Star Open Source Design and the OpenOfficeMouse
Linked by Kroc Camen on Sun 8th Nov 2009 10:21 UTC
Hardware, Embedded Systems Is complexity (and wearing this on the outside) an inherit part of open source design? FactoryJoe compares the OpenOfficeMouse (a mouse with 18 programmable buttons and even an analogue joystick) and the Apple Magic Mouse-"To me, the OpenOfficeMouse seems like such a typical product from the open source community." [Kroc: I honestly believed the OpenOfficeMouse to be a very clever satirical joke, the irony that it isn't suspends belief]
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RE[2]: Too many stupid people
by lemur2 on Mon 9th Nov 2009 04:11 UTC in reply to "RE: Too many stupid people"
lemur2
Member since:
2007-02-17

"And as far as open source stuff being complex, that's a matter of opinion -- or intelligence I suppose. Open source provides options for advanced users, so what? Stupid users have options too, they're called windows and macos. If you don't like complexity, stick to those and leave the advanced stuff to people that can use it/want it, no need to deride them!
I believe in complexity, but only to a point where it is absolutely necessary. For example, if there's 2 ways to get something done, and one is more complex than the other, assuming everything else is equal, I'll take the less complex route every time. I don't believe in complexity just for the sake of complexity, or the 'my dick is bigger than yours because I can do things the hard way' mentality. Sometimes I take a look at open source stuff, and I get the feeling that things are harder than they need to be, 'just because'. I think the very BEST way to do complexity is give the user as much control as possible (the open source way), but also have a default option that works out of the box, every time (the Aplle way). "

The default configuration of open source software works out of the box, every time, for almost all hardware.

LiveCDs demonstrate that this is so.

I have booted a Kubuntu 9.10 liveCD on many an x86 system of different configurations, and the LiveCD has detected it all automatically and booted with all parts of the system working in each case.

In the rare case where a system doesn't work with open source software (which I haven't encountered yet myself), a LiveCD will also show this nicely, before any commitment to changes to a systems hard drive are done.

Edited 2009-11-09 04:12 UTC

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