|
| I think you're correct about some Apple owners not wanting to think
| about it. But I think John's observation in
| news://nntp.aioe.org:119/H9WdnQOOkZE...westnet.com.au
| is even more accurate, they just want it to work easily! No fuss, no
| muss.

Yes. The people I've known who switched to Mac
(mainly GenXers) stressed the idea of not needing
to figure out security and AV. I think it wasn't so
much that Windows didn't work for them, but that
they were using Facebook, downloading music, doing
all sorts of online interactive activities and just didn't
want to have to think about security.

| I think the vast majority want something simple and easy to use. If
| not, then why did the iPad start the tablet craze?

Figures I see say that tablets have come about in addition
to PCs, and that many are abandoned after the honeymoon.
They certainly have a place, but I think it's mainly for
mobility rather than ease of use through limitation. That's
the tradeoff, not the feature.

| There are millions of doctors, lawyers, professors and
| scientists using Macs. Intelligent, accomplished people.
|
| Being intelligent and educated does not correlate with being able to
| understand and operate a computer with competency. There's a lot of
| very talented musicians, artists, doctors, etc. out there, but does that
| mean they would be a competent auto mechanic?

That's not what I meant. I just mean that people have
different aptitudes and shouldn't be judged by their experience.
The musician may only be able to handle calling AAA. But
they might also be able to check their oil and change their
air filter if someone explains it to them clearly. If I were
asking them to help me with music I would hope they'd be
intelligent and generous enough to guage what I can
understand rather than just assuming that I won't get it
at all.

| * In Linux you have to look up some arcane command line
| and get sidetracked into long discussions about how to
| pick a "favorite" shell.
|
| So... wait... You like Windows over OS X because of control, but
| because Linux makes you use command lines to have even more control and
| options such a different desktop GUIs, that's not good?
|

What I've always liked about Windows is that one could
get involved to any level. It's not as true as it used to be,
but it's still true to a great extent. After learning how to use
Windows I discovered VBScript. I started writing simple
MsgBox scripts. It was a revelation: I could also affect what
happens on the *other* side of the screen. It was no longer
a locked appliance but instead became an increasingly flexible
tool.

Linux sets a high bar. (I heard a story once that someone
at a talk told Richard Stallman he was having trouble with
Stallman's compiler and Stallman said, "Then write your
own." I can't confirm that story is true, but it doesn't
surprise me.)
Many Linux people want it to be difficult to learn. They like
to feel like magicians with arcane knowledge. Choice of
Desktops is just on the surface. That's fine. But there's no
excuse for having to open a console window to get something
done, post 1995. And there's no excuse for having to dig in
/etc for config files. Those are exactly the designs that Microsoft
uses to prevent anyone but sysadmins and tweakers from being
able to manage the system.

The console window really serves both roles. It allows
Linux fans to feel like they're performing incantations,
"pedal to the metal", and it also intimidates most people.

I saw a discussion on Slashdot yeasterday that was *so*
typical. Someone was asking about a good firewall for
a Linux newcomer that could block outgoing, block
processes, and block IP addresses. A long discussion ensued
about which half-finished IPTables config tools were still
being worked on. Another discussion flared up about whether
someone using Linux has any reason (or even a right) to
block outgoing. There were the typical Windows digs.
As far as I know there isn't a basic firewall on Linux
that vaguely compares to the functionality and usability
of numerous Windows firewalls.

| * On a Mac, Lord Jobs has ruled that you don't need to
| change the settings. (He told the architect of his
| ludicrous spaceship building that the windows shouldn't
| open because people just get into trouble when they can
| open things.)
|
| I'll admit, you have me totally lost here. LOL
|

http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2011/1...-and-openness/