Re: New to Linux
--- On Sat, 4/16/11, Andrei Popescu <andreimpopescu@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Vi, 15 apr 11, 22:26:54, Patrick
> Bartek wrote:
> >
> > So, I stand by my initial statement that Debian is not
> suitable for
> > the Linux firsttimer. I would never recommend it
> to a noobie. With
> > Debian, you need to know, at least somewhat, what
> you're doing.
>
> For mere users (no administration) Debian stable is
> wonderful IMVHO.
>
> It should also work if someone knowledgeable does the
> initial install
> and major upgrades and let the user do only security
> updates
> (update-manager or even completely automated).
I wasn't referring to Linux users, those knowledgeable, either a little or a lot, in Linux. My statement was about those who know nothing about Linux, not just nothing about Debian, almost all of whom are Windows users, who unfortunately expect Linux to work like Windows, since Windows is the only OS they have experience with. Of course, they soon discover that Linux is not Windows. It's a death spiral for most from there on, and they quickly are back with Windows, never to try Linux again because "it doesn't work." Here's a typical example:
I did a default install of Debian 6 for testing purposes totally unrelated to what is being discussed here. One of the first things that didn't work, sort of, was Flash. I, of course, expected this. A Windows user would not. Gnash had been installed by default. I purged it and installed the proprietary Flash. A Windows user would not have known what to do, since, because of Gnash, there was no pop-up notifying the user that a plugin was needed, "Click here to install," etc.
Of course, this isn't specifically a Debian issue. This type of "problem" applies to almost all Linux distros. However, there are a few that "work out of the box" and come configured with most everything needed (proprietory and open source, both) by the typical noobie to start using Linux immediately after installing, just like Windows. Two that come to mind are PCLinuxOS, which is the one I recommend for noobs, and Mint Linux, which I only have cursory experience with.
Windows users are accustomed to being lead around by the hand, not having to think or RTFM. And until Linux contends with those issues, Linux, generally, will never be noob-friendly.
B
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