<CT> Re: Linux
- From: "Martin B. Brilliant" <mbrilliant@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: calmira_tips@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 19 May 2001 07:52:49 -0400
On Fri, 18 May 2001 15:41:34 -0500 (EST), calmira_tips Digest V2 #100
had a lot of arguments about Linux, and whether it could replace MS
Windows, MS-DOS, or anything else.
Linux is on its way to desktop dominance. It's more stable than
anything Microsoft has ever released, and once you've got it
installed and learned how it works it's just as easy to use. But it
has to grow in some ways and shrink in others. Based on my own
frustrated experience, I see a few reasons why it isn't replacing MS
Windows yet.
First is its configurability - less is more. There's usually a
tradeoff between flexibility and ease of use: the more a system can
do, the more you have to learn about it before you can use it. But
systems can be designed so that most of their power and flexibility
is hidden until you need it. The UNIX/Linux shells are like that: you
can use them like COMMAND.COM until you are ready to do more. The
window managers are not: bring up a menu and you get a list of
choices that don't mean anything to a beginner.
Second is hardware compatibility. Linux software system is free or
cheap, but cheap hardware won't support it. Cheap hardware these days
is MS-Windows-only Plug-and-Play. Linux-compatible hardware costs
more and is harder to find. A total Linux system costs a lot more (in
time and money) than a prepackaged computer with MS-Windows already
installed.
Third is software. I concede that Linux has more application software
now than it did just a few years ago. But there is a lot of software
available for MS-Windows that isn't available for Linux. Just as one
example: here in New Jersey, the state provides free state income tax
software, but only for MS-Windows.
Brian says "I don't think there's anything in the world wrong with
having to think about your computer and understand what's going on
with it and why. Knowledge is good, embrace it." I agree with the
second part, but not the first part. Thinking is OK, but having to
think for days or weeks before you can use your system is not OK. MS-
Windows may be harder to keep running, but it's much easier to get
running to begin with.
I don't know what this has to do with Calmira, except that this is
now (as I understand it) a general Win3.x list, and we're asking
where do we go from here when MS drops support for Win3.x. Maybe this
means that the Calmira team might want to work on developing a basic
Linux distribution that a novice can install in an MS-Windows-
compatible Plug-and-Play box without having to go anywhere else for
hardware or software fixes. That shouldn't be too hard :-)
Marty
Martin B. Brilliant at home in Holmdel, NJ
http://www.netlabs.net/hp/marty/
To unsubscribe, send a message to listar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx with
"unsubscribe calmira_tips" in the body.
OR visit http://freelists.dhs.org
Other related posts:
