ordinary computer user

[N. Pauli]

On Sun, 27 Feb, Eric Dunbar wrote:
> On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 21:03:31 +0000, Neil Woolford <neil at neilwoolford> wrote:

> On a different note, one thing Ubuntu needs is a *clean* way to shut
> down/restart/sleep a computer. My partner has a strong dislike (dare I
> say hatred) for Ubuntu & FireFox and couldn't figure out where the
> restart command was today (much to her chagrin).

Learn where it is and there it is. If she is used, in Windows, to going to 'Start' to stop her computer ...

> Having observed a few (six and counting, one Mac-only, two Mac
> (90%)-Windows (10%), one-Windows95, two Win 98/XP) people using the
> default Ubuntu account (I created a generic one for guests to play
> with) and by-and-large they were underwhelmed, if not entirely turned
> off by Ubuntu. The interface just isn't up to the standards they're
> used to (especially the Mac users found the interface to be
> sub-standard) and none of them were impressed by the GUI behaviour of
> switching apps, etc.

Underwhelmed is good. For a user an OS should be as close to transparent as possible. If you altered the desktop wallpaper you'd most probably enhance their experience.

> It seems my own assessment of Linux is not too far from the current
> state of affairs -- Linux has *A LOT* of potential (IMNSHO) but it has
> yet to be realised. GNOME & KDE have come far in the last two years
> but they still have a long way to go before they're viable Windows,
> and Mac OS replacements (the former will be easier than the latter).

Desktop Linux is on a near vertical trajectory. I can remember the days pre-KDE or GNOME last century! What is going to make a big difference is the change from Xfree86 to X.org - and that is happening already.

Also, for us in organisational (and especially charity / education setups) WinXP, Office 2003 is cheaper and without re-install problems than for solo buyers. For a lot of people out there XP and its validation routines is rapidly turning into a big turn off. I recently helped a friend buy a system. It had to be XP but when the shop said MS Office for £200+ I said no way and installed Open Office instead and, though he has to use IE, set up Thunderbird as his email client. Open Source isn't an either/or thing anymore.

> There's a neat series of articles on OSDir (Enterprise section) on how
> Linux fares in the business environment in a (crude) cost-benefit
> analysis. The writing could be tighter, and the CBA could be a tad
> more rigorous (he gives a lot of "freebies" to Linux and gives the
> cost of retraining employees on Linux less air time than it warrants)
> but the issues raised are relevant and show a less-than-perfect OS.
> 
> Some of the points raised seem to elict some rather childish responses
> from some of the Linux fan(atics) that spread their rather boring
> propaganda on the (fictional) merits of Linux (let's just say that
> I've never seen -- let alone HEARD rumours of -- a virus or spyware
> affecting our corporate network of Win NT (with XP being rolled out
> slowly) computers (30,000 users)... the head aches and time lost due
> to having to recover word processor documents lost in OO.org or
> AbiWord crashes would far outweigh _any_ dollar savings achieved by
> avoiding licencing costs).
> 
> Anyway, I'm digressing a lot.
> 
> Eric.
> 

-- 
Nigel Pauli
Network Manager
St. John's School, Northwood