From kragen@dnaco.net Fri Sep 25 22:20:09 1998 Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 22:20:08 -0400 (EDT) From: Kragen To: tburgess@eddie.cis.uoguelph.ca Subject: Re: Linux for the Masss Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: O X-Status: I read your article. I agree with some of your points, and disagree with you on others. - I agree that writing code is better than advocating Linux. - I agree that looking down on users of other OSes is a poor reason to use Linux. - I think there are valid reasons for running Linux other than wanting to expand one's knowledge or preferring it on the basis of application support. For instance, I'd rather use a free OS than a proprietary one any day. That's why I use Linux. - I disagree with you on the ease-of-use thing. From my point of view, the application-oriented point of view requires ease of use. If you're using a computer because it's fun, you probably won't care how hard or easy your software is to use. But if you're using a computer to get something done, the easier it is to use, the better. - I agree to some extent with what you have to say about simplifying things for the average user making things more difficult for the computer-literate user. If your design (of anything) is optimized solely for one particular quality (such as ease of use for average users) it is almost certain that other qualities will suffer. However, Linux has a long way to go even for experienced users; many improvements that would make life easier for experienced users would also make life easier for novices, and vice versa. A hardware example: an old Mac's peripherals are generally much easier to install than a PC's, but you don't lose anything in the translation (except price!) - The numbers between five and ten million come from Bob Young's white paper _Sizing the Linux Market_. The numbers are likely 50% higher than that by now. Kragen -- Kragen Sitaker The sages do not believe that making no mistakes is a blessing. They believe, rather, that the great virtue of man lies in his ability to correct his mistakes and continually make a new man of himself. -- Wang Yang-Ming