Linked by David Adams on Mon 24th Aug 2009 09:21 UTC
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?
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Member since:2008-12-26
However, you seem to claim that everything you will ever need is in a repository... From my experience, this is not the case, hence why I'd like to see a system for installing packages outside repositories in a distribution-neutral way.
To what I remember, there is Autopackage but it never really caught on...
To what I remember, there is Autopackage but it never really caught on...
You seem to confuse what you think would be "nice to have" with what you really need.
Autopackage was relevant before Ubuntu came about and cleaned the table.
What you really need is a way to install software by downloading the installer and double-clicking it. And you got that already, the installer is the .deb file.
Member since:2005-06-30
You seem to confuse what you think would be "nice to have" with what you really need.
Autopackage was relevant before Ubuntu came about and cleaned the table.
What you really need is a way to install software by downloading the installer and double-clicking it. And you got that already, the installer is the .deb file.
Autopackage was relevant before Ubuntu came about and cleaned the table.
What you really need is a way to install software by downloading the installer and double-clicking it. And you got that already, the installer is the .deb file.
Yeah, I forgot that the entire Linux community is behind Ubuntu. Thanks for the reminder...
Member since:2005-07-07
Where did I claim that it is bad? Looks like you don't even bother to read.
You claimed that the repository system is bad because it doesn't always have what you want. The point of what I was saying is that you can't prove something by just saying it and that's what you're trying to do.
Except that Debian doesn't have the latest version...
You're right about that. I didn't realize that a new version came out two weeks ago. Calling that a deal-breaker is a bit far fetched though, especially since it is relatively easy to obtain outside the repos.
Anyway, I won't bother to list packges you don't know as it would be futile
Nice cop out. It just proves you are just repeating BS and don't have any personal reasons for your dislike of a centralized packaging system.
However, you seem to claim that everything you will ever need is in a repository... From my experience, this is not the case, hence why I'd like to see a system for installing packages outside repositories in a distribution-neutral way.
The only thing you have shown is that you cannot get a two week old version of Eclipse. While that may be a tad annoying for someone who has more interest in the latest and greatest than getting stuff done it is really a stretch to claim that it makes Linux user un-friendly.
Member since:2005-06-30
You claimed that the repository system is bad because it doesn't always have what you want. The point of what I was saying is that you can't prove something by just saying it and that's what you're trying to do.
My initial message was: "If installing software outside the main repositories of a distro was such a non-issue, people wouldn't raise it as an issue."
The only claim I've made was that a centralised repository system isn't perfect, as you depend on the maintainers. If the maintainers don't care about your software, you're out of luck.
You're right about that. I didn't realize that a new version came out two weeks ago. Calling that a deal-breaker is a bit far fetched though, especially since it is relatively easy to obtain outside the repos.
A few months. You don't even know what you're talking about, yet you keep telling me I'm wrong?
I never said this specific case was a deal-breaker. However, you claimed that getting software outside repositories is a rarity, yet a significant part of my software is customly installed on my system.
I don't think I'd represent the average user, but does that make this a non-issue? Should we only consider average web-surfin' grandmas?
Nice cop out. It just proves you are just repeating BS and don't have any personal reasons for your dislike of a centralized packaging system.
Geez, I'm sorry to be a Linux user that doesn't think like you... Seriously, why would I bother with such futile discussion if I had no personal motivation?
Member since:
2005-06-30
Where did I claim that it is bad? Looks like you don't even bother to read.
Except that Debian doesn't have the latest version...
Does it matter that the average user won't use Eclipse? Repositories are for everyone, from the clueless noob to the developer.
Anyway, I won't bother to list packges you don't know as it would be futile, just like discussing about Eclipse. By the way, the latest version is 3.5/CDT 6.0, while Karmic/Unstable got 3.4/CDT 3.1... Fortunately, you can run the IDE from the tarball found on Eclipse's website.
Actually, I never claimed that repositories were a bad idea. They are quite great.
However, you seem to claim that everything you will ever need is in a repository... From my experience, this is not the case, hence why I'd like to see a system for installing packages outside repositories in a distribution-neutral way.
To what I remember, there is Autopackage but it never really caught on...