Ron Schenone

Linux – Conflict In The Hood

Posted by on Sep 24, 2007 | 6 Comments

Every since its inception, Linux for the most part had been a techie operating system and that Linux fanboys pride themselves in using. It now seems that their are two armed camps developing in Linux land, each with a different concept on where Linux should or shouldn’t be heading.

One group wants Linux to remain techie for advanced users and wish to be able to tweak it daily, or hourly, depending on who you listen to. The second group wants Linux to become more mainstream and be a real alternative to Windows. But this would require that the tweaky stuff be eliminated so grandma could use the system. No matter which side of the fence you are on, both sides have some valid points.

Over at the Wall Street Journal, writer Walter S. Mossberg did a fine piece in his Personal Technology column that expressed his view point on where Linux is today. His basic conclusion is that Linux [Ubuntu] should not be used as a replacement for Windows nor Apple, and that it is still for advanced Linux users only. He states that most users do not have the time nor the inclination to tweak, tweak and tweak again.

He also added:

Before every passionate Linux fan attacks that conclusion, let me note that even the folks who make and sell Ubuntu agree with it. Mark Shuttleworth, the South African-born founder of the Ubuntu project, told me this week that “it would be reasonable to say that this is not ready for the mass market.” And Dell’s Web site for its Ubuntu computers warns that these machines are for “for advanced users and tech enthusiasts.”

No matter what your personal opinion is, there is one thing we all must be considerate of. Each of us have our own personal favorite operating system. No matter which you choose, I commend your selection and hope your system is trouble free.

Comments welcome.
Mossberg article here.

[tags]linux, problems, techie, non-techie, Apple, Windows, [/tags]

  • Jeremy

    That’s the beauty of having 350+ choices to choos from. There’s distros for those that love to be able to tweak it 24/7, and there’s distros for those who want their grandmother to use it. There’s no need for the entire community to shift their distros to accomodate one ideal.

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Hi Jeremy,
    Good point.
    Ron

  • marc klink

    That’s really funny, as I consider Ubuntu, Fedora, OpenSuSE, and Mandriva almost completely ready for the masses – and designed to be that way. The Debian, Slackware, YellowDog, etc are for the tweakers.

    I would disagree completely with Ubuntu and OpenSuSE being at all for tweakers. I would say that if you got a good install, without problems, it would, with quality hardware, to be hard to screw up. On the other hand, a bad Linux install, just like a bad Windows install, is no fun whatsoever.

    After all OpenSuSE is designed for corporate drones to use, as in point them to the machine and let them go to work. I like Ubuntu and Shuttleworth, and appreciate the buzz factor he brings to the picture, but I have always thought SuSE was the most easily understood for anyone vaguely familiar with Windows. (On the other hand, for a small child with no computer experience another flavor may be better.)

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Hi Marc,
    I agree. I don’t understand what all the fuss is about either.
    Ron

  • Dan Ferguson

    “so grandma could use the system.”
    What does that mean?
    A clean install of OpenSUSE or Ubuntu seems very usable. Just like a “clean” install of XP from Dell. OTOH /getting/ a clean install probably requires an “enthusiast” – or an order to Dell, System 76, etc for a pre-installed Linux machine. (And this is generally how “grandma” gets a Windows machine too.)

    But whether it’s grandma or my secretary’s niece (theoretically speaking), Windows is hardly “grandma-proof” in daily use; compared to an already-setup Linux system, Windows is probably /less/ “grandma-proof”. I say that under the assumption that grandma wants to use the computer, not act like an enthusiast and try every crazy software package she can find. In that case, grandma will still probably need to be shown how to install an application and how to find it in the Control Panel Add/Remove Apps to uninstall it. It is only a little harder to do the same in Linux, depending on the flavor. I still don’t see that either one is a clear winner.

    But back to daily use…
    I just recovered an XP installation that wouldn’t boot due to ~200 spyware apps, 6 viruses (virii?), and a corrupt registry. “Grandma” didn’t do anything intentional to the machine. She surfed the internet! The AV program (a well known one at that) simply failed to prevent the infection. The spyware apps were allowed free reign because no special utilities were installed to prevent it; and none were run to fix it after the fact either. (Seems that sort of things is usually beyond “grandma’s” grasp. I guess grandma’s not an enthusiast.)

    How about corporations with their great (ahem) IT depts – or virtual charter schools? The one’s I have experience with are all XP oriented. AV software? Sure. After all these organizations rely on their computers, right? Anti-spyware apps? Nope!!!! I guess they are short on enthusiasts also.

    And how does the normal IT dept or large consumer electronics store handle a machine with a corrupt registry and myriad of other problems? I doubt she (the theoretical secretary’s niece) would have gotten her computer back with XP intact – data, applications and all.

    My perspective: whether it’s Windows or Linux, your best bet is to either BE an enthusiast or bake cookies for nearest hungry enthusiast you can find – maybe they’ll work for free.

    Window’s clear advantage? More free (usually young cookie grubbing) enthusiasts are available. That’s it and that’s all it is. There are more people readily available who know Windows than there are who know Linux.

    Now back to my cookies….

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Hi Dan,
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It brought a smile to my face. :-)
    Regards, Ron