about empathy as the default IM application

[Mackenzie Morgan]

On Tuesday 16 June 2009 5:25:12 pm Andrew Sayers wrote:
> I'm not usually one to stand in the way of progress, but it seems like 
> there are grave issues here for people migrating from other OSes.
> 
> Migration to Linux from another OS is best done in two stages: first you 
> keep your old OS and switch to cross-platform apps, then you switch your 
> OS and keep your apps.  Platform-specific defaults break the two-stage 
> model, requiring users to learn a new app at the same time they're 
> learning a new OS.

I don't actually know anybody that used OOo on Windows before they used it on 
Linux.  Firefox, yeah...well, really, I used Mozilla (and "where's Mozilla?" 
was my mom's first question), but anyway...

How difficult is it to switch IM clients?  From what I've seen, they all have a 
window that lists who's online.  You double click somebody in the list and a 
window opens.  The conversation goes in the top half.  You type in the bottom 
half and hit enter to send.  OK, fine, not all...I guess you don't double-click 
when you use finch or naim since they're terminal based... But of the GUI ones?  
It's all the same.

I'd rather explore the problem you demonstrate:
Why do people learn to use a specific application instead of just learning how 
to look at menus and make decisions based on what they want to do?  I suspect 
some of the onus is on the teachers who only teach memorized step-by-step junk 
instead of telling students "figure out how to..." and leaving it at that.

-- 
Mackenzie Morgan
http://ubuntulinuxtipstricks.blogspot.com
apt-get moo
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