Quoting Deepak Saxena ([EMAIL PROTECTED]):
> Yes :) As mthawley mentioned, we had a rather involved discussion
> regarding this very issue.
I figured (from context) that such must have happened, and was
trying to deliberately avoid re-opening the subject. (Apologies
if my offhand remark brought back bad memories. ;-> )
> I agree with you, but I still think it's very important to stress the
> fact that you can find applications for Linux that perform the same
> tasks as applications under Windows.
Absolutely. My point was that you can and should go beyond that to
showcase what Linux does especially or uniquely well. Otherwise,
you're playing the game of proving how good an imitation you can be
of something else, which in the end you always lose.
You lose because (e.g.) the moment you finally convince someone that
Star Office is equivalent to MS Office, he hauls out his final
objection: "But I already have MS Office. Why should I change?"
The way you win is to highlight differences, not similarities. The
people whose requirement is that nothing change, have that already:
Those are not your target audience. You want to reach the people
who are amenable to change.
> As many before me have said: people use applications, not operating
> systems. Most people unfortunately equate computer to Windows. This
> means that event after you tell users about all the advantages
> (technological. philosophical, and economical) that Linux has over
> Windows , they will still want to know whether they can perform a
> given task X (where X can be accomplished with Windows) under Linux .
Yes, but the list I discussed was (described as) limited to finding
Linux equivalents of existing MS Windows applications. Thereby
implicitly ignoring what _exists uniquely_ on Linux -- and causing MS
Windows to set the agenda. Let's let Microsoft chase Linux, not the
other way around.
I might add further that one risks catering to yet another common
perceptual error: Many people cannot imagine having more than one
computer. They should be encouraged to get over this.
Why? Because, again, Linux's greatest value is in a networked
environment, with long-lived tasks running in a manner thrifty
of CPU cycles, cooperating with other systems. The wrong way to
do this, in my view, is to dual-boot one's bloated, standalone MS
Windows Xeon/Celeron/whatever box. The right way is to snag someone's
cast-off 486 or P90 and run Linux on it (if need be, headless) on a
cheap 10Base-T network cabled to it and the bloatware boxes. (Save
the expensive horsepower for an OS that needs it as a crutch.)
The user gets the benefit of Samba right away -- and gets to play
with native apps. After IP masq/NAT and PPP setup, he'll also get
seamless Internet connectivity for his entire house, with speed
increases from a Squid Web cache and caching nameserver.
What I'm suggesting, overall, is that the MS Windows mentality is
blinkered to hide MS Windows's inabilities and play to its strengths.
So, the last thing Linux advocates should want to do is cater to that
mentality. Promote the areas -- and ways of operating -- where Linux is
strong, instead.
I hope I don't sound as if I'm just complaining: I really appreciate
all the work you folks have done. I'm just trying to pass on some of
the lessons/opinions I have from years of doing this same job locally
here in the San Francisco Bay Area.
If you aren't already fed up hearing my views ;-> , there's more of the
same at:
http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/faq/#monitor
http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/faq/#hardware
http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/faq/#cheaplinux
http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/faq/#downloadlinux
http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/faq/#distro
http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/faq/#486
http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/faq/#partition
Note to non-North Americans: The essays are deliberately written, for
comic effect, in (mostly) a mildly exaggerated form of rhetoric called
the "rant", made popular by US comedian Dennis Miller. Miller's
signature line, "But that's just my opinion; I could be wrong" is quoted
at the Web page's top as a tip-off, but my intent is sometimes
misunderstood, outside cultural context.
--
Cheers, "Heedless of grammar, they all cried 'It's him!'"
Rick Moen -- R.H. Barham, _Misadventure at Margate_
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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