Linked by John Munsch on Mon 30th Dec 2002 19:05 UTC
Why do it? I am asked this question more often than I expected, even by existing Linux users who I expected to know as well as I the reasons for building a next-generation desktop Linux for the home user. So here are some of my reasons for thinking that we must spend the effort to create a better desktop on Linux than any existing version now has. Editor's Note: Due to a technical glitch, the first segment of this article was ommitted for some readers. If you missed the "why" section, before, you can read it now.
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I don't "know the additive which increases the octane level of unleaded petrol." So shoot me.
I do know what a red light and a green light mean, and the difference between first and fifth gear. I know what a clutch does (and have had that critical experience of learning how to use it effectively, by stalling enough times when I learned to drive).
I don't ask that PC users know the details of how RAM and hard disks work, but that they know the difference between them. I've lost count of the number of people who've bought extra RAM because they didn't have enough disk space to install another program. Of course, it doesn't solve the problem. I'm sure a mechanic could (frequently does, for all I know) make fun of me for not knowing the details of the fuel I use, but at least I know how to use my PC, and how to drive.
I used to drive a VW Polo, and tinker with it a lot. Now I drive a Vectra, which has a "computer-controlled" Engine Management System. This benefits me how? It turns on a EMS light on the dash, so I take it to the dealer, who plugs in his (closed) gizmo, and says "It's revving too high, that's £80 to fix", or (honestly) "It's reporting a fault in the AirCon system, so it's running in a less economical mode" - the car does not have aircon. If I had access to the system (or car) I have paid hard cash for, I could fix such a bug, but because the car I own is controlled by buggy software I do not own, I have to pay someone to fix a "problem" which did not exist in the first place.
That's a difference between cars and PCs - I would never be forced to pay a vendor to fix his own bugs, but with this car (made by Vauxhall, aka General Motors, a big enough company) I have to pay the vendor to fix their own bugs, or live with unreliability and an economically unfeasable system. That reminds me too much of Microsoft, but (to give them credit) they tend to fix their bugs for free, if 3 months too late.