RE: Linux on the desktop viewed as from Joe Winuser

Couldn't agree more, Dexter. I subscribe your points one by one.

And my silly question is this: =BFis it really that hard to think a littl=
e
about Joe for a while? C'mon devs, it can't be that hard.

:-)

Pablo

> -----Mensaje original-----
> De: annoyances-bounces-DzJonyRHso41Ayx8vbq1stBPR1lH4CV8@public.gmane.org [mailto:annoyances-bounces@de=
e-
> annleblanc.com] En nombre de Dexter Filmore
> Enviado el: jueves, 18 de diciembre de 2003 16:59
> Para: Seeking Linux annoyances for a book.
> Asunto: Re: [Annoyances] Linux on the desktop viewed as from Joe Winuse=
r
>=20
>=20
> All untrue. What keeps folks from Linux on Desktop is bash. Simple is
> that.
> You can't write an app that runs on all known desktop environments with
> start
> menu items, desktop icons or quick launchs for you would have to take i=
nto
> account:
> KDE2, KDE3, Gnome1, Gnome2, XFCE, Fluxbox, Enlightenment, Windowmaker,
> blah
> blah blah.
> You can open a term with bash in all of these, but this is the point wh=
ere
> Joe
> Winuser get scared: command line.
> This makes people think DOS. Which makes them think "obsolete"
> Next thing. Windows user wants to surf to some website with flash conte=
nt
> or
> embedded video. Windows user was clever enough not to use IE but Opera =
and
> found Opera is available for Linux, too. Wants to keep it since there a=
int
> no
> IE at all.
> So it comes to downloading and installing Opera.
> Installing. Umm. double click? Nah, won't work. So what to do with this
> rpm
> thing?
> Command line. Yuck. Too complex. Reading manuals? For installing a
> program?
> What a waste of time.
> Even if Joe Winuser reads the manual, he will come up with questions li=
ke
> "why
> can't I chose the destination dir?" and the linux geek will tell him
> that's
> possible if he COMPILES the SOURCE CODE and PREFIXES the destination di=
r
> in
> the CONFIGURE SCRIPT from the COMMAND LINE. Joe Winuser is scared.
> Let's say Joe got a distro with a graphical package maintenance and rea=
lly
> only had to select the package and say "install" and doesn't give a rat=
s
> ass
> about dest dir.
> Now Opera is there, fine. But how to start it? Dunno what it's like wit=
h
> other
> dists but here on Slackware it won't generate Gnome Menu entries.
> Choices: "Run Application" and bash. I said enough about bash didn't I?
> So there's Run Application, big deal: a dialog box with a text field. W=
hat
> to
> enter there? "Opera"<return>. Result: "The target file://Opera could no=
t
> be
> opened". Hmm, so something must have gone wrong with the installation,
> right?
> No, it's only caps, but does Joe know (*wanna* know)? Guess.
> So let's say Joe figures Linux is case sensitive and manages to run Ope=
ra.
> Next thing is Flash.
> So we need Flash. Go to download site. Read instructions. Terminal, bas=
h,
> untar, become root, copy some stuff to some obnoxious place nobody ever
> heard
> about before.
>=20
> And so on.
>=20
> All this takes me a handful of mouseclicks in Windowsdone in under 5
> minutes
> while I wasted 2 hours so far reading "fucking manuals" and getting lar=
ted
> in
> irc chats, and you really ask what keeps Linux/desktop going to the
> masses?
>=20
> Dex
>=20
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