[Gloucs] hello

[Christian Trapp]

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Hello Simon,

Thank you for your thoughts about our project. This is exactly the
approach we should use to meet potential Linux users. Joe Public
want's exactly that, a laptop/desktop that does things he need even
don't need but is playing around, a machine for work and pleasure.

Generally computers are too complicated for people. That is not the
fault of the people but the whole thing is simply too complex. There
are too many hardware configurations, too many software versions and
on top of this a endless development of both that makes a simple
running system for the average user a escaping aim.
More complicated becomes this through the viruses, trojans, malware,
spyware, the collecting of private data via cookies, javascripts etc.
which are a very serious threat to the whole computer and internet
idea and even the society.

Different solutions were found up to now by different people:

WINDOWS goes the way that the user can do everything on his expense
(privacy, instable OS, drivers which messing up, data loss etc.) which
he in absence of the awareness of these threats enjoys. Together with
its market power and to have Windows pre installed on the most of the
sold computers this is in my opinion the "success" story of Microsoft
(I don't mention the format problems that MS produces to draw users to
the next versions of its products).
But obviously the user also needs a sort of admin, himself, a friend
or a service person, no doubt.

APPLE controlled the hardware in the past and gives the users a stable
OS with a mouse oriented Desktop. In addition it sells an image and
people are willing to give a lot of cash over the counter for that.
This strategy come to an end now as the computer market becomes more
narrow. Apple is already on the 3rd place after Linux as a desktop OS.
When the Apple OS is going the way of Windows in the hardware it will
face the same heterogeneous hardware configurations as Windows or
Linux. So the big advantage of Apple will go. Also go will the
exclusive status of Apple as a status symbol because this was always
linked to the apple symbol on the hardware. We will see, how the
demand for a sort of admin will increase rapidly then.

LINUX looks like a bumble bee in the first place. When you look at the
concept behind it, you think it could not fly but it does and this
very successful (I don't talk about the Linux running in mobiles, on
mainframe computer = market leader or in petrol pumps :) ). Yes, you
have the same heterogeneous problems with hardware and software. And
as Linux is more honest, you have in addition the questions coming up
with the user and administrator rights. This last thing is something
which MS and Apple will face the user in the very near future also.
Yes, you need a sort of admin although the modern Distributions run
mainly out of the box on real not "windows optimized" hardware.

What does this mean for our project:
Computer are complex too complex for the average user and Computers
change in a fast pace.
For business user this means, a admin or company installing a
computer/network with certain software and certain rights for the
users on a certain hardware and let it run, administrates it and
that's it. Linux is more than capable for that.
For private users you need to install a system, that does all/most of
the things they are used from Windows, but without the disadvantage
Windows means for them. This is possible with the distributions
available today and the distributions will improve in the next years.

And this is exactly we should do with our project. In addition we
should show interested people how they can switch over with their data
(word documents, e-mail postboxes, bookmarks, sound files etc.)
without hassle.

One thing they will also need from time to time is a admin
(themselves, friend or a service person) who is solving problems. But
again, this is not a problem of the OS but a problem of computers
generally. The days where computer do things in the same way like we
switching on the television are still in the far future.

One thing here is much important for me to say. I do not want to start
a OS discussion which one of it is better or not. I am convinced of
Linux and would like to support it as it gives me so much fun
especially the concept behind that people all over the world working
together for free AND quite a lot of them earning good money with it.
When I can contribute to this, I would be glad.

Looking forward to hear your ideas here :) especially to our project.

Best regards
Christian

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