EXTREMELY well stated, Kevin... On Sun, 2007-01-14 at 21:49 +0000, Kevin Donnelly wrote: > On Sunday 14 January 2007 15:15, Jan Elders wrote:XTRE > > I think HG made a valid point. > > Look at the various threads in this list from newbies who are desparate and > > lost how to get for instance their DVD working. > > Yes, for you (and me) it is quite simple because we know what actions we > > must take in advance to gets things working ( see analogy with the car), > > but have you forgotten the first time when you (probably) also had to > > search and inquire before you had things going ? > > I think one of the problems is that many new users come along and expect to > be > told exactly what to do in their specific situation to solve whatever problem > they're having. "If Linux is as good as Windows, it must be able to do this > - I haven't done much googling or reading, but I think you should tell me the > answer right now." The response may come across as arrogant, but that is > because the original request may have been a bit arrogant - how many posts > have there been on this list about codecs (which is why the DVD may not be > working - see (4) below) over the last 6 months? It might be polite to read > some of them before asking again. > > New users, please remember: > > (1) You spent a lot of time learning about Microsoft Windows (and swearing at > it, and reinstalling drivers, and sanitising it, and ...) - you have to > expect to invest some time in experimentation, finding out what YaST can do, > etc. > > (2) Why?, you might say. Because you are interested in Linux for a purpose - > namely, to redress some of the perceived problems with Microsoft Windows. > Linux is not a "Windows + better security + no-cost software" - it's a lot > more than that, and it is also a community. Step outside the proprietary box > you are used to - you may find the first steps disconcerting, but freedom > opens up better vistas than Vista. > > (3) If you think info is too hard to find, do your bit for others coming > after > you, and write a page on the wiki to document dealing with specific problems > (of course, if people don't read it - cf (1) above - you may be giving > "arrogant" answers yourself in a few months ...). > > (4) If you are annoyed with multimedia problems, don't complain here, and > don't slag off the distro and/or Linux, baecause that is not where the > problem lies. Instead, write to the manufacturers of every piece of media > equipment you bought or own, and ask them to provide the option to use open > formats. Write to your legislators asking them to outlaw consumer lock-in > via closed formats. This will take too much of your valuable time, you say? > Not as much time as people have put in trying to create open formats and work > around closed ones, with users still complaining because the world is as it > is, and not how they want it to be. > > (5) The first responsibility for free software users is to accept > responsibility - if proprietary formats are stopping you doing what you > want, stop using them, make a big fuss about it, try to persuade others not > to use them, buy only equipment that allows open formats as well (even if it > costs another $10, and you have to wait a week for it to be delivered), etc. > Big companies like to peddle the myth that the computer user is a consumer, > and go on to make an artificial distinction between the users/consumers and > themselves, the "producers" or "content providers". Proprietary formats are > a prime tool in this - if you see no problem with them, you will probably > have difficulty ever adjusting to a non-proprietary world. > > On Sunday 14 January 2007 18:22, Stevens wrote: > > And therein lies the problem: the "look down your nose" attitude of most > > Linux nerds about the development of user-friendly tools and GUIs. There > > are vast numbers of computer owners out there who use M$ because it works > > for them without requiring much in the way of computer skills and until > > such time that a Linux distro comes along that offers the same ease of > > use, Linux will stay in the background. > > My dear man/boy/girl/woman - there are millions of people using Linux > "because > it works for them". Do you think they are all having delusional fantasies? > No-one is suggesting that you must pass the Eight Levels of Geekiness to be > allowed to lay your hands on the One True OS - that is your interpretation of > the need to experiment a bit rather than pressing "OK" (see (1) above). > > The reason why you may need to experiment a bit (choose a different app, a > different configuration, etc) is because Linux allows you to do a huge number > of things that you are not allowed to do in proprietary systems, or which > would be very expensive there. It's a bit like being in a car rather than on > a train - you can see all that nice countryside from a train, but you can't > go there .... > > -- > Pob hwyl / Best wishes > > Kevin Donnelly > > www.kyfieithu.co.uk - KDE yn Gymraeg > www.eurfa.org.uk - Geiriadur rhydd i'r Gymraeg > www.rhedadur.org.uk - Rhedeg berfau Cymraeg > www.cymrux.org.uk - Linux Cymraeg ar un CD
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