[SC.LUG] ping!

[Neil Lucock]

On Friday 19 Sep 2003 10:08 am, Richard Pineger wrote:
> Ian Moulton said:
> >We dont need a speaker to meet. please dont require one!
>
> I think Ian is right. I'm bursting with questions for other people who are
> keen on free software and linux. I've been living in splendid isolation
> with 'windows-heads'
>
>  :-(
>
> One of the difficulties of linux is that it is big and scary so my mates
> won't/can't come with me. In general people want to use a computer for the
> thing they want to use it for. They aren't interested at all in the
> operating system - and IMHO no one should have to be. Is there any way to
> use Linux in that fashion?

It's dead easy to use things like KDE (or Gnome, I think KDE has better GUI 
tools). Once you start using it, you really miss the tools when you use 
Windows. I particularly like the  simple enhancements, such as the ability to 
increase font size on web pages or the split pane file manager (which was in 
Windows 3.1 but hidden in Win 95 etc.) It's written by the people who use it, 
not as directed by marketing staff who don't know a PC from a Playstation.

You don't have to be interested, if you want to use your PC as a general 
purpose machine (letter writing, art, email, WWW, playing and burning CDs 
etc) then it is better than Windows (personal opinion). What you won't find 
are "popular" applications and many games. You do get Linux copies of useful 
programs, these are usually a free download. Often they are better than their 
expensive commercial cousins (Open Office.org is every bit as good as MS 
Office for most users)
Best of all, it's cheap, reliable and free....... </rant>

Neil