[dundee] [jtsmoore@revolution-os.com: Re: Screening of Revolution OS]

[Jonathan Riddell]

On Fri, Jul 18, 2003 at 01:28:14AM +0100, Andrew Clayton wrote:
> NOTE: The following is just a general rant and not aimed at any one
> person.

Woo, heated debate!

> On Fri, 2003-07-18 at 00:33, jim wrote:
> > If it was a simple matter of downloading a file and deciding which 
> > player you prefered it would be fine.
> > as far as I can see I need to download files, then compile them etc. I
> 
> This is not always the case.... in fact I bet with something like
> Debian, you'd rarely need to go this route... ;)

But not the case with mplayer or other DVD players sadly.  Plus try
seeing if your mum can get XFree86 configured with Debian.

> The trouble with windows and M$ is that they're all about dumbing down.
> 
> The average computer user 15 years ago was a lot more computer literate
> than the average computer user these days. Obviously there is a number
> of factors contributing to that...
> 
> UNIX/Linux et all is about dumbing up. Sure it requires a little bit of
> thought and effort on behalf of the user. But thats not a bad thing,
> it's a good thing.
> 
> And the UNIX/Linux desktops of today ARE ready for the computer
> "challenged". The thing is, you have to make the distinction between
> user and administrator. 

Shouldn't people be able to use computers without extensive knowledge?
Most home users don't have an administrator handy.

> That they don't have to spend ludicrous amounts of $CURRENCY on useless
> software, that theres no need for endless reboots. That computers
> shouldn't just crash and lockup. That they don't need to be locked into
> endless upgrade cycles. That they don't have to held to ransom over
> proprietary file formats and protocols. That they can break free of the
> "embrace and extend" and "lock in" tactics of $MONOPOLY   

Yes but there's still 101 mostly small simple things that make it hard
to use.  Even at my work getting computer science students around the
various wee problems with GNU/Linux is difficult.

> Thats certainly something we would need to do as a LUG sometime, have a
> "Linux Awareness" day.

Cardiff just had a really succeful one, they managed to get the local
council involved as well.

Jonathan Riddell