xe22 wrote: > Furthermore, I keep reading how Linux is not quite ready for the > desktop, but please > tell me what it can't do. Well, I hate to stir up a hornet's nest, but here is my opinion on the subject. Technically (capability, stability), Linux is at least as good as Windows (before Win XP, I would have said "definitely better than"). As pointed out by others, MS's proprietary file formats are a big headache (and a moving target) for OSS developers. Windows-only hardware (winmodems, winprinters, etc.) with documentation restricted by confidential agreement with MS is another pain -- they have to be reverse engineered, so there's always some capability that can't be exploited by OSS. Finally, the two biggest pains for me are a lack of consistent interface design and poor documentation.
Every OSS developer seems to have their own opinion on what looks and feels best (or is the kewlest) -- just look at OpenOffice for a nightmare of design flaws and inconsistencies -- and there's no central corporate authority riding herd on interfaces and such. The net result is that it's often difficult to transfer skills learned in one OSS application to another... they just work differently. And don't get me started on the poor documentation generally found in OSS. Skimpy and incomplete, out of date, poorly organized, bad spelling and grammar... the list is endless when documentation is obviously an afterthought. I realize that blasting code is a lot more fun than writing coherent, usable documentation (as well as being a completely different skill set), but guess what? People (and businesses) choose their application software in large part based on what appears to be a slick, professional looking job, with complete and usable documentation. Then comes the choice of operating system (if they even know what that is). Guess who delivers that? Big monopolies with the resources to staff good documentation writers and layers of management to make everything work consistently and coherently. Yes, I know that MS products suck wienie, but technically astute people like us are in a small minority (elite, if you wish), and the great unwashed masses are more impressed with bright, shiny objects. It's going to be a long, uphill battle to get your average Joe on OSS, so long as developers are free to design their code any old way they like, and to treat documentation as a vague afterthought. Large companies who can afford the support staff (management and documentation writers) are going to have a big advantage over the little guy for a long time to come, even if their resulting code is nowhere near as brilliant. And we won't even talk about who can afford the larger ad budget! _______________________________________________ Mid-Hudson Valley Linux Users Group http://mhvlug.org http://mhvlug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mhvlug Upcoming Meetings (6pm - 8pm) MHVLS Auditorium Jun 4 - Sqeak! and eToys Jul 2 - KVM (Tenative) Aug 6 - Zenos Sep 3 - TBD
