Debian Updates

[Byron Q. Desnoyers Winmill]

On Wed, 26 Nov 2003, Keith Mastin wrote:
> So why do you need to learn anything about virtual hosts or really
> much of anything else if you have a gui that can do it for you?

There is nothing wrong with using a good GUI to configure your system.
OTOH, many people use a GUI as an excuse not to learn something.  In
that respect, I can agree with you.

> IMHO anything else is a cheat if you have the capabilities but refuse
> to learn how to use them.

In your opinion, perhaps.  Some people may beg to differ, because a GUI
is their security blanket.  It wouldn't matter if the character based
interface is better, because it intimidates them.  If you don't believe
me, just look at any library catalogue: much of the work done in the
1980's and early 1990's had usability studies backing them.  Then the
internet came into vogue, and everybody was slapping on clumsy web based
interfaces.

If these people are intimidated by text with line drawing characters,
can you imagine how they would respond to pure text?  Now replace the
immediate response of a simple command driven environment with a text
editor.  Intimidation grows into sheer terror ...

Now some of those people are dopes.  Others are quite intelligent, but
simply don't know how to react to something which they consider as
regressive (just consider how much time the industry has spent trying to
convince us that the GUI is easier to use, and better).  Could the
intelligent ones handle a GUI configuration tool and understand what is
going on?  You bet they can.  Are they going to suffer because of it?
They won't if the GUI is well designed and they take the time to
understand what is going on.

Byron.
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