I repair/reconfig/support all kinds of MS Windows machines - in home and
corporate environments - I can't begin to tell you how many times I've
experienced the exact same thing - but with MS Windows (all versions).
Believe me, I know. Installing a clean copy of Win XP on the same machine is no picnic either...it's pretty unusable until I do some driver installs. BUT, (a) few users install Windows themselves, and (b) those drivers are on a CD that came with the machine. Granted, most Linux distros get most or all of the hardware working without additional drivers, but getting those last few is tricky.
I had NO intention of suggesting Windows was better. Just this: I'd like to convince some Windows users to switch to Linux. To do that, short of buying new hardware, they have to install it. If I can say, "install this distro and you should be fine," and they can get the CDs and have a good install experience, they might switch. If the install doesn't work, or gets scary, they'll abandon the idea. It's anything but a level playing field, but for today's non-technical Windows users to switch to Linux it has to be easy to install (including partitioning an existing Windows box to be dual-boot) in a way that Windows itself isn't.
I can't stress enough about knowing your hardware prior to booting up a
GNU/linux distribution - and at least having enough familiarity with the
devices connected to the machine so you can MAKE proper judgements and
have your installation go accordingly.
Again, that can only go so far if novice users are to switch over from Windows. If their core drivers - video, input, primary storage - are supported out of the box and they have to find drivers for one or two additional devices, that might be OK. But if they have to tinker just to get a base level of functionality they will think Linux is too hard at best, and broken at worst. Again, I'd like to find a distro that I can recommend across the board as a good option and figure that 90% of those who install it will get at least that base level of functionality.
And in addition, it's not just that some devices aren't supported by Mandrake on my test system - I simply haven't been able to install it successfully, after multiple tries, while I have been able to install most other distros.
Jumping in head first without testing the water is ALWAYS a bad idea - and true opinions cannot be rendered from such an experience.
So does that mean that Linux simply isn't ready for end users unless they buy a machine with it pre-installed?
Just for rote, I have better luck installing MDK on machines (all types,
all configurations) than I do with MS Windows (Win98 thru WinXP) and a
higher percentage of success with the MDK installs (oh, and I forgot to
mention all the RH servers I have to deal with in my biz as well).
Again, Windows users rarely install their own OS.
Not trying to be overly negative, just really hoping I can find a distro that's ready for mass install and consumption since I like Linux. :-)
--Dave
____________________________________________________ Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com Join the Club : http://www.mandrakeclub.com ____________________________________________________
