Re: A good charge against free operating systems
Frédéric Aguiard wrote:
[ ... ]
> > The Great Myth of {Uni,Linu}x is that it's `too hard to use', which is
> > Not True. The problem is that it's difficult (not `too difficult') to
> > _learn_. The effort spent in learning early on is repaid
> > several times
> > over later on.
>
> I acknowledge. Though, problems are :
>
> 1.)
> Most people have been taught in school using MS products, whereas using
> {Uni,Linu}x is mostly taught in higher technical level schools (at least in
> France). Even if this might change in the years to come [ and I hope so ;)
> ], people naturally tend to use what they already know. Lazyness is part of
> the human nature, I guess.
True.
> A small sample ? Everybody learns to use a qwerty (or azerty for us
> frenchies) keyboard. Even if this keyboard pattern has been especially
> designed to be counter-productive (it was to avoid too fast keystrokes and
> jams on remingtons).
Actually, qwerty was especially designed to be productive (not
counter-productive). On previous keyboards, typists pressed keys in too
quick sucession and jammed the mechanism, which was counter-productive.
qwerty was the _most_ (not least) productive solution to that problem.
No-one's come up with a better keyboard layout. Dvorak's not really a
keyboard layout, more of a whole new keyboard. Again, from what I've
heard, dvorak's relatively hard to learn (anyone can type a `x' on my
keyboard, just look for the `x' key, not so fast on a dvorak), but
faster to use when it's been learned.
> In a work environment, people are often under pressure : they need to be
> efficient, and quickly. So taking a short time learning a tool designed to
> be easily learned (eg, Word) may be prefered to taking maybe more time
> learning a more efficient tool. Even if it is less profitable on the long
> term. People mostly act with a short term vision.
True.
> Note that the introduction of tools like StarOffice, more or less similar in
> use to MS Office, has done a lot to promote linux on the secretary desktops.
Agreed.
> [Even if I personnaly think StarOffice is a big piece of crap, mostly
> because it tries to mimic MS Office :)]
:) ditto, especially the way it tries to be the whole MS desktop thing.
> But someone who knows a lot about Word can still be quite productive, even
> if he would have been more efficient with emacs.
Fair point
> Btw, I regularly finf my self typing ":q!" in Word. Seems like I've got some
> wired-reflexes now :)
I do this in emacs. I keep finding programs won't compile because ZZ
isn't a recognised variable :)
> > Just a mid-morning rant, ignore it if you want :)
>
> Why ignoring interesting posts ?
Don't, if you think it's interesting. If you think it' a load of
rubbish, do, with no harm done.
HAND ;)
Stephen
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