A reader asks: Why is Linux still not as user friendly as the two other main OSes with all the people developing for Linux? Is it because it is mainly developed by geeks?
My initial feeling when reading this question was that it was kind of a throwaway, kind of a slam in disguise as a genuine question. But the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I felt. There truly are a large amount of resources being dedicated to the development of Linux and its operating system halo (DEs, drivers, apps, etc). Some of these resources are from large companies (IBM, Red Hat, Novell). Why isn't Linux more user-friendly? Is this an inherent limitation with open source software?
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2007-08-17
Member since:2006-07-16
We use KDE at work for various reasons on RedHat 4. Upgrading to Fedora is out of the question since management wants official support, and there is no budget to purchase licenses for 5.
So it sounds like Firefox needs Gnome to work properly on Linux, which explains why the users find it a pain to use. I guess this underscores the problems with usability in Linux. We need to use FF, but it does not work easily with our desktop, and retraining people to use Gnome is out of the question. Too bad Konqueror does not work better on the sites users have to access.
Member since:2006-09-01
I was ribbing you about the apt comment; It wasn't serious in the least. 
It really does. I run KDE on FreeBSD, and Firefox really is just a pain to use in that environment. It works, but not as smoothly as it does in other environments. Yeah, there is not a good replacement. As much as people complain about Firefox, everything else is immature, Arora, or not tested for, Konq.
Member since:2006-03-13
Actually, no. I use KDE, and what the previous user stated regarding Gnome holds true for KDE. If an application is registered as the default in KDE, Firefox picks up on it. Firefox from Mozilla lacks integration with KDE file dialogs, but integrates nicely with all other KDE styles and MIME types.
It sounds like the issue is with the relatively old version of Red Hat Linux that you are using (and that KDE is something of an afterthought with Red Hat). For the record, I am using Firefox 3.5 and KDE 3.5.10. I would also add that Konqueror works pretty well for me, but that Firefox with extensions is a better browser.
Member since:
2006-09-01
I just checked Firefox in Fedora11/Gnome, and it gave me a listing of applications to select. The only time Nautilus appears is when I select the "Use other..." option.
What DE are you running? Firefox integrates with Gnome much better, due to Gconf, then other DEs.
You should move to Fedora, so you can use the wonderful Yumex tool.