Linked by Mystilleef on Mon 29th Sep 2003 06:30 UTC
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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FUD from someone who wants everything on a silver tray. I am a the CTO for a company with 5000 desktops. Mosf ot those were running Windows NT 4. Upon my arrival 3 months ago, we began a transition towards Mandrake 9.1 that consistef of a 1 hour training seminar in which the NT 4 computer got reimaged with Mandrake 9.1
We have had zero complaints. None. We have migrated over 1000 desktops and plan to continue on this path. The most interesting thing is that I also run a local Linux User Group on weekends. Most of the folks at the company have asked me to install Mandrake for them on their home computers.
I told them bring them to the LUG meeting and we'll do the installation. When they arrive at the meeting. I create a share on the file server for each person and ask them to back up their files to it. Once that's done, CDs are handed out and I ask people to do their own installations. This is a sort of anthropological exercise for me. 80% of users have no issues, with a few of them asking a question or two.
In my apartment complex, I am known as the computer guy. Most of the folks there run Windows machines and most of the folks there are unable to reformat and reinstall their own OS.
So to sum it all up, this article is one giant pile of FUD. Can Linux improve? Sure, it's doing so, all of the time. Can better documentation be written, sure, but the one that's available is already excellent. For example, have a look at Mandrake's excellent documentation here:
http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/fdoc.php3
Or if you are running Red Hat, look at the documentation here:
http://www.redhat.com/docs/
Want to learn how to use OpenOffice/StarOffice, look here:
http://docs-pdf.sun.com/816-7367/816-7367.pdf
Stop talking from your pulpit and start doing. Teach, enlighten, share, write better documentation, help new users.
Time for me to walk my dog and prepare breakfast for the kids.