On 3/10/2019 4:46 AM, T wrote:
On 3/10/19 4:07 AM, Mike wrote:
On 3/9/2019 10:24 PM, T wrote:


Here is the thing.Â* To use a different technology requires you
to actually learn the technology.Â* You want to use Windows 10,
you have to learn it.Â* If you want to use Linux, you have to
learn it.

The majority of us don't want to LEARN any OS.

Hi Mike,

I was speaking to another I.T. person, not to the general public.
Those administering systems need to LEARN them, whatever they are.

And you are right about the general public.Â* They could not
give a hoot is their OS was the Flaming Zucchini OpSys as long
as it ran the programs they want

We want the RESULT of running the application.

Agreed.Â* The computer should be a tool that works for the
human, not the other way around.

We don't want to have to LEARN the application either.

That is the rub.Â* Have you ever written software?Â* I
have/do.Â*Â* 95% of the code is dealing with the interface
to the user.Â* And they could be a lot better done.
Developers are pressures to "just ship it".

Software is a communication problem.
When you have a verbal discussion, you might choose words that are
familiar to you and maybe everybody else in your clubhouse.
Problem is that the listener has his own history/experience/bias.
He "hears" what he knows. Your words are merely triggers to
the contents of HIS brain, not yours. I've found a strong
inverse relationship between how smart a person thinks he is to
his ability to communicate/educate others.

A teacher/mentor constantly monitors both sides of the conversation
and adjusts HIS words to lead the student to the intended conclusion.
You can't just shout down his brain. You have to understand where it is
and LEAD it to where you want it to go.

Empathy is very difficult to teach...especially to people who know it all.

Here's a simple example:
If you asked me if you could borrow my cellphone, I'd say that I don't
have one.
Truth is that I probably have one in my pocket.
What I don't have is cell SERVICE.

A simple interpretation is that I LIED.
A thorough analysis would show that I COMMUNICATED.

I used words that communicated that fact that I couldn't help you
with anything that a typical phone user would require.

If I'd said that I didn't have service, we'd be off on a tangent
that would not do either of us any good and you still couldn't
make a call.

If your reaction indicated otherwise, I'd hand you the phone.

So, what did that have to do with software?
If the student is a windows user, it's YOUR responsibility to
lead his mind from where it's been to where you want it to go.
You can't speak geek. You can't berate him for being stupid.
You gotta speak windows.
Desktop linux has FAILED at that task. Without strong
leadership, it will always FAIL at that task.

If you're looking for a hobby, desktop linux is as good as any.
And you might just dump windows altogether. I'm betting most won't.


How many people already have basic knowledge of Windows?
Twelve?

How many people already have basic knowledge of Linux?
Ten?
I think your ratio is way off.
Take two average joes to best buy.
Tell one to buy a computer.
Tell the other to buy a linux based desktop computing platform.
The first guy will be in the checkout line before the second
one finds anybody who can help him in the least.

Experiment two:
Give two people computers new in the box and internet connections.
Lock 'em in separate rooms.
Tell 'em to write a short memo, attach a picture and email it to you
and you'll come open the door.
Tell person two that he will have to use linux to do it.
Leave and wait for the emails. Don't forget to notify next
of kin and call hazmat for the second guy.

Keep in mind that the scrubbers that guess at the installed
base of OS'es miss Linux a lot because it does to spy on
you and the telemetry is not there.

I can't dispute that. Try this metric.
Stand up at the PTA meeting and say,
"raise your hand if you can help me with some issues in
open office in ubuntu." Or, "I have a half-price computer that only
works with mint. Who wants it?
There's your ratio.


The ratio of those two numbers tells the story.
There's little motivation for change.

The motivation would be when they could run the apps
the want on it.Â* That is Linux's only drawback at
the moment.Â* Linux now has some really nice desktops.

That's not motivation.
You're sitting at the rest stop. You are half way to
your kid's wedding. You're on schedule and life is great.

Somebody drives up and offers to trade vehicles.
His has the steering wheel on the wrong side. There's a bunch
of stuff in the trunk. Nobody knows what it is. It won't
go on the interstate, but HE is convinced that HE could find a back
road to get you there. But he thinks it's really shiny in places.
How motivated will you be?


snip

Linux's only draw back now is the lack of application support.
ONLY???????Â* ;-(

Yep.Â* You must be remembering years ago when their
GUI's were nasty.Â* Linux is faster, far more stable,
technologically superior,

Technical superiority is overrated.
I spent several hours yesterday in my friends beat up
Ford on the way to a swapmeet.
We would have taken his BMW, but it wasn't running...again!
Gets a lot better gas mileage and way more fun to drive.
Technically superior. But he can't fix it. His local
BMW whisperer can't fix it. If he takes it to the dealer,
it'll cost a fortune to fix and be broke again next month.

and very easy to use.

That's BS. If you plug in the live DVD and click icons on the screen,
it's very easy to use. If you ever need to look behind the curtain,
you're screwed. A windows user doing stuff in desktop linux isn't too
bad the SECOND
time you do it, but that first time is a bitch.
Doesn't take very many of those to send you back to the windows that
you know and hate.

Maybe you should try downloading and trying some of the
Live Spins.

I like mint.
A few versions back, I liked Zorin. But every version
takes it further back into the chaos that is desktop linux.

They have the desktops already set up so
you can fly before your buy.
That's a myth.
I've tried distros that worked great off the DVD, but when installed,
it boots to a blank screen. Or what about when the DVD works the lan
but when installed, you need to connect to the internet to install
the proper lan driver to connect to the internet.
I'm sure a guru could figger out how to fix it,
but it's not worth the effort. Desktop linux is like an onion. Fix one
thing and there's another just below the surface. And it changes every
distro/release/wet dream that the developers are experiencing.

Distro A does five of the seven things on your must have list.
Distro B does five of the seven things on your list of must haves,
just different five.
You can add the fixes to either, but it takes a different process
for each. And the default tools are different. You have to install
the stuff that lets you install stuff so you can learn new tools
to get most of what you want.

To be fair, windows is going down the same road to chaos. Maybe it will
eventually be so bad that desktop linux looks good...but don't count on it.
There are some nice spins too.

If I had to boil it down to one, it's complete lack of empathy
(with prejudice) for Windows Refugees.Â* What do you expect when
it says "FOAD WinDroid" on the linux clubhouse door?

Sorry. Not following.
Carrots work better than sticks if you expect windows people
to convert to desktop linux.

-T