Installing a compiler by default

[Jan Claeys]

Op vr, 09-06-2006 te 23:26 +1000, schreef Peter Garrett:
> On Fri, 09 Jun 2006 14:40:00 +0200
> Jan Claeys <lists at janc.be> wrote:
> > Oh, it's easy: they compile newer versions of kernels, drivers &
> > applications and then wonder why everything breaks when they do a
> > dist-upgrade...

> Is Ubuntu in the business of protecting the "silly lusers" from themselves?
> Note that I am one of the Great Unwashed who learnt by making mistakes...

No, but we must do as much as we can to protect inexperienced users from
breaking their system without knowing that what they do is in fact
dangerous.  Especially if they just want their system to actually work.

We both like to fiddle with our system, and learn all the "dangerous"
things you can do to it, but most users just want to use their computer
to be productive or have some entertainment...

Remember also that you learned from understanding and fixing your
mistakes, not from making them.

> Can we please stop treating users as if they were idiots, and stop
> protecting them from making mistakes?
> 
> I think I shall begin my TeleTubbiesUbuntu theme and background, to suit
> the philosophy espoused by those who would like to protect users from the
> Great Secrets and Alchemy of the Mysterious Ubuntu.

What I want is that inexperienced users are never instructed to do
things that can break their system (now or in the future).

I'm afraid that if Ubuntu installs gcc & co. by default, even more
people will be pointed to compiling stuff themselves while most of the
time those things are already packaged.


-- 
Jan Claeys