blueturtl
November 26th, 2005, 06:50 AM
I study computing at a local university, but I'm also an all around geek and I've been doing a lot of thinking when it comes to Linux. What I'm getting at is the essence of Linux. A while ago I was still a Windows user and I hated it, because every new version of it required me to focus more on the computer and less on actually using it. This came in the form of endless updating, cleaning up and general maintanence which Windows requires plenty of. It was a headache and I was generally stressed when at my computer, not because I couldn't use it, but because I felt I didn't really want to anymore.
My model of thought for long was that computers were hard to use, but that it was people's fault that they couldn't manage. After all you've got to spend time learning something to be able to use it, right? Well, I've turned a new leaf and I've come to understand what powerusers like me and many others often fail to, which is that the PC is not a common appliance, although the major audience clearly treats it as one. They buy one because of the things they can do with it, not because they want to play with it. People will tolerate a lot of difficulty and troubles because there simply is no other way to accomplish things! If there was an easy way to browse the web, send email and write documents a lot of people would replace their PCs with it!
Now you think, what on earth does this actually have to do with Linux?! Well I'll tell you because I realize Ubuntu and some other Linux projects are actually nearing a new borderline - which is the creation of a user-friendly computer! I base this on my own reasons for moving to Linux: ease-of-use, stability, aesthetics. I know a lot of you think it would be crazy to go tell people, Linux is easier than Windows, after all Linux is the OS for the tinkerers, the people who want to fiddle! With Ubuntu I find this is no longer true. I think Ubuntu does a very good job at making a usable desktop available without much work. Every new version improves the out-of-the-box experience.
Some of you may argue that this is the wrong direction, that making things easy will hurt the usability, the flexibility, or the power of Linux. I don't agree. How many of you think Ubuntu has sacrifised power in face of ease-of-use? I don't. Ubuntu like any Linux distro holds awesome power and customizability and yet, out-of-the box is actually a lot friendlier to the unknowing user than Windows will ever be! I teach some older folk to use their computers and often times I find myself thinking "this would be so much simpler to explain, to show in Ubuntu". When I get asked questions about "why can't things be simple, like this or this or this?" I often get speechless. I understand the question completely, but there is no clear answer to give the poor Windows-user.
Not everything propriatory is bad. I mean Apple's goal has been a usable computer all along. Some day, when choosing my home appliances I'd pick an Apple over a PC. Why? Despite not being open, Apple makes things possible that people want. They do it in style, and their focus is task-oriented computing as opposed to Microsoft's application/technology oriented design. They make a better end product. I know their hardware isn't as customizable as PCs, but this is exactly what makes PC a design for the geeks and the minority. PCs should never have become the standard for the homes, because the fact is that people want simple integrated systems. Windows attempts the emulation of the Mac design on an architechture that was meant for open and customizable systems and this is why it will ultimately fail. It might take a long long time, but it will happen.
Where is Linux in all this? Linux will be the system powering those simple appliances we want that will in the end make computing easier. Linux will be the system run on PCs (after all, not everyone wants an easy integrated system like Apple's). Linux makes it possible to offer easy to use and functional computers to those who can't afford Apple tech.
I urge you to point things out or comment. It's often easier to think with other people pointing out the obvious flaws. ;)
p.s. I am totally aware of Microsoft's market dominance.
My model of thought for long was that computers were hard to use, but that it was people's fault that they couldn't manage. After all you've got to spend time learning something to be able to use it, right? Well, I've turned a new leaf and I've come to understand what powerusers like me and many others often fail to, which is that the PC is not a common appliance, although the major audience clearly treats it as one. They buy one because of the things they can do with it, not because they want to play with it. People will tolerate a lot of difficulty and troubles because there simply is no other way to accomplish things! If there was an easy way to browse the web, send email and write documents a lot of people would replace their PCs with it!
Now you think, what on earth does this actually have to do with Linux?! Well I'll tell you because I realize Ubuntu and some other Linux projects are actually nearing a new borderline - which is the creation of a user-friendly computer! I base this on my own reasons for moving to Linux: ease-of-use, stability, aesthetics. I know a lot of you think it would be crazy to go tell people, Linux is easier than Windows, after all Linux is the OS for the tinkerers, the people who want to fiddle! With Ubuntu I find this is no longer true. I think Ubuntu does a very good job at making a usable desktop available without much work. Every new version improves the out-of-the-box experience.
Some of you may argue that this is the wrong direction, that making things easy will hurt the usability, the flexibility, or the power of Linux. I don't agree. How many of you think Ubuntu has sacrifised power in face of ease-of-use? I don't. Ubuntu like any Linux distro holds awesome power and customizability and yet, out-of-the box is actually a lot friendlier to the unknowing user than Windows will ever be! I teach some older folk to use their computers and often times I find myself thinking "this would be so much simpler to explain, to show in Ubuntu". When I get asked questions about "why can't things be simple, like this or this or this?" I often get speechless. I understand the question completely, but there is no clear answer to give the poor Windows-user.
Not everything propriatory is bad. I mean Apple's goal has been a usable computer all along. Some day, when choosing my home appliances I'd pick an Apple over a PC. Why? Despite not being open, Apple makes things possible that people want. They do it in style, and their focus is task-oriented computing as opposed to Microsoft's application/technology oriented design. They make a better end product. I know their hardware isn't as customizable as PCs, but this is exactly what makes PC a design for the geeks and the minority. PCs should never have become the standard for the homes, because the fact is that people want simple integrated systems. Windows attempts the emulation of the Mac design on an architechture that was meant for open and customizable systems and this is why it will ultimately fail. It might take a long long time, but it will happen.
Where is Linux in all this? Linux will be the system powering those simple appliances we want that will in the end make computing easier. Linux will be the system run on PCs (after all, not everyone wants an easy integrated system like Apple's). Linux makes it possible to offer easy to use and functional computers to those who can't afford Apple tech.
I urge you to point things out or comment. It's often easier to think with other people pointing out the obvious flaws. ;)
p.s. I am totally aware of Microsoft's market dominance.