On Thu, 2004-12-09 at 22:47, Bryan J. Smith wrote:
> To make an ass-u-me'ption, you seem to equate the "quality" of a
> distribution to its auto-detection of winmodems during installation.
> That has 0 to do with the quality of a distribution itself, really.
> But Xandros has an excellent track-record for software-hardware support.
> They are based in Canada, and a bit more free on things. They are the
> former Corel distro, and LindowsOS/Linspire is basically Xandros. ;->
I'm actually glad John brought this up. So many users equate Linux to
its installer. In fact, one can tell very little about a distribution
from its installer. Not using it. Not working day-to-day with it. Not
under a "2-week trial run," but merely the installer. Why?
Many people coming from Windows not only fail to recognize they have
never installed Windows, but they are comparing the Linux installation
process to an installing a Windows _application_. The overwhelming
majority of people get their Windows with their PC. And even for those
that self-assemble, they typically research their hardware choices.
Taking a pre-existing system and throwing Linux at it, especially for
the first-time installer, is an _unreasonable_ test for Linux. Hardware
compatibility aside, if you knew _nothing_ about how the PC boots and
Windows installs, would you attempt them same with a blank hard drive
and the Windows CD?
Worse yet, how about installing Windows 98 on a system that already has
Windows 2000?
In a nutshell, people new to Linux should have their Linux "factory
installed." This means going to an InstallFest, or having someone else
experienced with Linux assist them during the install -- especially
someone who has used the distribution before. Windows is Windows, Linux
is Linux -- and Windows croaks under the same constraints as Linux
(installing on an existing system, with no driver disks / only
"official" drivers, etc...).
So even when I recommend Xandros Desktop 2 "Deluxe" or "OCE" (and
probably the minor revision to 3 now that it is out -- once I've had 2
weeks with it), I still help someone else install it. While it's
installing, I don't talk endlessly about Fedora, but try to gage what
_applications_ they use. Because people use apps, not OSes, I want to
make sure I get them _running_after_ the install with the applications
and capability they need.
Subsequently, for those that still need their Windows applications, I
don't advocate Linux on the desktop. Not even using VMWare** or
Crossover Office. I recommend installing Freedomware (open standard,
open source) and Standardware (open standard, closed source) on
Windows. From there, the user can create all new documents in a more
portable standard, as well as slowly convert edits of older documents
over -- all while still retaining older document compatibility.
The key is to get them out of Hostageware (unmaintainable standard,
unmaintainable source) ASAP, but not "cut them off" from their existing
data. I see so many people not only put off Linux adoption, but keep
themselves under the thumb of Hostageware because of Linux installer
issues. The key is to get data into a format that makes it easier to
move, and to reduce the number of issues by the time they do move.
Because people ultimately use apps, not OSes. And I don't consider
installing Linux "fun" anymore than Windows or any other OS. If I had
to reload my workstation, or rebuild my home directory every year or so,
I wouldn't use Linux. ;->
[ **NOTE: I recommend VMWare limitedly on the desktop, but I do
recommend it at various points. I typically recommend VMWare heavily
for Windows Server, as a "guest" under Linux/VMWare -- especially for
load-balancing and reduced TCO. It's the client/server virtualization
platform of choice IMHO -- hence why EMC bought it to compete with both
IBM "big iron" and Microsoft's Virtual PC. Because "big iron" is $$$,
and Virtual PC (typically Windows on Windows, at least from Microsoft's
server solution) doesn't solve the fact that the "host" is still
Windows, where the TCO nightmare is, which is solved by Linux as the
host OS. ]
-- Bryan J. Smith b.j.smith@ieee.org ------------------------------------------------------------------ Beware of advocates who justify their preference not in terms of what they like about their "choice," but what they did not like about another option. Such advocacy is more hurtful than helpful.----------------------------------------------------------------------- This list is provided as an unmoderated internet service by Networked Knowledge Systems (NKS). Views and opinions expressed in messages posted are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NKS or any of its employees.
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