As always, you make sense, even while you wear horns. ;)
I don't like to bash Microsoft as it is often counter-productive and it is
certainly a waste of time. My credo is use what you want, but just don't
complain to me when things go wrong.
My wife uses Windows and she knows better than to ask me to fix her machine.
I have to summon up my courage to clean up her computer so I usually wait
until it is in dire need. Frequency of use of Windows breeds contempt in my
book.
My biggest problem with Windows users moving to Linux is in making
comparisons, with the assumption that the Windows way is better. Just
because that is what they are used to does not make it better. However, I
try not to let it show and be patient with new users. I want to make them
feel welcome above all.
I say, Vive la difference! I am glad that Windows is not like Linux and vice
versa. I am equally glad that KDE is not like GNOME or XFCE. Having choice
is not a bad thing. I don't think that there can be too much choice, but
this is only opinion and one that many take issue with. People often cite
dividing our resources and spreading our selves too thin, but that is based
on the false premise that Linux has to become something that it is not.
Linux just is. Love it or leave it.
Roy
Using Kubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat, 64-bit
Location: Canada
On 15 October 2010 11:54, Scott <scot...@nyc.rr.com> wrote:
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 02:23:08PM -0000, Darksyde wrote:
> >
> > P.S. And this is more for the benefit of newer newbies than I, FYI.
> Personal opinion, the whole "more difficult to use than Mac or Windows"
> thing is sooo blown out of proportion. IMHO, so many new distro's prove that
> Linux IS ready for the desktop, and there's certainly no lack of available
> software, not to mention the price of said software. I can't imagine having
> grown up with Linux and then switching to Windows or Mac; "I need a piece of
> software but I don't have $100-300 in spare cash right now." "Should I call
> Tech Support to find out why my screen goes blue every few weeks?" "Whaddya
> mean I have a virus? My computer's set up to get all available updates!"
> "This computer's only four years old. It came with XP but now I have to buy
> a new version of Windows because the old one is no longer supported?" lol
> >
>
> I'm going to play devil's advocate here, not to troll, though that's
> always fun of course, but just to make what I consider an 2 important
> points.
>
> One, I think that Linux users putting down Windows or Apple is
> reminiscent of a little dog barking at a big dog. I just don't see it
> serving a purpose anymore--the more restrained--if that's the proper
> word, we are, the better, especially, ironically, from an advocacy
> standpoint--telling someone, "What you use is BAD," implies they're
> foolish, and can quickly close their mind.
>
> Windows users will tell you (rightfully), that Windows has gotten far
> better with Blue screening and the like. Malware is often not an issue
> for those who are intelligent users, say, at the level, hopefully, of
> the average Linux user, interested enough in computers to follow techie
> type stuff. (They use Ubuntu in a VM to browse questionable sites.)
> :)
>
> As for having to buy a new version of Windows even though it's only 4
> years old, how long is an Ubuntu version supported? Fedora, which is
> admittedly extremely aggressive in this, only supports it for 18 months.
>
> There are other Linux myths, so to speak, that I feel actually hurt
> advocacy--it's the old sales adage, promise less than you can deliver,
> deliver more than you promise.
>
> Install Linux, all your hardware will work.
>
> So, they install one. Hey, my wireless isn't working.
>
> Oh, that's the fault of the vendor for not opensourcing their specs.
>
> Errm, yeah, that's nice and all, but my wireless isn't working. This
> Linux is junk.
>
> Hopefully, my point is clear. We can't promise that everything will
> work perfectly, nor that programs will do everything your Windows/Mac
> programs will do, etc.
>
> Still, much of the original article mentiond by Roy, which I think I've
> snipped, is quite true. It has gotten much easier to use, works better
> with a great deal of hardware, etc. Ironically, a friend of mine
> decided to put Ubuntu on someone's laptop, because the owner of the
> laptop had lost the Dell driver disk, and he didn't feel like searching
> for the drivers for her--whereas Ubuntu worked out of the box for her.
>
> (Not to mention the malware---which was why it had to be reinstalled in
> the first place.) :)
>
> --
> Scott Robbins
> PGP keyID EB3467D6
> ( 1B48 077D 66F6 9DB0 FDC2 A409 FA54 EB34 67D6 )
> gpg --keyserver pgp.mit.edu --recv-keys EB3467D6
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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