tried FireFox but I couldn't see Flash, so I'm not
using it (I only use it occasionally as an alternative browser). I'm
using IE. It's not easy to change habits - but I'm a computer geek.
It's much more difficult for ordinary people... (but there is another
reason - as a webmaster I want to use whatever my users are using, at
least most of them. You have to keep up with your customers).
I also tried Open Office and went back to MS Office. It's just not as
easy to use, and not compatible with the rest of the world...
Compatibility is a big issue. At the end of the day we're communicating
with people, not with computers. And don't tell me Open Office is
compatible with MS Office - it isn't. At least not 100% compatible. I
checked.
Uri.
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Phone: +972-9-7715013
Website: www.uri.co.il
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