Wah, wahing
Michael "TheZorch" Haney
thezorch at gmail.com
Sat Aug 2 17:38:01 UTC 2008
Ok, I don't check my email in a while and this shit happens. What
started all of this anyway? Can't find the originating message.
It does irk me when people at Digg.com bitch & moan about the Linux
terminal or compiling programs to install them. I grew up using the
command line starting with the Apple IIe all the way up to Unix and
final version of straight MS/PC-DOS before Win95 made ever young
computer users since then a spoiled brat. Yes, the GUI has made people
spoiled, and I admit I'm a bit spoiled by it too but I don't bitch &
moan when I need to open a terminal window or compile a piece of source
code. Yes, you can do just about everything from the GUI in Windows,
BUT that's also one of Window's major limitations because there are
certain things you can ONLY do from the GUI and if those things break
you're shit out of luck. Well, those things have a tendency to break
from time to time leaving you with no choice but to reformat and
reinstall. In Linux you have full control from the terminal, and I mean
FULL control over just about everything. Another bitch that irks me is
having to compile source, they really shed tears over that one. Thing
is, its becoming very rare to find a FOSS project that requires you to
compile code to install their software, most nowadays have binaries you
can download or binaries inside of packages. More and more projects are
offing their stuff via repositories also. Compiling software from
source is becoming very rare unless you're doing something pretty exotic
like installing specialized scientific analysis or advanced engineering
software that also requires hardware that interfaces with remote sensors
and other equipment. Otherwise, 99% of all Linux software is install
with the click of a mouse.
While having all of this power in the terminal is good I do have the
guts to also admit its the one reason why Linux is having such a bitch
of a time being accepted as mainstream. Lets just admit it, there are a
lot of really lazy computer users out there who don't want to learn the
command prompt and you can't force them to learn it no matter what you
do. Micro$oft has brainwashed millions into thinking Windows IS their
PC and getting them to change this perception is going to take a lot
more work than most of you all realize. Buddha knows, the Windows GUI
isn't the most user friendly piece of shit in the world. In fact its
pretty damn unforgiving for the most part. Apple has the best, and if a
Linux GUI can achieve the level of user-friendliness of Mac OS X then
the OS will gain more acceptance. We need to face reality, developing a
powerful GUI that hides the intricate complexity of Linux behind a very
"simple" (not easy) to use interface is the Holy Grail of this Operating
System. Well, that's my 0.02 cents worth on the matter.
--
Michael "TheZorch" Haney
thezorch at gmail.com
http://thezorch.googlepages.com/home
AIM: thezorch at gmail.com
Yahoo IM: zorchhaney
ICQ: 343230252
GoogleTalk: thezorch
Skype Name: thezorch
MSN Messeger: haneymichael at hotmail.com:
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