On Fri, 2003-04-18 at 20:18, Ian D. Stewart wrote: > On Fri, 2003-04-18 at 15:38, bob parker wrote: > > On Fri, 18 Apr 2003 16:17, Mark L. Kahnt wrote: > > > > > That is why I despise most reviews that just speak of the installation > > > process. The vast majority of the time with a system is not involved in > > > installing it (hopefully) but actually doing operating tasks, be it > > > financial management, program coding, scientific data analysis, or porn > > > surfing ;) > > > > Spot on. > > > > > My friend I wrote about is not ready to administer his own computer - > > > Windows, Mac or Linux. I would offer that most people over 30 aren't > > > ready to administer their own computers because they didn't get the > > > exposure to that side of using them when young. > > > > FWIW I'm 64. I migrated from W98SE to Mdk 8.2 in May last year. Went from > > there to Woody last July. (Via a brief interlude with Potato after a corrupt > > Woddy install disc plus my mistake trashed my setup.) > > > > We seniors are often resistant to change. As far as I am concerned that fear > > of change is nothing more than fear of death in disguise. Once we wake up to > > that we can embrace change just as we did when younger. > > I think alot depends on the individual. My 85 y/o grandfather is one of > the most astute power users I know. Not an insignificant > accomplishment, considering that prior to buying his first computer in > '96, he had been typing his sermons on the same manual typewriter for > the last 40 years. > > > Ian Sermons? Must be using divine guidance ;) That said, I think everyone would still concur that these case are on the fortunate ones that have taken the effort to learn how to manage and run the system. Most people, however, are not interested or willing to act as hackers of their systems, and most definitely not interested in learning the ins and outs of administering, regardless of the o/s. The user I wrote about, if he had to administer his Linux machine, would not be running Linux, period. Linux administration is too complex for him, and he is typical. Windows administration - when I tell him where to go and what to play with - he has managed, but I am not sure I could get him to cope with su'ing to root, launching *any* editor on a file on /etc, and sorting out what changes to make even with the heavily self-documented files now common. He has thus far left any text session stuff to me, even with DOS under Windows. I could do some of this stuff with various gui tools, but it keeps him impressed and thinking that I know my stuff ;) Maybe someday that will change for him, but even if it does for him, my view is "why should it?" He, and most others, use computers for a handful of tasks dealing with information - accessing, digesting or archiving it. Or games. They aren't looking to play with the logic concepts, interfaces, or technological constructs in a direct way. But give them a Linux system set up and gently supervised by someone benevolent, and most modern interfaces on X11 will present them with a system that is fine for them to accomplish their tasks in totally intuitive ways. -- Mark L. Kahnt, FLMI/M, ALHC, HIA, AIAA, ACS, MHP ML Kahnt New Markets Consulting Tel: (613) 531-8684 / (613) 539-0935 Email: kahnt@hosehead.dyndns.org
Attachment:
signature.asc
Description: This is a digitally signed message part