Pardon my heresy, but I don't think Linux will make it as a viable
alternative desktop for the masses (no offense intended) for the following
reasons:
1) the Linux community is too decentralized.
2) there are no such things as standards, even defacto standards - Cut &
Paste is an example - there is not even any social pressure for developers
to adhere to a standard.
3) window managers make things too different - a nightmare for the corporate
world, even though you're running Mandrake (or Debian, or whatever) your
window manager makes the environment foreign to anyone that doesn't run that
window manager.
4) Linux developers work for free and are not subject to the same QA that
Apple is subject to.
5) Linux developers work for free; consequently their incentives to create
and contribute are different
6) Linux users in general would probably balk if they had to actually pay
for software
7) the average computer user is *required* to make *a lot* of effort
understanding how to "operate" the machine. The complexity is not
sufficiently hidden from them when needed
8) there is a certain amount of elitism within the Linux community in
general which distains the stereotypical "aol/microsoft" user (no offense,
just an observation)
9) Linux is inherently a programmers/developers environment and
*specifically* geared to those kinds of folks
10) talk like what I'm doing here is not well received by the Linux
community in general
Again, don't get me wrong I really, really like Linux (& window managers)
and I would really like to see it be a viable alternative desktop. But from
my personal observations & (painful) personal experience and knowing the
expectations & abilities of my friends & family, it's not there yet. I
don't expect it to be there in the next 5 to 10 years (even considering
internet time). I think there will need to be a broad change in perception
among the Linux folks about the "computing world for average folks" before
that will happen. Unfortunately, I think Linux will have to be backwardly
compatible with MAC and Windows - whatever that means.
ps: I've just installed HelixGnome (www.helixgnome.com) and it looks really
good though I haven't had a chance to use it yet!
-----Original Message-----
From: Jay [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2000 2:56 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [newbie] Microsoft and George W. Bush
On Tue, 26 Sep 2000, you wrote:
--
Pardon my French, but who gives a s**t. Let Microcrap do what they want.
Let's face it, they have had ZERO innovation since the release of Windoze
95.
Each "upgrade" is basically cosmetic with a few OEM packages thrown in for
added "benefits". Windoze ME is worthless and not necessary. Let them act
how
they want, they will get theirs in the end. Once other OS's (Linux, the new
OS
X) start to take off in the desktop market, they will be forced to
react....but
remember, everything Microsoft has they bought or stole from
somebody...let's
see 'em try to buy Linux. I think Gates might have to look up Open-source
in a
dictionary.
Jay
"May the sound of happy music, And the lilt of Irish laughter, fill your
heart with gladness, that stays forever after."
"May the enemies of Ireland never meet a friend."
http://www.mrsnooky.com
