Linux Desktop Readiness Thread

[awakatanka]

Why people always go in defence mode and offer solutions like buy linux compatible hardware, our use free software?

Must someone first check a list of zillions of distro's before he knows if it will work? Why must do a person do that much work to get something to work on a desktop? Not always the answer is a free software solution, just because it doesn't have the same option our it doesn't excist.

Distro's need to make a simple standaard to install drivers for hardware and no commandline only troubles. I don't even start about easy install of non free software our things outside repo's because there is already some threads about that.

To much people think if it works for me it much be good and must work also for others.

[awakatanka]

To everyone who thinks the generalization in the title is a bad one, I suggest we stop posting to this thread, so that it will not get bumped anymore and spread FUD.

A distro is mostly called linux for people that aren't that informed and just try out some linux. And most user friendly distro forums are full of this kind of threads. So OP has a point.

I think Linux needs more criticism - find out what really annoys people and fix it, rather than just bundling in more apps and providing HOWTO's for common problems (which isn't a solution).

I agree totaly, but some people rather ignore and keep the desktop linux a small market that can't handle criticism.

Even MS gets tons of criticism and they try to improve it in every version they don't ignore the problems but try to make a solution.

[Dr. E]

I trust this posting will be the last in this thread. Please consider my points:

1-I chose Ubuntu as my distro after doing a lot of reasearch on others. I like Ubuntu's philosophy and the friendly answers I got to questions I had before I installed it.

2-I researched and found that Linux drivers exist for my printer, and found installation instructions for WP LInux before I decided to make the move.

3-I did enough homework to realize that things would not work out of the box and then spent a great deal of my time and other OPs as well trying to install my software and hardware. No, I didn't expect Ubuntu to work like Windows, nor do I want it to. That's why I'm trying to migrate from Windows.

4-I have only chronicled a small fraction of the errors upon errors received while trying to install these things. I didn't merely give up on the first try.

5-Most people on the Forum have been enormously encouraging and helpful.

6-My irate message was not meant to upset people, but to explain my reasoning for my conclusions. I am surprised that a small minority of people have a large chip on their shoulder when anyone dares mention that Ubuntu has some problems and isn't very user friendly in some regards. This was expressed as my opinion about a program and not a personal attack on andy OP or their mother.

7-The best advice I received on this forum was to try a different distro. I have, and within half an hour my printer was working.

8-I truly hope Ubuntu developers take the criticisms and difficulties users have discussed on this forum seriously so that Ubuntu does become ready for the desktop of people who are not computer wizzes.

[briancurtin]

7-The best advice I received on this forum was to try a different distro. I have, and within half an hour my printer was working.

thats good to hear. im glad you looked out to another distro and got it to work quickly.

8-I truly hope Ubuntu developers take the criticisms and difficulties users have discussed on this forum seriously so that Ubuntu does become ready for the desktop of people who are not computer wizzes.

they are trying, as are all developers of all distributions. they arent developing their stuff so that it stays on the "DL" so to say. they want more people to use it and be able to use it.

[John.Michael.Kane]

Every Os i feel needs some form of learning, or work to get it how the end user needs it to be. this is not just a linux problem. windows need the use to interact with it to work as well.

just my thoughts on this subject...

[23meg]

Why people always go in defence mode and offer solutions like buy linux compatible hardware, our use free software?

If someone bought Windows incompatible hardware and then bashed Windows on a Windows forum because it didn't work with their hardware, would replies to this be considered "defence mode" as well? What's wrong with encouraging people to prefer Linux compatible hardware?

Must someone first check a list of zillions of distro's before he knows if it will work? Why must do a person do that much work to get something to work on a desktop?

They can do searches on the forums and wiki pages of distros for experiences of other users with their hardware, and official compatibility reports. How would this be any different if you had not one but five proprietary mainstream OSes competing for market share on the x86 / AMD64 platforms? Say, if there were Windows and Zindows and Lindows and Kindows and Meadows, each of which were compatible a different set of hardware and people had to do research to choose what's best for them? Doing a bit of research, and trying things out to make sure is a Good Thing. Don't expect the best of the best to be served to you on a plate; now is a time when monopolies and one-size-fits-all solutions are becoming a thing of the past and there's no single best solution for everyone, instead, there's a multitude of choices, and you have to choose what's best for you. This is the future of everyday computing, Free or not, open source or not. Joe Average would better wake up, or he'll be left in the dust.

Distro's need to make a simple standaard to install drivers for hardware and no commandline only troubles.

Drivers aren't a distro thing, they're a kernel thing, a real "Linux" thing so to speak. Installation of drivers not found in the kernel will not get any easier than recompiling your own kernel with support for them anytime soon. At the present state of things, if you're not technically proficient enough to do this, you need to get support from others, which brings us to the community aspect of FOSS; not everything works "out of the box", but if you're unlucky enough to be part of the troubled crowd, you can seek help, and if you know how to, and are ready to invest some time and energy, it's most likely that your problem will be solved. If you're not prepared to do this, do not use Linux based OSes today because they will only make life more difficult for you.

A distro is mostly called linux for people that aren't that informed and just try out some linux.

My problem here isn't with people referring to Linux as if it were an OS, it's with generalizations based on nothing but personal experience. If I had problems with Windows and wasn't able to get it to do what I wanted it to do, and went to a Windows forum and said "Windows isn't ready for the desktop because my printer doesn't work with it", what would people say to me? With all basic differences between the natures of Windows and Linux aside, I don't think they'd say "Well, it works with ours, and we're all working happily with our printers, so perhaps you must be an unlucky minority. Be calm, maybe we can help you, please paste the errors you're getting, and tell us what your printer is instead of bashing Windows."

But that's exactly what we're saying.

With all this said, there will be distros that address most of your concerns in the near future, even though none of them are concerns for most present Ubuntu users. Spreading FUD with generalizations derived from personal horror stories only slows down the process. If you really want FOSS to get better, contribute in a constructive manner. If you can't bear working with FOSS, and don't want to contribute in any way, use Windows or Mac OS or whatever other OS you prefer. It's really that simple.

Back to silence.

[poofyhairguy]

7-The best advice I received on this forum was to try a different distro. I have, and within half an hour my printer was working.

Excellent.

[poofyhairguy]

Why people always go in defence mode and offer solutions like buy linux compatible hardware, our use free software?

Must someone first check a list of zillions of distro's before he knows if it will work? Why must do a person do that much work to get something to work on a desktop?

Because there are less standards and more possibilities in X86land than almost all other markets. The number of possibilities for the many combinations of hardware in "IBM Compatible" PCs is over a trillion.

You act like its simple to rope all this together. MS does it with the helps of thousands of third parties that make each part. Apple avoids the issues by selling you a box that is the same as the next one with limited possibilities.

Because of its marketshare size and its potential market, Linux has neither.

We do not get defensive because we are trying to keep our feelings from being hurt. We do it because its reality.

Distro's need to make a simple standaard to install drivers for hardware and no commandline only troubles. I don't even start about easy install of non free software our things outside repo's because there is already some threads about that.

Sounds great. But when you have the resources on the desktop that is a fraction of MS's its hard to make miracles happen.

I prefer to be a realist. I just buy Linux compatible hardware.

To much people think if it works for me it much be good and must work also for others.

More like "it works for me so it CAN work for others." We regect the concept that Linux is not ready, because it is ready for many.

[23meg]

7-The best advice I received on this forum was to try a different distro. I have, and within half an hour my printer was working.

Let us know in this thread when you have Wordperfect working as well

[racecat]

I have three pcs. While I'm finding things I can do with Ubuntu (Hoary) applications that would cost a forune in Windows-world, it is a fact of life that my scanner isn't supported in Linux because the manufacturer hasn't supported it. My next scanner will be purchased with that in mind, but the point is, my scanner does work on my XP box. My third box dual boots Breezy and Win2k because I like to watch DVDs on my puter and the Win2k just does it better.

While I like Ubuntu for most everything else, I don't wish to cut off my nose to spite my face for the sake of purity. I own the three puters already (two were given to me, I'm not rich), so I use what works for given applications.

Not ready for the desktop? Maybe not everyones, but getting ever so close. I'm betting it will be by the time I would have to pay to keep using Windows. Good luck, Dr. E.

One more thing; Gibraltar!!! Bscbrit, I had the extreme good fortune to visit Gibraltar in 1976 courtesy of the U. S. Navy. It was one of the most memorable places I saw in two "Med" cruises.

Just thought I'd throw in my two cents, or maybe just an excuse to mention Gibraltar, or both.

Bill