[Sussex] What path does one take

Thu Oct 19 10:01:19 UTC 2006

Hi Folks

Ubuntu user - have been now for a couple of years and fairly happy with
it.  I do find the lack of a good wysiwig/drag and drop form and page
IDE for PHP/HTML annoying (unless someone out there knows of one).  I
use NVU at the moment but it is not far removed from a context sensitive
text editor.   Otherwise Linux is great and getting better all the time.
I used to have CLAM AV but found that it slowed my tired 1.2 Ghz box too
much.   As for firewalls, my Netgear router seems to do fine.   The
beauty of modern/recent Linuxes is that as WIMP interfaces such as Gnome
and KDE to mention but a few are evolving, you can do most things using
a mouse and keyboard, but yet a handy terminal window is a mouse click
away.

Sorry I miss the LUGS but a bit busy right now, as fully involved with a
startup biz.  I may make one in the new year.

All the best Angelo.

	-----Original Message-----
	From: sussex-bounces at mailman.lug.org.uk
[mailto:sussex-bounces at mailman.lug.org.uk] On Behalf Of Ian mu
	Sent: Thursday, 19 October 2006 10:23
	To: LUG email list for the Sussex Counties
	Subject: Re: [Sussex] What path does one take

	Hiya all, I agree pretty much with most of whats been said in
the other responses, the LUGs are fundamentally for anything within the
context of Linux and doesn't need to be any more significant than that
really, even something not specifically Linux but may be of interest to
people who run it (assuming not trolling :)). There's a couple of bits I
probably disagree with a little, but thats maybe not part of the initial
mails questions, but feel like including them anyway for thoughts.... 

	First thing is I do think usability does matter as much as
freedom really. I think this is still one of the main issues with Linux
and why its growing, but not really being grabbed. Dists like Ubuntu I
think have helped a lot with this, by having things like xubuntu,
kubuntu, edubuntu, server ubuntu etc as well, to try and have something
within the same base but tailored for each setup needed (more than
windows does in fact). 

	However, whilst there's some more usable dists now (I guess I'm
overlapping usability with userfriendliess a bit too much), there's
still a big hole for when things "go wrong", and things do still go
wrong with Linux just as much as windows. Or probably more in fact if
you throw as much apps like people do on their Windows boxes and as much
new hardware etc. 

	Just as an example in one box I have here, I have a creative
x-fi card. There's no way to get it working in Linux until 2007, end of
story (as far as I know anyway). Thats not a fault of Linux, but
creative. But there are these little scenarios all over the place. Some
hardware doesn't work, some doesn't have properly developed drivers etc.
This for me comes under the usability umbrella, and for any "average"
person this would be a big problem. People don't really want to buy
hardware to fit an o.s (same can be levelled at other o.s's though, not
unique to Linux).

	I still hate Linux when X fails to display (assuming that
happens, happy with console, but obviously for desktops its not ideal).
This is one of my huge annoyances with Linux in truth (and yet I still
love it ;)), xfree/xorg, resolutions, refresh rates, etc. This is again
basic usability, but its hard to find a dist with a decent ability to
let you get even the display set up correctly and easily, and even
harder if you get a problem. So I think Linux has a long long way to go
with this. I can even remember a year ago someone harping on about
debian so I thought I'd try it and it didn't even have /dev/psaux set up
in install and I was wtf? Is this "really" usable? Sure I can make
anything usable given enough time on it. This is where the usability for
me is as important as the freedom, and I think too far this is weighted
in the wrong direction. 

	I admire Desmonds strenght with introducing Linux to home users
(not sure if they have a required level of technical skill before you
would do it though?). I'd probably run a mile at doing in on some
peoples machines hehe. I do think there's a bit of a misnomer from your
experience though. 

	This is mainly the Linux is more stable, no viruses, etc
argument. It's hard to disagree, but I think importantly there's a
couple of problems with this. There are actually viruses for Linux, but
not many of them. How many here are using a virus checker for Linux I'd
be interested to know, and how many out there in the big bad world? How
many are running unpatched kernels, systems not up to date etc, no
firewall ? From what I can see when I speak to people actually a
surprisingly huge amount I find.  The security and stability of any o.s
I find down to the security mindedness of the person, people throw in
more of their custom solutions while overlooking flaws. The more stable
a system, typically the older it is. Most people want their cake and eat
it I find, want bleeding edge and stable. 

	So I take the opinion that Linux is only really more stable and
less viruses because less software is typically installed on it and
people have false confidence in it. There are certainly some other
reasons why its less likely a virus would have the same impact solely
due to numbers, but as an o.s gains popularity and more software comes
along to make things easier and more usable, invariably more holes are
introduced. I find that fairly inevitable.

	Having rambled on like a loon, I'd be interested in how other
people see Linux with issues like that. I still love Linux more than
Windows, but I do have moments when Linux bugs me still and find the
things I love about it also part of the problems. 

	Sorry if I dragged it off topic a bit, but thought it had been
quiet enough on the subject to just ramble on a bit :)

	Ian

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