Desktop Linux (fwd)

[Derek Martin]

On Wed, Feb 25, 2004 at 09:57:09AM -0800, Michael Costolo wrote:
> games.  But there are alternatives to that.  But what applications
> do Mom and Dad use at work that do not have *equivalents* on a Linux
> box?  

Often, the existence of an alternative is inadequate.  Many people,
believe it or not, live in MS-Office all day long.  If the documents
their co-workers produce don't import 100% correctly into whatever
alternative they use, then it's no alternative at all.

> > Also, note that "cool software" does not have to mean that the software
> > itself does cool things. In a general home setting, "cool software" is
> > the software/programs/games/apps that everyone you know has. 
> 
> Generically speaking?  If that were truly the case, wouldn't you
> suppose that would leave Apple rather userless?

Isn't it?  ;-)

> > The perception to many people is that their access provider will
> > not support you  if you use anything other than the listed
> > applications
> 
> The super clueless are perhaps a lost cause in any event.

But in order for things to progress for /US/, we need /THEM/.  IOW, we
need a market for high-quality professional applications, so that they
will be produced.  Why doesn't Adobe port Photoshop to Linux?  Simple:
there's not enough market for it to make it worthwhile.  GIMP is nice,
but anyone who does professional image work will tell you that
Photoshop does a lot more.

> > The average home user wants a technical support number, not a mailing
> > list. Besides, if their problem is a networking problem, or they can't
> > get their e-mail to work right, then they have no help. 
> 
> Certainly true.  But the point was that an alternate support system
> *does* exist.  Not in the same form, but so what?

So what is it keeps people from using Linux.  End of story.

> > Yes, it really does depend on the use of Linux at work.  People
> > want to use what they are familiar with. They use a computer at
> > work far more then they do at home, so the one at work is where
> > they gain their experience. 
> 
> But at work what to they *do*?  Spreadsheets, documents, email,
> web-browsing?  (Probably in the reverse order.) Regardless of
> platform, they all work pretty much the same.  

That's a pretty narrow view of business computing.  Some people use
computers for CAD design.  Some people use them for publishing.  Some
people use them for art.  Some people use them for hardware
development.  Some people use them for process automation.  Etc. etc.
the list goes on and on.  The bottom line is, if you need some
application NOW that already exists on Windows, but not on Linux,
you're gonna pick Windows.  There are many such cases.

> Do you honestly think people in general are so Microsoft-braindead
> that they don't believe that they can compose an email if they don't
> have Outlook?  Or write a letter if they don't have Word?  

Nope, but if they can't look at the schedule that their manager has
made for them in Outlook/Exchange, and their co-workers have trouble
importing their documents properly into MS-Office apps, then it
doesn't matter if they can do it another way.  If they can't work with
the rest of their team, they're totally screwed.

> Is it *really* that bad?

Yes.

> "The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by
> those who have not got it" -George Bernard Shaw

I like that quote a lot; but sometimes, cynicism is only that.

-- 
Derek D. Martin
http://www.pizzashack.org/
GPG Key ID: 0xDFBEAD02
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