Star Editorial: The Challenges of Open Source Software
Linked by Mystilleef on Mon 29th Sep 2003 06:30 UTC
Linux Linux will become ubiquitous in the year 3000. Okay, that was a horrible joke. Linux is just a kernel, the engine that runs an operating system. By itself, it is essentially useless. Kernels shouldn't be discussed or noticed by normal users. And as such when providing these users with reviews, previews and "professional" opinions, computer consultants, computer reviewers and computer journalists should not spew headlines like "Linux is not ready for prime time", "Linux on the desktop by XXX", "Linux to takeover Windows", "Linux is not ready for desktop" and so on.
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Uhmmm
by Sebastien O. on Mon 29th Sep 2003 07:33 UTC

As allways... half for, half against. Linux zealot find it easy enough because it's free, and if you're not happy, do better yourself while the rest of the world do not like to use cryptic program written only for people with a Phd in nuclear physics... without any doc.
Really, you like to use hard to understand software? Make a software usable by a 5 year old is stupid too, I do not know any 5 year old child who can understand most advanced concept of life ;)
But I'm an advanced user(can read AND understand some source, have written myself some), but when I work I don't want to struggle in the code to make my apps work nor I want to hack my graphic card driver so I can maybe see a badly centered 800*600 on my 22"(the other didn't work? too bad, go back to the hacking with vim).
So yeah my father, my mother, my grandma, my girlfriend can use Linux IF I configure it for them. The same people in the same time can install and configure by themself a MacOS X or Windows 98/2000/XP pc without a itch... maybe Windows 2003 too?
Maybe it's time to educate Linux zealot too : hacking thru various source, config file to finally using an apps where all function are a mystery since there's no proper doc is not a good way to use a computer ;) Maybe if you want to make some money with support? ;)
Make me remember a joke I've received by mail with a fake interview of the creator of C++(not sure of the spelling of his name... :p) where he said he create C++ just to be sure programmer will have back a good salary 'cause it's cryptic and hard to use ;) (the joy of virtual? template? no one? ;) )