Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

["Bill Geschwind" <geschwin AT email.unc.edu>]

And it's a mentality like that that will keep OSS from making the leap
from something only for programmers/sysadmins into something for the
mainstream. The commoners who these days use (and abuse) Windows don't
know the first thing about programming, and once you put them in front
of a Linux box with what to them looks like a bewildering GUI they will
complain and whine about it without end, but they won't have the
patience or inclination to work through the rather steep learning curve
to learn how to program and modify the UI to their own liking. I have
used and admind Windows for more than 14 years but only have been
putting a serious attempt into learning and using Linux since January,
and as a Linux n00B I have to second Alan's sentiment that to the
uninitiated Linux is a pain in the ass, and quite a royal one at that!
(Installing it has become rather easy, however what to do from there is
where the PITA starts).

- Bill


-----Original Message-----
From: internetworkers-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:internetworkers-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Tanner
Lovelace
Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2004 8:44 AM
To: Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/
Subject: Users' responsibilities (was Re: [internetworkers] WalMart Sun
Linux)


Alan MacHett said the following on 4/6/04 11:31 PM:
> And the hope in the arrangement isn't intended to "bring anything 
> positive to Linux."  People use the tool, not the other way around.  
> No wonder Linux is such a pain in the ass; the maintainers/creators 
> haven't gotten past the notion that it's only for programmers and 
> sysadmins.  Open Source does not mean do-it-yourself.  The end user 
> shouldn't be penalized for the politics of the creators.  If anything,

> Linux will be improved by the arrangement, by the needs and desires of

> consumers.  M$ continues to expect lazy consumers to apply patches to 
> it's buggy proprietary products; "here's our new product; deal with 
> it."  But I'd like to think Open Source would say, "here's our 
> product; how can we improve it?"

Alan, I think you have it completely backwards.  Open Source developers
do what they do because they like doing it.  They aren't writing the
code for other people, they're writing it for themselves.  It's the user
that has the responsibility to join the community if they want to reap
the benefits of Open Source.  I could go on, but I think this post from
my coworker Ben Reed sums it up much better than I could:

http://ranger.befunk.com/blog/archives/000119.html

Cheers,
Tanner
-- 
Tanner Lovelace       | Don't move! Or I'll fill ya full of... little
lovelace AT wayfarer.org | yellow bolts of light! - Commander John Crichton
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