[Glastonbury] Newbie to Glastonbury LUG / GUI

[d.hopkins]

Just a quick response -
from my perspective i need the GUI aspect of Linux because i know virtually
nothing about using shells and command lines. Only got into computers a fews
years ago and so initial learning was thru windows desktop interfaces, as
most techno newbies do. Still use it (i say this then hide quickly behind a
handy nearby wall!).

Deep respect to all the folks who can work without GUI, its giving me a
truer understanding of what the technology is. Anyway - i've a few friends
who aren't computer orientated and getiing onto the internet and typing in
an URl is a major breakthrough for them (ah i remember those days) so
installing an OS is not next on the list of things to do.

Have been mulling over this idea - there's a lot of criticism that apps like
Mandrake (which i use) and others look too much like Windows. There are
perhaps several reasons for this - 1. It allows users to move over to LINUX
and start using it quicker, because it functions in similar ways to Windoze.
This has to be kept in mind when appealing to 'the mass market'... certainly
appealed to me.

But perhaps 2 - the layout and interaction of a GUI desktop is logical. Its
like having paper and notepads spread out on a tabletop
in a way that makes it easy to organize and get things done. Sure i'd be
into circular desktops and monitors and i know that certainly in the late
90s certain m,ethods of displaying and accessing information in different 3D
layouts was being explored. But in the end probably the GUI layout is the
most logical and usable way of interfacing with information, data and
applications for most people.

Anyway that'll do for me.

I guess that as the cold north winds blow through the autumn days, flames
help to keep us warm

(pro-gooey)


> All of the Lindows / Libranet / Mandrake / SUSE / RH could appeal to the
> mass market - but the mass market is not necessarily computer literate.
>
> There are millions of computers out there running Windows.  Many people
> have trouble setting up an internet connection even when it's a case
> of putting in an install disk.