Hoary Bootsplash

[Travis Newman]

>True, GNU/Linux is not to poach Windows users. But. If Linux looked,
>'nicer', more people would use it. I know that's shallow, but reading some
>non-linux PC magazines the issue of look and feel is raised. Also, a while
>ago I sold my notebook PC, which was running Warty. The person re-installed
>Windows on it (after paying for the huge amount XP costs). When I asked her
>why, it was the,'intimidating look' that put her off.
>
>A simple bit of eye candy would make Linux more accessible HAS to be a good
>thing?
>
>baza
>
I think this misses the point of MOST free/ open source development. Not 
many people really care how many people use their software, they only 
care that it's high-quality and efficient.

I don't care how many people use Linux-- I DO however care about 
stability of major networks, and I also care about having to fix 
friends' computers because of viruses, spyware, and other malware, and 
if they used Linux, that would make htings much easier.

That being said, I think that making Ubuntu or Linux more accessible 
GRAPHICALLY is the least of worries. The person you said reinstalled 
Windows XP because of the look and feel would most likely have 
reinstalled Windows XP regardless, because if she thinks the LOOK is 
intimidating, what would she have done when she tried to play mp3's, 
dvds, or other proprietary formats, or set up shares, etc etc.
Basically, I think way too much attention is paid to making Linux LOOK 
easier, and not enough to making it WORK easier.

And, all that being said, I don't think ANY accessibility is worth 
risking stability/speed/efficiency/security.

Travis