[Gllug] Linuxemporium - Pink Tie

[Adam Bower]

Mike Brodbelt wrote:

<snip>

all of your arguments about debian are exactly why I would reccomend it 
for new users, like I have always said I came to debian as a newbie when 
the GUI auto hardware detecting installers would not work on my machine. 
It wasn't a case of going text mode only either, there was some part of 
the install that would fail.

That means that Debian (possibly slack) was the only distro that would 
work on my machine. Many times I have had a newbie turn up to a Lug 
meeting saying Linux won't install on their computer, you get the 
Redhat, Mandrake etc. CD and try it, and lo and behold it won't work for 
some obscure reason go grab a Debian CD and five minutes later you have 
Debian installed, what some of the nice whizzy distros need is a mode 
akin to windows hardware detection so that if something breaks on the 
install you can reboot and it will try again with a different kernel or 
boot manager install etc. etc. doing it automatically for you and not 
have to pass evil kernel parameters at boot as that is too much for a 
newbie.

Further to the windows is easier to install bit, windows is easier to 
install than any linux because M$ don't like other OS on your machine. 
If the Linux installers had the same attitude as M$ (wipe the C drive) 
and start again then it would be very easy to have a "I am not sure how 
to install" installation option and you would only have to stick the 
disk in and 20 minutes later have a fully working system. Linux has to 
co-exist most of the time, windows has never liked to co-exist up until 
XP which iirc did not remove Lilo.

Anyhow people don't care what OS they run, they just want something 
quick and easy, which means when your pc comes home from pcworld with 
windows installed you don't change. Its easier this way, that is why my 
girlfreind is currently running Windows XP on her new computer, she 
doesnt want to have to remove XP, repartition the disc etc. etc. and 
seeing as all she uses the computer for is to browse the web, use 
webmail and jabber she can't find a pressing reason to change yet. She 
is also somebody who does care and is technically litereate and has over 
10 years experience with unix type systems so it is far less for 
windows. The way she sees the computer at the moment is not as an 
operating enviroment but as a web browser and jabber client.

Adam


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