Re: LiteStep and Linux themes as paired tools to help folks move to Linux?

Roy,

You are very verbose can I get that -v instead of -vvvvv.
kidding.

Like said before LS does help user migrate to linux but, normally not directly.
Helps people be comfortable editing text files to make changes to there system.
Teachs about what community means.
Teaching that you can have your system your way.
etc

Antoine said:
The main difference is which apps can
run, the way to install apps, the way to configure stuff, the way to
install new hardware and
other things that depend on the capabilities of the kernel and on the
software environment.

Here I would have to agree and it more complicated than that in reality.
What distro are you going to try to replicate there are hundreds.
Fedora, Slack,Gentoo, Debian, Ubuntu, Mandriva, OpenSuse, Linspire,
LFS, and Xandros. Those are just the ones i can think of off the top
of my head. Some like LFS and Gentoo are you compile the whole system
and not doable. There are some major and minor differences between all
the ones I listed. Like package system fedora uses RPM. Debian and
Ubuntu use DEB. Windows doesn't even have a built-in package system
and no MSI doesn't count cause you can just pick the apps to install
you have to hunt them down and then install them. Windows-get is
something like this but it is not a part of the system.

I'm not trying to scare people away from linux a lot of it is similiar
but there are differences that can not easily be cloned on windows.
And besides this thread is about LS.


Anyway, start your project(s) call for help to the community, make LS
better, breath life back into it. Don't worry about linux so much you
are helping just not directly but in ways that really matter.

Joshua L. Blocher
verbalshadow

On 8/18/07, Roy Gathercoal <[email protected]> wrote:
> Joshua, Wendy, Darrin, thanks for the comments.
>
> On your first point, Joshua, I was going on the estimate by Antoine that
> most of the Linux coders still use Windows for some things. If there are
> a number of qualified coders who use both platforms, finding programmers
> shouldn't be an impossible task.
>
> As to the "why help Linux?" point:
>
> (1) We will "save" LiteStep by getting more people using LiteStep. One
> very big way of doing that is through good press (especially popular
> blogs, mags and online special interest sites. I am not a proponent of
> the "all press is good press" position. Yet it is clear that "little
> press is certainly not good press").
>
> One reason more people are not using LiteStep now is that they have
> never heard of it.
>
> One of the biggest hot topics of the Century (well, at least so far) is
> whether enough people will bail from Microsoft (instead of migrating to
> Vista) that it will even be noticed by Microsoft. LiteStep is perfectly
> situated to provide one thing on the wish list of (at least) hundreds of
> thousands of computer users worldwide: A way to make XP look and act
> more like Vista.
>
> If even a fraction of these people read a few computer magazine/software
> reviewers/"what's new in computing" blogs, LiteStep will grow. Assuming
> that the themes we have constructed for this purpose are of high
> quality, some number of users will look around the site, and even come
> back to take a closer look, later. Exposure on our terms is almost
> always a good thing.
>
> For example, on LS Universe I notice that "Obsidian" has been downloaded
> just over 2k times. The next theme, a OSx-look-like theme has been
> downloaded over 1k times. The third through tenth themes on the "most
> downloaded" list range from about 650 to about 440 downloads.
>
> Demand by the users is an extremely important piece of the "how to make
> a theme site grow" goal book. Wouldn't there be a new buzz and new life
> generated by, say, even 5k new visitors--just 10% of my conservative
> estimate of new viewers? Wouldn't it be a huge shot in the arm for
> LiteStep if theme authors all of a sudden saw a ten-fold increase in
> their theme views and downloads?
>
> How likely would it be that new LiteStep coders might emerge/make
> themselves known/become more energized as a result of seeing this
> extreme increase in traffic?
>
> Even if you accept the argument that every person introduced to Linux is
> lost to LiteStep (a conclusion I'm not at all ready to accept) a smaller
> slice of a much bigger pie is still many more people eating dessert!
>
> (2) Not all of those poking around and looking at the Windows-Linux
> paired themes that will be the buzz on all those technology blogs will
> decide to go with Linux. Certainly not everyone who uses Linux will give
> up Windows entirely. Some of those who come to look around will be
> tempted by the great display of some major-league themes and will enjoy
> the price tag. Some percentage of those will browse around the fora.
>
> Further, those "early adopters" who do make the switch to Linux will be
> "the computer person" for several other users, many of whom will not
> move to Linux in the near future, if at all. If they have just been
> marveling on how wonderful LiteStep is, and how they wish they had known
> about it when they were still a full-time Windows user, it is likely
> they will recommend us to their friends and to those who look to these
> early adopters for advice.
>
> Wouldn't it be helpful if computer magazine articles started
> consistently adding a "If you're not quite ready for Linux" sidebar,
> talking about how some of the advantages of Linux could be achieved
> through LiteStep?
>
> (3) The idea that a theme can be functional, that is, a given theme's
> design might help users perform certain sorts of work more effectively,
> could only help us.
>
> The best themes are not "just a pretty face", any more! As more and more
> complex applications begin to use more screen "real estate" to make
> their application--such as games, accounting software, distance
> learning, complex databases, and 3D design, the more people get
> accustomed to the notion that there are functional reasons to have
> simultaneous access to complementary functions or even programs.
>
> In this case, our use of every square pica of screen space will serve as
> a potent argument for using LiteStep to make complex work easier.
> Windows' approach to screen real estate is to allow users to minimize or
> resize boxes, stack them or tile them on the screen.
>
> We will demonstrate just how powerful the skillful use of screen real
> estate can be; perhaps with a multimedia "making it safely through the
> transfer" guide, highlighting all of the ways in which LiteStep is able
> to accomplish what standalone applications or on-screen tutorials *can
> not* handle.
>
> I would expect that throughout this transfer time there will be many
> opportunities for LiteStep to demonstrate its power and efficacy with
> "see it happening right in front of you" pointers. This opportunity will
> enable us to graphically demonstrate just why LiteStep is not "just
> another utility to make you go 'ahhhh'."
>
> To the extent we can make the case that challenging projects need
> powerful desktops we prove this "reason to learn Litestep." The moment
> we are able to effectively make the argument that users can benefit from
> LiteStep whenever they are faced with a difficult task, the more that
> users who believe they are working on a challenging project.
>
> We could potentially see each post, blurb or email instruction begin:
>
> "You are about to tackle a complex yet worthwhile task.
> First step: If you are not using it already, download and start
> LiteStep, then open this desktop. . ."
>
> The well written step-by-step instructions (with plenty of helpful
> images) will not fail to point out why this use of LiteStep makes sense
> for the "Power User."
>
> It feels a bit defensive and somewhat isolationist to suggest that we
> should not do anything to benefit Linux, even if our interests would
> also be served. LiteStep is so powerful, so useful, so "right" we really
> don't need to fear a shortage of potential audience.
>
> Respectfully,
>
> Vagabundus
>
>
>
> Wendy Harlow wrote:
> > "Its a great dream.
> > My issues with it are, why would a Linux user that didn't use windows
> > still come back to code this? There are already at at least a handful
> > of Gnome themes out and some KDE themes too that could easily be
> > re-tasked to do what you are describing.
> >
> > "I'm all for helping people move to Linux. What you propose doesn't
> > really get LS on Linux though. It moves people from windows were LS is
> > to Linux were LS is not( at least without WINE), which is
> > exceptionally backwards if you are trying to save LS.
> >
> > "If you want to save LS you need to focus on LS."
> >
> > ---------------------
> >
> > I have to agree here. The purpose of LS is to provide a more powerful,
> > intuitive and customizable environment for Windows, not provide Linux with
> > new converts. If we can make Windows more attractive to those who use Linux,
> > would they come back?
> >
> > ~Wendy
> > Tonsei-rs
> >
> >
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>
>
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