Re: I can't beleive this
At 12:43 PM 3/14/99 -0800, George Bonser wrote:
>On Sun, 14 Mar 1999, Marcus Brinkmann wrote:
>
>> It will insist of *erasing* the complete disk, *repartitioning* it to one
>> big partition, and then install DOS.
>>
>> It will NOT let you do anything else. It checks if there are other
>> partitions, and won't install, but suggest to delete them.
>>
>> it says "the disk is not prepared for MS-DOS...."
>
>And if Linux did the same thing instead of trying to tip-toe around
>existing operating systems the install would be quite easy.
Well, I'm still not sure about that. I agree that partitioning is a pain
and in itself could be enough to convince a newbie to go no further. But
having partitioned the disk we have finished tip-toeing around other OS.
Haven't we ?
Having overcome the partitioning issues, the installation is still a pain.
My experience with Linux is limited to Debian having started with the
frozen Bo. Since then I have had to reinstall at least 20+ times because I
simply didn't understand the options that were being given to me during the
install and thus configured the system wrongly.
Again I would like to suggest that the install could be made much easier
with a couple of (not necessarily simple) changes. For instance, providing
a kernal with SB16/AWE32/AWE64 support already present and working. Same
also with PPP which most people want - if they didn't have modems they
wouldn't be on the net and so, probably, wouldn't have discovered Linux
anyway.
During the install itself there are too many packages being put on the
system IMHO. Why not install just ae (or joe or ee or ...) instead of all
of these "easy to use editors" plus emacs plus vi plus xemacs ? Why not,
if a X type setup has been chosen just install Netscape (plus maybe Lynx)
instead of NS, Lynx, Mozilla, W3 etc ... These sorts of examples just go
on and on.
In my mind, the current installation process takes an already difficult to
understand procedure, multiplies the difficulty factor by 10, adds some
(sometimes) poor configuration scripts and then asks a mouse jockey to "go
get it boy - it's easy"
I don't know about anybody else but I keep asking myself why, if the
installation is as easy as the propaganda suggests, so many newbies keep
asking the same questions ? There is no point responding this time that it
is because they haven't read the documentation because to be quite honest
the documentation is fantastic _after_ you have installed 4 or 5 times and
got the hang of it (and providing you know more about computers than just
how to turn them on) but very, very confusing and difficult otherwise.
I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy my experience of Linux the Debian way
but I only got there through massive amounts of reading, asking, learning
and, above all else, sheer bloody determination that I wasn't going to let
a little thing like installing an operating system get the better of me.
This is too much too ask someone to go through just to satisfy their
curiosity as to whether Linux does offer a viable alternative.
Sorry for the rant :)
Ivan.
PS. I am aware that installing an OS is not a little thing but that comment
sums up how I felt. BTW, the reason I perservere now with Linux is that I
can see the potential and still refuse to be beaten. I figure if even one
other person can make the whole thing work then so can I. I will not stop
until I win.
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