5 years of support..!!??

[Jose Ildefonso Camargo Tolosa]

On Mon, Mar 5, 2012 at 11:06 AM, Bruce Bales <bbales at cox.net> wrote:
> On 03/05/2012 05:07 AM, Mark Greenwood wrote:
>
>
> On Mar 5, 2012 2:33 AM, "James Cain" <james.cain.25 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Mar 4, 2012 at 6:12 PM, Leslie Anne Chatterton
>> <lahc2007 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi Bruce,
>>>
>>> Well I guess Kubuntu isn't for everyone and we need to hear
>>> experiences like yours to bring us back to reality. I think there are
>>> probably lots of Windows and Mac users who have had similarly
>>> frustrating experiences but don't want to speak up and appear like
>>> dummies. Linux will become mainstream only when it offers a
>>> "foolproof" edition that is unbreakable, as well as the tinkerer's
>>> versions that most of us now enjoy.
>>
>>
>>
>> Good point in pointing out that we need brought back to reality now and
>> again :)
>> However, 3 key points here that we free software users occasionally need
>> reminded of:
>>
>> Kubuntu is developed (99%) by volunteers. For those who rant and rave
>> about how nothing works, if you can't donate to the KDE e.V., help the
>> community, or at least report bugs (if not triage them), what gives you the
>> right to complain at all?
>
> A few years ago there was lots of talk about "Linux on the desktop," where
> the intention
> was that everyone could use the open source Linux and be free from
> Microsoft.  I write a
> newsletter that goes to 165 former High School classmates.  All use Windows
> or Macs
> and I am certain that none could install and configure and be satisfied
> using Kubuntu 10-4.
> If it is unusable, should we complain?

Certainly we should: in a productive and useful way.

Now, I believe we are closer to have a Desktop-ready OS with Linux (we
already have a great server/firewall OS, maybe even, a switch OS).  I
believe Gnome 2 was closer to it that Gnome 3, and right now, KDE 4.8
is a lot closer than Gnome 3 or Unity (in my opinion)... Xfce is also
not bad.

Now, when I compare any of this to Windows, I can only say: it is a
matter of what users are used to, I mean: Windows is not *that* great,
for example, in my Kubuntu laptop, I just plug a printer, and 90% of
the time it "just works", I can hardly say that about Windows (where
you will likely need the "driver CD", and most of the time: download
latest driver).  Same go for most hardware (think on: USB 3G modems,
network interfaces, video capture devices, web cams, and even video
cards), most of the time, I just plug it, and it works, on Windows:
you have to install the driver, and it will work, most of the time...

Now, we you have on Windows that you lack here is:

1. That it comes pre-installed on most branded-PCs (this is: large
companies support).

2. That it have "enterprise-grade" options: centralized settings
management  (I believe KDE used to have something around this the
other day).  For example: locking Desktop background to a given image,
and centrally manage this for several clients.  Also, application
control access (centrally give/revoke permissions to some apps),
centrally manage proxy configurations, and so on..... if we had this,
say, integrated to LDAP + kerberos, we would have a great environment
for Linux.

3. "Community momentum": most people knows it, and is familiar with it.

Ildefonso.