I think Tom and Adam (the author of the article) come from different computing cultures, and I can appreciate both of them. Tom's culture places the onus on the user; Adam's places it on the developer. Personally, I wouldn't want Open Source development to go too far in either direction. Ideally we would have an OS that would be comprehensible to a person of average intelligence with no RTFM, but would not hinder the advanced user by dumbing things down. This is an unattainable ideal, but an approachable one; as we progress towards it, we are bound to lurch from one side or another.
Sir Robin tom brinkman wrote: >On Friday 12 July 2002 12:52 pm, Alastair Scott wrote: > > > >>Doubtless this will provoke some discussion! >> >>http://people.trustcommerce.com/~adam/top10/wrong.html >> >>Unfortunately, there are several things wrong with the article: >> >> > > The article takes most things from a 'the situation is an OS >fault, then hardware, then user' approach. Unfortunately most users >(any OS) do also. > > I've found when situations are approached just the opposite as most >likely a user, then maybe hardware, and lastly OS deficiency, I tend >to have better experiences. > > I don't believe Adam feels any differently. I got the distinct >impression he's just playin the usual journalistic card and >pretending to be the Devil's advocate. So..... > > 1) is a user problem .... too many IE users :o, non standard html, >and of course, M$ > 2) user problem. Choosing ext2 in this day and age is. Not havin >an UPS (any OS) comes in second. > 3) user problem. Old computers printed everything. Save trees, get >rid of your printer (I don't have one). ... and quit buyin books too. >Better to burn everything from coal to uranium to communicate. > 4) user problem (any OS). The real problem is when you have a >problem, you don't know what to ask, or have enough understanding to >realize when you find the answer. (I fall too often into this group.) > 5) user problem. Buy a better cpu/cache/ram, video card, monitor. >The ones you believed the advertising/win-reviews about sort'a suck, >but you're the one that bought into it. Using only incandescent or >candle light in the vicinity of your computer screen might help. > 6) Extreme user problem, obviously he's advocating killing children >and/or their activities here ;( > 7} user problem again, 'cept this time it's me. I haven't a clue as >to what he's complain'g about. > 8) OK, we finally got a problem that's not all user. This one is >win-hardware and OS. Sound in Linux sort'a kind'a sux, even more >than the user errors mentioned in #5 > 9) user error, 'cept' not me, I believe he's the one without a >clue. > 10) user error, hasn't he heard of Crl+Alt+/- (also see #5) > > So, according to his top 10, it works out to roughly 90% user is >the problem. 'Course if you ask most sysadmins, or support personel, >they'd probly just say "user - user - user" (IOW's 100%). I'll stick >with user - hardware - OS (any OS)) in that order. I suppose next >week he'll publish a "10000 Things Wrong with Windows" article ?? > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? >Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com > > -- "We're clouds over the sea, or flecks of matter in the ocean when the ocean seems lit from within. I know I'm drunk when I start this ocean talk." - Rumi Robin Turner IDMYO Bilkent �niversitesi Ankara 06533 http://www.bilkent.edu.tr/~robin
Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com
