Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 18th Aug 2008 23:33 UTC, submitted by Charles Wilson

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Member since:
2006-01-03
In a world where we could guarantee that everything we do (or try to do) with our computers will work out just fine, we wouldn't care. We, however, do not live in such a world, and even experts can bork-up there systems. This is why backups are so essential. There are times, though, when replacing a messed-up drive or partition with an image is just plain overkill, especially in the *nixes, where with a little help and some reading, it is possible for even relative noobies to fix a lot of problems without even needing to reboot...IF they can find things. This is why the FSH needs a revamp to a more consistent and common-sense model, for the sake of users and those who must support them.
P.S. Before the usual replies start coming back that 'people aren't ready or interested in diving deeper into their computers'. Let me tell you I am a computer technician who specializes in custom intalls on all manners of hardware, and educating new users. My main customer base is 50 years old and up, and brand new at computing. Many still find the mouse to be an object of hate, as they find it difficult to get used to. I have, of course, installed various Windows, but I have also successfully gotten them to use PC-BSD, Ubuntu, Mandriva (when it was Mandrake), and even gotten a few to use BeOS 8^) They have all been able to learn, and more or less to take care of their own machines. If they call for support, I can tell them to got to /home/apps, or /etc, or ..\Documents and Settings\... or whatever, and they will fix their own boxes. So, yes, I am speaking from real world experience.
Edited 2008-08-19 03:31 UTC