Advocacy - Was: Re: Window dressings - a maddog story (Was: Any Opinions on SuSE 10.0 vs other Distros)

[Jon maddog Hall]

Brian,

I understand that a lot of people, including very intelligent ones, want
something that "just works".  They do not care that it is KDE or GNOME, or that
they have control over each and every colored pixel on the screen.

When I wrote the original "Linux for Dummies", =>I<= CHOSE Red Hat Linux for
the distribution.  I =>TOLD<= readers how to install it, and I took screen shots
of the choices I gave them.  They ended up with a "standard" Red Hat Linux
for Dummies installation.  Each and every one was the same. :-)

Then the publishers wanted me to do different books for different distributions
"because the customers wanted it for each type of distribution."  I told the
publishers that "if the customers are asking for a particular distribution,
then they are not 'dummies'", and it was part of my responsibility to pick
=>THE BEST<= distribution at any one time for a "newbie", but unfortunately
they did not listen to me.*

I too want something that "just works".  This is why I picked a distribution
(SuSE) and a desktop (GNOME) that I use from year to year.  For me it has
been very stable, upgradable, etc.  I normally** do not go out onto the Internet
and pick up random packages to install into my environment.  I wait until
SuSE has integrated them in.

Some new Linux people jump from distribution to distribution, window system
to window system, and complain that "there are too many choices."  I think
that if these people selected a distribution like Xandros or Mandriva, and
took the defaults offered, they would be fairly happy.  These two distributions
have concentrated on the desktop usage for a long time and invested in
desktop technologies whereas Red Hat and SuSE/Novell concentrated on server
systems, and have more recently moved toward the desktop.

Obviously I have made a compromise against my own advice in my choice of
SuSE for my desktop.  One reason is that I have the technical expertise to
correct any issues I create by switching from desktop to desktop, release to
release.  Another reason is that (as a computer scientist and recommender of
software) I need to use various pieces of software that need both desktop and
server functionality to work....ergo I use the "Professional Server" SuSE
software on my laptop, not their "desktop" software.

Sometimes we as "Linux Advocates" confuse them with too many choices.  We keep
telling them to "try this", or "try that".  They just want to get on with their
work.

I think we may be doing the newbies a disservice in calling the whole OS
"Linux"*** because that suggests a level of sameness that is just not there
from distribution to distribution.  We create the illusion that "SuSE Linux"
will be just as much the same as "Red Hat Linux" as "IBM MS Windows" is to
"HP MS Windows".  Nevermind the fact that Windows Vista will be considerably
different from Windows XP, Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows 3.1...

Perhaps we should be getting people to understand that what they are using
is "Novell/SuSE with KDE, based on the Linux kernel and various subsystems
including 'GNU' and all the defaults turned on".

In any case, the difference still remains that with MS Windows, what you get
from Microsoft is what you get.  Choice in any case is not in the cards.

With "Linux", people can choose not to choose.

md

*The publishers spent a lot of money and people's times creating "Linux for
Dummies" books for unpopular distributions, which sold marginal copies.  They
confused the people at the bookstores, who did not know which book to buy, and
therefore left lots of books unsold on the shelf.  Instead of listening to the
subject matter expert (me), the publishers went out and hired others to do
this writing.  It was the case of the stupid leading the dummies.

**"normally* of course, does not mean "never".  But I do tend to stick with
Novell/SuSE supported packages for what they distribute, and will attempt to
use things like Knoppix distributions or others for major new functionality
from time to time.

***I still call it "Linux", and while I am sympathetic to Richard Stallman's
GNU/Linux campaign, do not feel "GNU/Linux" fixes the issue brought forth here.
I will, however, say "Free Software" over "Open Source".  Richard has
convinced me of that.  I think in both cases we just have to do a better job
training people in exactly what they are getting and doing.  If we are
successful in doing that, you could call it "Fred".****

****"Fred" was the name suggested by me for the times when the product managers
at Digital could not come up with a suitable name.  It was in honor of Fred
Canter, a really good senior engineer we had.  Eventually the name "Fred"
was associated with a Free Software project in Brazil, at my suggestion.
-- 
Jon "maddog" Hall
Executive Director           Linux International(R)
email: maddog at li.org         80 Amherst St. 
Voice: +1.603.672.4557       Amherst, N.H. 03031-3032 U.S.A.
WWW: http://www.li.org

Board Member: Uniforum Association, USENIX Association

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