Re: I can't beleive this
<snip>
I just have to get in on this thread ... :)
> I have no respect for those people. Yes, a computer is a tool. But
>lets drop in a few other examples.
>
> Say... a car. A car is a tool. People don't want to learn, they don't
>want to have to learn how to drive, they certainly don't want stick shifts.
>Wait, they don't want to learn how to drive... Well, do you want to be on
>the road with those people? I don't.
Not quite the same thing IMHO :)
People don't mind learning to drive - some people will even go the extra
mile (/pun) and learn to use a stick shift BUT just to drive a car I don't
want to learn to be a panel beater, a painter, a mechanic and etc ... Given
the basics I just want to get in and drive and I'm sure other people feel
the same way.
In a computer context most people want to turn the thing on, plug in a CD
and voila - there's an operating system - configured and operating. The
hard part after that should ONLY be (IMHO) learning to use the specific
application programme.
Regardless of the endless denigration of the quality of Windows and MS
behomoth, no-one can deny that this above all else has made the computer
usable for far more people than would otherwise be the case.
Referring to the numerous discussions on popularising Linux in general and
Debian in particular I think we should give a lot more respect to the
"point & click mouse jockeys". They outnumber the geeks & nerds of this
world at a guess by 10 to 1.
>
> How about... a tablesaw. A tablesaw is a tool. People don't want to
>learn, they don't want to have to learn how to configure it, they certainly
>don't want fine grained control. But, gee, if you don't know how to
>configure it then, guess what, you lose a few fingers. I'm sure the trauma
>centers around the world would much prefer these people to learn.
See above ... the table saw is a specific application - to use it one
doesn't have to know how to build a shed to put it in, grow the trees that
provide the wood or even how to assemble the darn thing out of the box.
The shed complete with racking and nice doors and windows, electricity,
lighting and maybe airconditioning/heating/fans is the operating system.
Not my problem.
The table saw is an application within that operating system - that's my
problem.
It doesn't matter if there are drills and lathes and planes that offer me
(potentially) far more control over the finished product. The fact that
they exist and offer the chance for my crumby bit of backyard work to end
up a work of art shouldn't preclude my option to turn out a crumby bit of
backyard work.
I have been using Linux for almost 12 months (Debian from the start) and
enjoy the challenge to a certain extent. But for plain old ease of use and
configuration I stick to windows. To be quite honest, the endless fiddling
and hacking involved with Linux often gets too much for me. But I
understand that it is a volunteer effort and those people are perfectly
entitled to code as much or as little as they choose. I'm eternally
grateful that they choose to code at all !
We all, I feel, need to bear in mind that Joe Average really does want to
sit down, turn on and work right from day 1. <Ivan dons asbestos suit>
Windows in every experience I've had from 3.0 or earlier offers this.
Debian/GNU Linux and, for all I know every other distribution, does not
offer this. </flame bait>.
Ivan.
>
> So I ask you, what makes a computer, a tool more complex than any other
>in human history, the only one EXCEPT from training?
>
>- --
> Steve C. Lamb | I'm your priest, I'm your shrink, I'm your
> ICQ: 5107343 | main connection to the switchboard of souls.
>-
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