Desktop, Debian, RH, and Calvanism (was Re: [svlug] HW system for Linux?)

[Karsten M. Self]

on Wed, Apr 02, 2003 at 12:47:41PM -0800, Paul Cubbage (pcubbage at opencountry.com) wrote:
> Karsten M. Self wrote:
> 
> >I disagree.
> >
> I understand your point and it's valid.  I don't think we need to 
> continue this on the list.
> 
> My comment relates to Linux in general and not RH vs Debian.  It's great 
> for systems people, programmers, et al to know Linux at that  level of 
> detail but it shouldn't be necessary for others to know that much about 
> a system.
> 
> Debian does a great job with apt-get but I don't know anyone who would 
> recommend it as a starter system for mortals to use.  Until Linux gets 
> up to another level of usability, it will continue to be a sideshow on 
> the desktop.

I'm redirecting this to the list as I've got a point or two worth
making.

Xandros, Lindows, Corel Linux, Progeny, and Knoppix are all Debian
based.  All are/were notably aimed as being end-user GNU/Linux systems.
Nontechnical end users at that.  Debian's policy turns it into an ideal
foundation from which to provide a polished product.

Me?  I'm burning Knoppix disks by the spoolful and handing them out to
people I meet in every-day situations.  I can't think of a better tool
for illustrating the usability of GNU/Linux with no configuration,
installation, or set-up hassles.

Mac OS X is proving nicely that Unix is a perfectly suitable foundation
for end-user desktops.  I don't think the stretch to GNU/Linux is
particularly far.  I think the biggest problem is that there are two
camps:  one who sees the desktop as a platform from which fundamental
user choices have been removed, another which finds the most valuable
single feature of GNU/Linux to be choice.  That's the war we've been
waging for the past couple of years.  I'm still not quite sure how it
washes out.

Peace.

-- 
Karsten M. Self <kmself at ix.netcom.com>        http://kmself.home.netcom.com/
 What Part of "Gestalt" don't you understand?
    "What's so unpleasant about being drunk?"
    "You ask a glass of water."
    -- HHGTG