On Fri, Jul 12, 2002 at 05:40:14PM +0000, Kristian A. Rink wrote:
| Actually, being into computers for quite some time now, I am then
| and now a fan of the idea that there should be an 'administrator'
| and a 'user'.
Hear, hear.
| I don't think it's a good thing to create an operating system that
| might be installed even in case the person installing it doesn't at
| all know what to do
This goes for other software too. For example MS Exchange or MS
LookOut.
| Thus, perhaps it would be good not to too much import the
| "everyone needs to be able to install it" - concept out of the MS
| Windows world but to rather stick to an idea of "you'll get a system
| that just _works_ and lets you _work_, there's always someone who will
| set it up for you so you don't have to care about this".
ACK. The *user* only needs to know a few things and how to respond to
various error conditions that can occur.
The *admin* needs to know everything and how to deal with it and how
to coherently explain to the users just what the user really
needs/wants to know.
The *user* is not the *admin*, except for the admin himself. (and the
admin himself won't want a stinkin' gui that can't do what needs to be
done)
[...]
| are tied to use an installer which doesn't allow doing what
| needs to be done. This is basically bad.
Congratulations, you've just explained the inner workings of MS
Windows. :-)
While I agree with the notion that "computers are for everybody", I
don't agree with the notion that "computer *administration* is for
everybody". How many of the people driving cars on the highway know
how to rebuild one when the engine falls apart? How many can build it
in the first place? (I know I can't) The point is that the user is
one thing, and the mechanic is another. Just try and imagine what it
would look like if car manufacturers had to build oil that can change
itself regardless of what the user does to it and without a mechanic
in the vicinity :-).
On Fri, Jul 12, 2002 at 02:05:41PM -0500, Ron Johnson wrote:
| On Fri, 2002-07-12 at 13:29, Sven Heinicke wrote:
| > Yea Mike, that is what I'm on about. I want to know the inner
| > workings. But most people don't
|
| Amen, brother! My wife doesn't give a tiny rat's arse about how
| computers work... She wants to send email, surf the web, and listen
| to MP3s. So: GNOME, evolution, mozilla, gqmpeg and she's happy.
Once again, proper separation of admin and user.
-D
--
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your
paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
http://dman.ddts.net/~dman/
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