[Sussex] Noob

[John Gregory]

I use Firefox as a browser and my version of Linux (Suse 9.1 pro) can 
configure the browser identify itself as IE.
I have no problems with sites asking me to change my browser to IE 5.5 
or later when using Linux.

John Gregory

Richie Jarvis wrote:

> Angelo Servini wrote:
>
>> The fact is that the majority of users (I believe) fall into this 
>> category - they are not techies, and never will be.  Quite a 
>> formidable barrier to overcome.  I really dont know the answer to 
>> this one.  I won't give up though.  I still believe that she should 
>> have given linux a go, especially as her computing needs are so few - 
>> she would have had a very stable system and missed out on all the 
>> crashes, viruses, trojans, ad-ware etc. etc.
>
>
> I 100% agree with your friend Angelo.  Although it would be nice to 
> convert everybody to Linux, that is only going to happen once M$ users 
> are happy working in a Linux environment, and unfortuantly, that means 
> making Linux look, behave and be supported like Windoze.
>
> In my situation, I would love to run Linux on my desktop, however, I 
> don't believe that it is yet feasible for me to do so (talk about 
> throwing down a gauntlet!) - I am not saying that I can't run it 
> remember, just that it isn't feasible.
>
> I'll explain my reasoning:
>
> At Home - I run Windoze XP on my laptop, workstation, and my son's 
> machine.  The fileserver and mythtv boxes are all Linux.
>
> What would happen if I ran Linux permanently on my home machines?
> 1. My son would complain, as he would no longer be able to play all 
> his games, or surf all the dodgy sites that don't support anything but 
> IE.
> 2. I would spend a hell of alot more time that I currently do trying 
> to support it
> 3. I couldn't easily control my telescope from the laptop without 
> rebooting to Windoze
> 4. I couldn't play the latest games on my workstation
> 5. I couldn't interface with complex M$ office documents (such as we 
> use in our company - OpenOffice is fine at simple things however)
> 6. I would have to spend alot of time getting my devices working:
>     Palm Treo 600
>     Creative Jukebox Zen
>     Logitech Webcam
>     Logitech Joystick
>     Canon Scanner
>     Firewire Video connection
>     Meade ETX telescope
>     Meade LPI Imager
>     Netgear Wireless PCMCIA card
> 7. My wife would complain, because she is used to windoze, and would 
> have to learn something new (believe me, this alone would stop me 
> converting!)
>
> Bear in mind here, I am not saying it is not possible - just         
> that it would take alot of time and effort!
>
> At Work - I run Windoze XP on my workstation, and 90% of the other 
> workstations and laptops in the company.  My 2 NAS units run Windoze 
> 2000 (yes, I know - wasn't my choice at all!)  All the other heavy 
> processing and fileservers run Linux - including the Oracle 9i DB server.
>
> What would happen if I switched to Linux on my workstation at work? 
> (This is from experience, I used to do so!)
> 1. I cannot support my staff easily, as walking them through menus 
> over the phone is very difficult when not seeing them myself.
> 2. I cannot open the myriad of Word documents required for day to day 
> usage in the company - and all the quotes from Dell, Nildram, etc 
> which I have to deal with and read.
> 3. Getting devices working in Linux (such as the Palm Treo 600) takes 
> a   while (did it before.)
>
> So, I suppose what I am trying to say is that Linux is wonderful, 
> however, until it is fully capable of running everything as easily and 
> quickly (and is supported by manufacturers) as Windoze, then it is not 
> really suitable for people who do not have alot of time on their hands 
> to tinker with.
>
> 3 of my developers here at work run Linux on their machines, and 
> wouldn't change - thats great - they don't have to interface with 
> Word, or other M$ products (aren't Wiki's wonderful!) - but for my 
> role, and my time, I cannot run anything other than windoze.
>
> The sooner this changes, the better though!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Richie
>
>
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