Thelasko
April 2nd, 2009, 05:42 PM
I was reading a story on Slashdot titled "Linux Needs Critics" (http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/04/02/1317246&art_pos=3) and read the following comment:
As a non Linux guy, I've been interested in installing Linux several times but the community has turned me off. If you go on a forum or something similar and suggest a feature you're often told that you're doing it wrong. That's probably true, but it's poor attitude for growing a client base. Me: I'd like mirrors on my car to assist in backing up. Linux community: The best way to back up is to turn around and look out your rear window. While technically correct, how many people back up using their mirrors?
As an engineer, I've run into this problem many times in my life. Users often request features, only to discover that using said feature means they are not using the product correctly. Users often get frustrated by this, but it's to their own benefit.
The Japanese have a word, poka-yoke, which roughly means "fail-safing", "Foolproof" or "mistake-proofing". The classic example of poka-yoke is the square peg in the round hole. Toyota made poka-yoke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poka-yoke) a cornerstone in it's production system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Production_System), and is regarded as a reason why their cars have such a high reputation for quality.
As an engineer, I've encountered numerous examples of people who have gone through great lengths to defeat poka-yoke. Being a mechanical engineer, many of these involved very large hammers. In the world of Ubuntu, I've seen the hammers replaced by source code.
Compiling from source code, and tools like Alien, are difficult to use on purpose. This is a poke-yoke to ensure your system remains secure and stable. One of the main reasons why Windows is unstable and has viruses is because people install software of unknown origin. Ubuntu combats this problem through its repository system. The repositories are designed to be very easy to use because they are the best way to install software on your machine.
Please remember, compiling from source is, just like a sledge hammer, a tool of last resort.
Thanks
As a non Linux guy, I've been interested in installing Linux several times but the community has turned me off. If you go on a forum or something similar and suggest a feature you're often told that you're doing it wrong. That's probably true, but it's poor attitude for growing a client base. Me: I'd like mirrors on my car to assist in backing up. Linux community: The best way to back up is to turn around and look out your rear window. While technically correct, how many people back up using their mirrors?
As an engineer, I've run into this problem many times in my life. Users often request features, only to discover that using said feature means they are not using the product correctly. Users often get frustrated by this, but it's to their own benefit.
The Japanese have a word, poka-yoke, which roughly means "fail-safing", "Foolproof" or "mistake-proofing". The classic example of poka-yoke is the square peg in the round hole. Toyota made poka-yoke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poka-yoke) a cornerstone in it's production system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Production_System), and is regarded as a reason why their cars have such a high reputation for quality.
As an engineer, I've encountered numerous examples of people who have gone through great lengths to defeat poka-yoke. Being a mechanical engineer, many of these involved very large hammers. In the world of Ubuntu, I've seen the hammers replaced by source code.
Compiling from source code, and tools like Alien, are difficult to use on purpose. This is a poke-yoke to ensure your system remains secure and stable. One of the main reasons why Windows is unstable and has viruses is because people install software of unknown origin. Ubuntu combats this problem through its repository system. The repositories are designed to be very easy to use because they are the best way to install software on your machine.
Please remember, compiling from source is, just like a sledge hammer, a tool of last resort.
Thanks