[Wolves] Why does Ubuntu want the CD to install portmap?

[Deusiah]

I was talking about Desktop use but I fully agree with the whole
administration thing. I too think it's better the way it currently is,
as you pointed out it requires you to either have a good knowledge of
what your working on or gain that knowledge to work on it which
ultimately will lead to a better setup of your system. However now
that MS has made everything so "easy". Does Linux have a chance of
replacing Windows in the administration area if so many people want
GUI and big named products?

Chris

On 5/17/05, Steve Parkes <sparkes at westmids.biz> wrote:
> Deusiah wrote:
> 
> >Is there anything wrong with Linux getting easy enough for less tech
> >savvy people? Linux can either stay as popular as it is and work the
> >way it currently does or it can make things easier and become more
> >popular that's how I see it.
> >
> Ther's no problem with Linux Desktop systems becoming easier to use most
> of the problem comes with administration.  Just like in the Windows world.
> 
> People want a system that is also easy to administer and that is a whole
> different ball game.  One of the reasons the windows world is so full of
> Malware and general crap is that MS decided to make windows easy to
> administer to get it into small business' and the home.  The extent of
> Malware on windows proves that they failed.
> 
> Windows is still hard to administer properly which is why there are so
> many MSCE's around.  Because linux is developed from a Unixish point of
> view it's easy to administer for people from a unixish point of view.
> Now people are coming from windows to desktop linux they expect the sort
> of adminstration they had on windows, the problem is they never had it
> on windows it just looks that way on the surface and has given a false
> sense of security.
> 
> Developments in the kernel world have made drivers a none issue.  If
> your hardware vendor is open enough to document thier products drivers
> are quickly available and in many cases distro's automatically install
> them for you.  Where this isn't the case good how-to's exist and if
> someone can't follow simple instructions they can never hope to
> administer thier own machine.  I am sure almost everyone can come up
> with bits of hardware that just don't work and in almost everycase this
> is due to secretive hardware manufacturers and not linux.
> 
> Most day to day administration is automatic and tidies up after itself a
> good example of this are the log files.
> 
> The thing people moan about is editing files in /etc/ when they thing
> they should have a dialog with a bunch of checkboxes and radio buttons.
> Quite apart from the fact frontends to many of these files would be
> almost impossible to create without ignoring several rules of
> accessibility, the barrier to entry this format creates allows an
> important cut off point for where you can tread with ignorance and where
> you need to do some background reading.
> 
> So while desktop ease of use is very important and vital to getting more
> users on linux based systems administration simplicity is a losing
> battle.  Every time you make it easier to alter the core parts of the
> system you are making it easier for someone who hasn't the required
> background to really fsck things up.
> 
> As it is under unixish systems when you want to do hairy admin you read
> the manpages and google, you get all the warnings about what you are
> doing and can decide if it's really something you want to do.  This is
> `a good thing`(tm) a google for regedit proves my theory that a little
> knowledge is a dangerous thing.  Look at the amount of forum posts
> telling people how to fsck up their windows boxes ;-)
> 
> sparkes
> 
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