Re: How is typical home computer used today?
On 09/12/2014, Bret Busby <bret.busby@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 09/12/2014, Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> wrote:
>> In a thread titled "Re: 9p/plumber to replace D-Bus?"
>> berenger.morel@neutralite.org wrote:
>> [[🔎] 3d6a00a1c8bddc88b517b4e19cc681dd@neutralite.org">https://lists.debian.org/[🔎] 3d6a00a1c8bddc88b517b4e19cc681dd@neutralite.org]>
>>
>>
>>>
>>> Le 08.12.2014 14:18, Marty a écrit :
>>>> [SNIP]
>>>> Multi-seat PC and other
>>>> anachronisms probably have to go away.
>>
>> Exactly what is meant by "Multi-seat PC"?
>> I'm working on defining a heavily customized personal
>> installation of Debian. One of the *STRONG* underlying
>> assumptions is the the machine would only ever be used by a
>> specific individual. One of the underlying motivations is
>> personally understanding the the guts of Linux.
>>
>>> [snip]
>>>
>>> About anachronism... you should read about what is the minitel*,
>>> and then, consider thinking about how most people uses their
>>> computers ;)
>>>
>>> *: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minitel
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Is there any current survey of people actually use computers today?
>> My personal usage would be email, web browsing, and some number
>> crunching. I would explicitly avoid installing anything that
>> would act as a server when connected to a network.
>>
>>
>
> I believe that an appropriate response to the question of the subject
> field, is, to reword the quote from Plato's Phaedrus, to
> "And, what is typical, and, what is not typical?"
>
> Similarly, "What is normal?"
>
> Do such concepts really exist, in the real world?
>
> Surely, as most people are different to each other, sowould their uses
> and expectations of computers, be different, would they not?
>
> One site (/ household or other unit) may have a LANM, which involves a
> gateway/firewall server, a mailserver, a print server, etc, and,
> separate LAN nodes, another may have a similar LAN, but without one or
> more of the servers, another may have a printer that has its own IP
> address within the :LAN, acting as a network printer, rather than a
> local printer, etc.
>
> Regrading the functionality of each particular computer, one computer
> may be used for financial accounting for the household or individual,
> and for office suite stuff, and for other uses; another may be
> configured for vidoe calls, using something like Skype or WebRTC
> stuff, etc, another may be configured (including the hardware
> configuration) to be used for watching aerial television, another may
> be used for running one version of one distribution of Linux, or
> another version of the same distribution, or, a different distribution
> of Linux, or another operating system, such as a BSD version of UNIX,
> etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
>
> Just because one person may decide that what that person does with a
> computer, is "normal", and, "typical", does not mean that others would
> so use their computers.
>
> And, apart from the aspect of "What is typical", what is a "home computer"?
>
> Is is a single computer for a whole household, so that the houshold
> has only one computer, to be shared by all members of the household,
> with only a single account, or, a computer with an account for each
> user, or, a computer with a separate account for each role of each
> user? Is a "home computer, a "desktop" computer, a "portable"
> computer, a "laptop" computer, a "notebook" computer, a "tablet"
> computer, or, a "games" computer, such as a nintendo 64 (once regarded
> as the most powerfulcomputer likely to be found in a household), or, a
> "smart phone", or, a "smart television", which, amongst other
> applications, provides use as a termional to the World Wide Web?
>
> So, the answer here, is, Read the quotation in my signature".
>
> --
> Bret Busby
> Armadale
> West Australia
> ..............
>
> "So once you do know what the question actually is,
> you'll know what the answer means."
> - Deep Thought,
> Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
> "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
> A Trilogy In Four Parts",
> written by Douglas Adams,
> published by Pan Books, 1992
>
> ....................................................
>
Oh, and, from what I understand, unless the statistics have changed,
regarding the
"
consider thinking about how most people uses their
>>> computers ;)
"
from what I understand, "most people" who "use computers" do not use
Linux as the operating system, and, most people who "use computers",
do not know what is Linux.
I could be wrong, but my understanding is that somewhere around 80-90%
of people who "use computers", use operating systems other than Linux.
Whether we like it or not, that is my understanding of "most people"
who "use computers" - they probably believe that Linux is the name of
some kind of cat or something.
--
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............
"So once you do know what the question actually is,
you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
Chapter 28 of Book 1 of
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
A Trilogy In Four Parts",
written by Douglas Adams,
published by Pan Books, 1992
....................................................
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