Linux that just works

[Joe Spooner]

I have been on this mailing list for sometime, yet never voicing my opinion
on many matters (sorry) but I feel this issue is of some importance and
should not be swept under the rug as simply FUD. to some extent I am willing
to defend the original premise of the OP. but here is my take on many
issues.

Windows Just works?
well in some cases yes, you want to listen to an MP3 right out of the box.
great. it does just work. with Linux its an FOSS issue. many distros don't
have it "out of the box" because of the FOSS issue. is that a bad thing? yes
and no. Windows, Like Mac OS was designed for limited User intervention.
sure if you really want to you can bring up a command prompt/Terminal but
its rather hidden. Linux on the other hand brings it out into the open. its
right there if you need it. many Distro's like Ubuntu try to make it as user
frendly as possible providing a "helping hand" in terms of GUI's and
documentation.

here are some main points Linux does right out of the box, windows doesn't
Drivers, the little programs we love to hate. everytime we do an install we
know we will spend sometime downloading configuring and setting them up.
Linux has them built in (without reguard to wireless in some cases) there is
virtually no drivers to install in a Linux system.

Package Management. Windows doesn't have any. its all based on the user
going to google/yahoo and downloading a .exe and installing it. and neither
does OS X. Linux has many utilitys for that very purpose. just apt-get
install or Yum install. and its done. I think that qualifys as "just works"

in reguards to the Op saying "don't mention the learning curve" well it
needs to be mentioned, because Windows/ OS X does have a learning curve.
when you first used windows/OS X for the very first time. I will bet you had
no idea what you were doing. Linux is the same way.

If I may give an example, My father came to me several months ago
complaining about how windows XP had gotten very slow. I thought about it
for awhile. weighed my options. 1. install windows over again, and in 6-12
months do it all over again "windows Rot" or try and teach him how to use
Linux. My father is by no means a Tech person. he is in fact a diesel
mechaninc who to be honest can't stand computers. I installed Ubuntu 8.10LTS
on his computer. the first things out of his mouth was "that computer is way
faster, what did you do to it?" I never bothered to teach him about the
Terminal, because the way he uses it. it was not needed. all things he needs
to do are easily done with the GUI's that have been added to Ubuntu for that
very purpose.

if you take nothing else from this reply. take this

provided the proper or improper set of circumstances any OS will Just work
or not.

thank you for your time,
Joseph Spooner,
SysAdm
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