[cumbria_lug] Observations

[Schwuk]

trevor at haven.demon.co.uk wrote:
> now we need to try to reconcile these views

There's a balance to be struck. Fast and light for servers/power users, 
hand holding for average users.

I don't believe there should be GUI for everything, nor do I believe the 
average user needs everything:

  - Simple file sharing (via samba)? Fine. Nice simple GUI - KDE have 
already done this.

  - Acting as a domain controller? You should know what you are doing 
before you do it. This doesn't mean there shouldn't be a GUI, but it 
doesn't have to be as sophisticated as ESR proposes (probing for 
available/supported options etc).

Like ESR says, OSS GUIs suffer from featureitis, an overly technical 
view of things, and (heavens preserve us) skins. Average users don't 
want to know (exactly) what they are doing - they just want to be able 
to do it.

I've spent a bit of time studying user interface designs, and I always 
prefer the KISS principle for anything destined for end users, but I 
still keep the advanced options in there - they're just not visible by 
default.

I've spent a little while playing with LindowsOS 4.5, and although I 
know the 'community' has issues with Lindows the company, I easily can 
see why this distro appeals to people. The install consisted of maybe 
half-a-dozen mouse clicks, and there wasn't anything 'Aunt Tillie' 
couldn't answer in there.

Too many people are obsessed with the 'one size fits all' idea, and 
wrongly apply it in equal measures to everything from GUIs to distros to 
licenses.

-- 
Schwuk
http://www.schwuk.com