[Nottingham] Better than Windows? was: Response on awareness day

[Matthew Walster]

On Thursday 03 November 2005 09:40, Andrew White wrote:
> [snip]
>
> > Linux is not ready for the average desktop. It's f**king close, but it's
> > not ready. Now that eBuyer et al have started selling Linux PC's by the
> > shedload, maybe things will change.
>
> I hear that a lot, but nobody has ever taken the time to explain why
> and justify it.
>
> Just as people are on this list for various different reasons, people
> use a desktop in different ways.
>
> I've been using linux as a desktop for ten years. Am I missing something?

Sorry, I always fall into that trap - we are not average users. We can use it 
on the desktop because we were willing to accept sacrifices, in terms of time 
and what not - we were prepared to accept differences in the desktop to learn 
this new system.

When I say "ready for the desktop" - I'm talking about the guy who lives next 
door, who is 40, doesn't really care about computers, only uses them for the 
internet and so his kids can blast a few goons away with the game they bought 
at the local store. 

Of course it's ready for the "desktop" - it's not ready for him though. It 
_is_ close.

Matthew Walster
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