Linux In Two Cities

[Robert Brockway]

On Thu, 6 May 2004, William Park wrote:

> Children's division, it's closer to home.  For ordinary office/web/email
> stuffs, Linux is ideal.

Yep, and the article hit the nail on the head on many important points.

For a long time I've listend to non-technical users and tried to get a
better idea from them why they did not like Linux on the desktop, even
when it could be demonstrated that it has the apps they need (eg, in an
office environment).  A big part of the reason, it seems to me, is that
users expect the computer to look, feel and act like MS-Windows.
Anything else is wrong and strange.

I have unfortunately concluded that most people do not go out and look for
"what works for me" but rather they look for "what looks like MS-Windows".
Nothing looks more like MS-Windows than MS-Windows does, so everything
else is behind the 8-ball to start with.  This will be a difficult hurdle
to overcome but I feel we'll do it in the end.  Times are changing, just
slowly.

If people want to use MS-Windows because it really is more useful for
them, then by all means they should go ahead.  Unfortunately the MS
monopoly has meant that most non-techs (and many techs) have had only
limited exposure to alternatives so they don't really know how MS-Windows
compares and it has also meant that the use of MS-Windows has been forced
on many of those who do not wish to use it.

I find the MS-Windows interface klunky and an impedement to getting useful
work done.  I claim the right to use whatever I want on the desktop.

Cheers,
	Rob

-- 
Robert Brockway B.Sc. email: robert-5LEc/6Zm6xCUd8a0hrldnti2O/JbrIOy at public.gmane.org, rbrockway-cFo9iiqjkw8eIZ0/mPfg9Q at public.gmane.org
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