RE: Open Source Supported Graphics Cards
On Monday, August 14, 2006 6:23 PM -0500, Katipo wrote:
> Seth Goodman wrote:
>
> > You are the sysadmin for these two Windows-type users, which is
> > the only environment in which they can realistically use Debian.
> > Take away the sysadmin or Linux mentor and the chances of them
> > being able to configure a system that is as useful to them as
> > their Windows boxes are slim to none.
> >
> When I started out, all I had to master were the intracacies of
> apt-get.
You just lost 80%+ of the Windows crowd right there.
> Gnome gave me everything else I needed to be productive.
> If I needed a word processor or spreadsheeting facility, it was
> there. Frankly, I got a lot of stuff, as you do with Windows, that
> I didn't need. But with Gnome, I found I could remove what I didn't
> want, and that potential is what got me started.
> With Windows, you don't do that because you're not allowed to.
>
> The only things I had to go fishing for were aspects such as sound.
> This bothered me initially, but I've found, over time, that
> evolution is a process that brings its own rewards.
> Initially, it might seem like a big investment.
This is the attitude of most people with technical aptitude. You're
forgetting that most computer users do not have technical aptitude, they
have no interest in getting it and therefore they are not going to get
it. For them, investing time is, sadly, a rather complete waste. They
more or less refuse to learn any basics of computer technology, or if
they try, they are unsuccessful, so they are unable to understand why
the system operates the way it does. They can memorize a few things, if
they must, like they do with their Windows boxes. Anything more than
that is not going to happen, no matter how many times you and I tell
them it will serve them well in the long run.
> But in time, if your sys admin only needs to take care of his/her
> server, this means a greater saving for any IT department.
Most employers of mine would disagree with you. They prefer engineers
to do engineering, managers to manage and customer service staff to talk
to customers. Paying any of these groups to become amateur sysadmins
turns out to be a rather poor investment and leaves real work undone.
That's why IT departments exist.
> A 'mentor' is not a permanent position, and many of us never even
> had one beside this list.
That's because you had the aptitude and desire to learn. If you didn't
have this ability, you could never be self-sufficient and would always
need the guru. I'd say that everybody on this list has the ability and
desire to learn, and some are here to teach as well. I'm also saying
that most non-technical computer users are not capable of learning
Debian, as it exists today. While some may disagree, I consider that a
problem.
--
Seth Goodman
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