Dear Linux

[brother_blaze]

I am not a computer novice. I was programming in BASIC and PASCAL back in grade school. I remember accessing the "main frame" via a DECWriter. I was on the cutting edge of personal computing and had an IBM PCjr--with a color monitor. I did everything in DOS, and was a Mozilla user way back when it was still Mosaic, and IE wasn't even a wet

Comments

[erica057]

What I have always said about Linux is that it is simply NOT for the in-between people. If all you do is check email and use a word processor, Linux is great. If you're a hardcore computer geek, Linux is great. However, if you're a more-than-casual user who likes to tweak and tinker but doesn't want to edit a config file just to get your monitor working, Linux provides endless frustrations.

And this is EXACTLY why Mac is doing so well. They get it. BSD bones and Intel chips with a user-friendly interface. Exactly why my file server is Linux and my laptop is a Mac.

[brother_blaze]

I'm beginning to discover this.

Switching over to Mac really isn't a viable option for me (it involves a major hardware purchase that I can't afford, and a couple programs I rely on *heavily* are Win-only--which can be mimicked on linux via WINE).

If Linux really wants to make in-roads into the consumer market, they're going to need to come up with a better GUI. That's really all it comes down to: A simple GUI with all the basics pre-programmed.

Is that really so difficult?

[tww1fa]

So, how much are you going to pay the people that develop this magic GUI? Sweat equity is fine.

[brother_blaze]

Gnome already exists. KDE already exists.

I read a lot of posts about how linux is going to take make great inroads into the OS market, and how Vista is going to drive people to adopt linux.

I'm saying that these are all pipe-dreams until there's a GUI that's as simple and comprehensive as Windows. If the creators of Gnome can make the Synaptic Package Manager--which makes installation of new programs just as easy (if not more so) than with Windows--it's not unreasonable to expect a GUI that makes it simple to connect to a wireless network or map a network drive. These aren't advanced issues, they're the kinds of things that the average user will want to do.