Ready Your Rebuttles - Computer Active Magazine

[Not the man I once was]

Greetings All,

I'd like to post the following letter posted within a UK Publication called Computer Active, a mainstream PC based Magazine of debatable quality and in my opinion, a Magazine that shouldn't be be published because of its misleading attitude. In recent months, many mainstream PC Magazines within the UK have been releasing GNU/Linux distributions with the Cover Mount discs, something of which I've noticed on three Magazines I had previously considered mainstream Windows-based Magazines - And there are many.

My Dad purchases Computer Active much to a mirth from myself but I happened to read a number of pages within this Fortnightly issue and a letter appears regarding a Linux Special Feature they published in July 2006. It reads:

Subject: Pardon

Starting out with Linux is akin to having a tooth out without the benefit of anaesthetic. One must be prepared to spend hours trawling the forums for help of variable quality or pleading for advice, often with a response. Until the people behind Linux come to the conclusion it can never compete with a system that works 'Out Of The Box', it will be condemned as being only comprehensible to Programmers, IT Workers and the like. There are millions of capable 'users' out there who would love to run something other than Windows but the pain is just too great.

The message is; stop revelling in your own cleverness and elitism guys and start writing in plain English.


Computer Active Replies:

Linux is not as easy to use as Windows for the average user, especially one already familiar with the way that Windows works. But this is changing, albeit slowly. Many of you wrote in to voice your enthusiams for artciles we have written on Linux over the past year. Keep any eye out for a lot more coverage of Linux - and practical, straightforward advice on how to start using it - early next year.


There are many points that the author of said letter fails to realise, and this is most likely the fault of Computer Active. Little can be said for his knowledge of GNU/LThe inux and it's obvious to me he has preconceptions.

The most startling quote is that he decides for himself that GNU/Linux will never compete with systems that work "Out Of The Box". It's quite obvious he hasn't realised that Ubuntu 6.06 Dapper Drake et al are able to run from a Live CD which Windows cannot. In fact I'm writing this post from within the Live CD. Ironic? Perhaps not. I'd also point said author towards System76 for systems using GNU/Linux and excellent hardware configurations. Again, this is a misconception on behalf of the author of the letter. We're not elitest. I am a person, and End User, that would like to use my system and manipulate the information that I care about, and remove myself from Monopolisation and Vendor Lock-In. I want to customise my system as I please and be proud that I can use Multiple Operating Systems. We're not elitest, we in the Ubuntu Community are courteous and helpful to each other and this letter is simply a misdirected false representation. It's disgustinng.

And I've been an Ubuntu GNU/Linux user for one month. :rolleyes:

There are many more points to be considered but I'll allow the Community to discuss this matter. If you wish to correct these "points", an E-Mail can be duly sent to the following address:

letters@computeractive.co.uk

As far as I'm concenred, the letter is slanderous, prejudgemental and misleading as is the entire Computer Active publication for those of you who have seen it at a Newsagents.

Regards,

Not the man I once was

[jonny_boy27]

hear, hear!

[ComplexNumber]

i've never actually read the magazine, but i've seen it a lot in places like WHSmiths and various newsagents.

[christhemonkey]

But wasnt it Computer Active that said:

Linux is not as easy to use as Windows for the average user, especially one already familiar with the way that Windows works. But this is changing, albeit slowly. Many of you wrote in to voice your enthusiams for artciles we have written on Linux over the past year. Keep any eye out for a lot more coverage of Linux - and practical, straightforward advice on how to start using it - early next year.


Which is probably true? (nearly true anyway)

The other letter was just a readers opinion, which they are entitled to?

So what im trying to say is, its not the magasines fault?

[ixus_123]

CA should of perhaps mentioned that When you install Windows it's not ready to go out of the box - you still need to install video, sound drivers, maybe even a modem driver. Then you have to install applicaions you need - openoffice? photoshop / coreldraw?, anti-virus, firewall

Most modern Linux autodetect almost all (if not all) of your hardware, come with a variety of applications for every need.

Given that CA is primarly a Windows publication aimed at the very basic users (not an insult - just my observation of the magazine) I think their reply is fair. I think someone making the change from Windows to Linux might have a hard time grasping some concepts like good house keeping for example. When you use Linux you learn to keep things in your home folder - not all over the desktop, C drive etc.

Going on this CA would probably also say Mac os X is hard to grasp with it's drag & drop & eject a CD bt dragging to trash, install programs by just dragging them to where you want them.

However, for a brand new computer user - someone whom has never used an os before I don't think Linux is hard to learn (for common tasks). My mum is an example of this. She is probably the readership CA is after & she copes much better on Linux than Windows. Why? Well for one, there is no fear of her breaking anything, the gnome menus are easy to understand, there were better games to get her used to using a mouse (try watching someone use one for the first time if you get a chance).

I think desktops these days are pretty similar on most systems but a new user can take the "oh this makes sense" approach rather than the Windows convert who has to unlearn some ways of doing things.

CA might also want to have mentioned apt-get & it's various front ends like the wonderful synapitic - install & uninstall programs with ease - something not always so easy in Windows

[ComplexNumber]

But wasnt it Computer Active that said:


Which is probably true? (nearly true anyway)

The other letter was just a readers opinion, which they are entitled to?

So what im trying to say is, its not the magasines fault?
yeah, thats the way i interpreted it too. i can't see any problem with the magazines attitude at all. its only the reader who wrote in that is giving a misleading opinion of linux.

[christhemonkey]

The only thing the magazine did was publish this persons letter,
maybe just so they could show that it was false and that there were lots of contrasting opinions to the one from the letter.

[ComplexNumber]

The only thing the magazine did was publish this persons letter,
maybe just so they could show that it was false and that there were lots of contrasting opinions to the one from the letter.
i see letters like that from time to time in Linux Format magazine and other linux mags too. i think the magazines try to publish letters with opinions/comments of various levels from one extreme to the other in order to keep a balance.

[Not the man I once was]

Greetings All,

I'm pleased to read the replies. The fact above, describing that Microsoft Windows requires additional installations and suchlike following a Hard Disk format is perfectly valid.As far as I'm concerned, Microsoft Windows could be far improved if Microsoft choose to do so, but I currently view the Windows Operating System software based market as a fad, dilluted with applications that serve little or no purpose such as Windows Operating System 'Optimisation' tools and suchlike and the entire market approaching Microsoft Windows' flaws with products that aim to "better" the Operating System with their products. As far as I'm concerned I find this atrocious in terms of business and suchlike.

There are many issues I have with the Windows Operating System but the author of the letter clearly hasn't researched the topic about which he is writing and this in my view only reinforces the view that there are some that seek to degrade GNU/Linux without reason. Computer Active's reply is also somewhat false.
I know personally many people that use GNU/Linux, including my Girlfriend and they have adapted to the change within one day of using the Operating System meanwhile my Mother for example approaches Microsoft Windows with fear that she may damage the Operating System. Their Laptop has Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition installed and in order to perform simplistic tasks, you have to enable yourself to be an Administrator which is very dangerous come Internet connectivity and Malware and suchlike. Need I say more?

I'd like the reinforce the fact that this discussion is aimed at the author's letter and not at Computer Active Magazine itself.

:)

Regards,

Not the man I once was

[ajgreeny]

What a storm in a teacup! Remarks like this have been published in magazines, newspapers, and generally on the net, even in this forum accasionally in the past and we all have come to ignore them as uninformed chatter from people who know nothing about linux, only what they have read, and that often relates to linux of several years ago when it was command line not GUI operated (for most things).

Don't worry about it, I say, let these people think what they want to and let us just get on with what we like and know of this wonderful system. Linux is all about choice; let these people have it, and let's not get hung up on uninformed opinion. We know the truth!