Re: Comment on article - Switching Back.
On Wed, Jul 17, 2002 at 01:05:56PM -0400, Kurt Yoder wrote:
> Larry Smith said:
[snip]
>
> I must say, I can't understand the basis for this type of argument. People
> say "Linux is for power users only; don't use it if you want a
> consumer-grade OS". However, where is it written that an OS is "either or"?
> Why can't Linux be a consumer-grade OS *and* for power users. All that it
> would take would be to hide the complexities of the setup for basic users,
> but leave them exposed for people who want that.
>
> I definitely want the "unwashed masses" to start using Free OS's. This makes
> it impossible for companies like MS to hijack computing behaviour, etc. I
> don't think that any sacrifice has to be made by "power users" to reach this
> goal.
>
Linux is a version of UNIX and a version of UNIX is already being marketed to
the masses.
Look at OS X, the current standard OS for the Macintosh. Get hold of a Mac
running OS X, and run the program "Terminal". Look around. See all the UNIX
stuff. Then back off and see the GUI. All this can be done in GNU/Linux.
Apple is piggy backing on some open source UNIX. This piggy backing will give
the Mac and Apple a real cost advantage over any computer maker that licenses
a Microsoft OS.
Is a sysadmin really necessary for a consumer grade computer? In my opinion,
maybe not. Maybe a market will develop for preconfigured computers. When a
dumb user messes up the config of his computer, he will go back to the
computer store and buy new, better computer to replace his 'broken' one.
Where does a sysadmin fit into such a world?
Maybe Debian, with its wonderfully flexible install system will become a way
of rescuing 'broken' computers from the trash heap, and giving them a second
life.
--
Paul E Condon
pecondon@quiknet.com
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