Desktop Linux (fwd)

[Jeff Kinz]

On Thu, Feb 26, 2004 at 01:20:03PM -0800, Michael Costolo wrote:
> --- Jeff Kinz <jkinz at kinz.org> wrote:
> > Mike is obviously going to stand here and say that the slightest
> > difference means the user is learning "a new application". (And he's
> > accusing Derek of being pedantic. :-) )
> 
> I would argue you've oversimplified things *just* a bit.  And perhaps putting words
> into my mouth...

Distinctly not.  I've just been correcting you whenever you tried to
change the words I was using to something else.  

Replying to me you said that when a user used an identical application
they learned a new application.  When Derek pointed out that they had
aquired no new knowledge you accused him of pedantry and then said 

Quote:"
How pedantic do you want to get here? Using the definition you provided,
if they spent an *instant* of time making an observation about a
difference in the way the two programs function, they they learned. Is
this really where you want to go?
endquote"

Which was exactly the same argument you were championing when replying
to me.  You either have to defend the postion or argue against it.  Not
both.  Unless you're just playing games. Or trolling.

> 
> > Mike is never going to accept that position, at least not during this
> > discussion.  I don't know if this is because of reasons of face or if
> > he's just having fun with us.
> 
> Or because you're wrong.  Hey, it is a valid option. :)
On occaision, but not this time.  :)

> > I think it got pulled quite far afield from Maddog's original query. and
> > that's too bad.  He was looking at something pretty important. (as usual)
> 
> This has indeed strayed just a bit.  My original point was that I believe that the
> alternate avenues of support he mentioned are in place, at least from an
> infrastructure point of view.  Perhaps just not very well known/advertised.  And I
> was genuinely curious what specific applications people *needed* to be ported in
> order to non-techno families comfortable with running Linux at home.  It would seem
> from the responses that games are a far bigger concern that I would have ever
> guessed, as well as the more common commercial software packages (Quicken, Adobe
> products, etc.) really are more of a stumbling block than I had previously
> understood.  
>  
> > I can't blame Mike too much.  I've defended some ludicrous
> > position when I didn't even know how I got there.
> 
> Thanks.  I guess.  I'm sure we probably agree on more that it would seem once we get
> past the semantics.

hmm - what do you mean by "agree" and "semantics" ?  :-) 

-- 
Jeff Kinz, Open-PC, Emergent Research,  Hudson, MA.  
"jkinz at kinz.org" is copyright 2003.  
Use is restricted. Any use is an acceptance of the offer at
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