Linked by Iain Alexander on Thu 17th Apr 2003 07:28 UTC
Several days ago I wrote a rather scathing article about my utter dismay and disappoint with Mandrake 9.1 and by association, Linux as a whole. Since then I have had many many flames and equally as many agreeing emails (is there a simple opposite word for flame?) Since then I have been trying, really really trying to get my system working fully. But time and again I'm coming up against the same brick wall of (un)usability, computer esotericism and down right idiocy. 
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I sympathize with you. Here's a fact:: a first time Linux user, with no Unix experience, always needs help from an experienced Linux user for a first-time installation. I have been testing Linux distros for years and it is not always a piece of cake, even for me. Certain hardware is still considered "exotic" for many Linux distros..., but drivers are often (not always) available. Finding all this out has more to do with one's research abilities than with Linux know-how. I can verify any hardware combination in about an hour's time to see if a particular distro will fly with the equipment. The method I usually use is to pop the toast into the CD or DVD reader to see what happens. If I can't get the distro up, I do some research, find drivers if necessary, then try again. Very rarely.... I'll say it again.... very rarely can a newbie install a Linux distro via download/cd-burning....etc. You have to remember that much hardware is Windows-specific, not because of market demand, but because of illegal pressure from Microsoft to make sure there is a marked demand that excludes Linux as much as possible. Winmodems are not in existence because they are cheaper. That is a lie. They are there because Microsoft wants them there. This applies to other hardware components that use Windows-specific drivers. The companies that make the devices are pressured (illegally) to NOT make Linux drivers, under penalty of losing Windows support. Normally this is not in the contract, but it sometimes is.
So the next time you want to install Linux, buy the CD's, then get help from a Linux geek. A few months later, you will be one of those geeks lending a helping hand to someone else.