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View Full Version : it's ok to not want to know how it works



uzybear
September 10th, 2007, 07:12 AM
ok, this really is a question rather than a statement; it's my feeling that it doesn't make you "lazy" or "dumb" to not want to know how your pc works, but rather for it to WORK FOR YOU, with as little intervention as possible; in my mind this is the point of software in the first place, for it to work for you, rather than you working for it

thoughts? i guess it's just a bit of a complaint i have, since i see folks railed for not understanding programming languages, or specialized instructions; in my mind, the real ideal of software is for it to be completely intuitive, to just work all the time, to need no prior instruction to use it, for it to do what you need it to do

it seems to me that the great advances in linux in recent years have mostly been that it's become more, dare i say, "user-friendly", that THAT is the real accomplishment that has made people like me, and i'm not a programmer, not even much of a geek, just someone who is impressed by what an open community can do, someone who sees the value in community rather than being tied down to a corporation and their software; folks like myself are starting to see that there is an alternative, and in many ways, it is simply superior to windows

however, i feel that the community is dragged down a bit by the geek-desire to stay "pure"; perhaps avoiding GUI's or implementing applications that are incredibly versatile but not incredibly simple to use; for linux to come out of the geek-basement and into the sunshine of the world of folks that just want it to work, and just don't care how it works; for that to happen a philosophy shift is needed, and a bit of vision; i think perhaps ubuntu understands this, and the change is happening; of course there will always be OS's for purist computer-people; but for us computer-USERS, it's nice to have something that "just works", and it's nice that it is better designed, more stable, runs better on cheaper/older machines, and isn't tied in with a giant corporation's bottom line

just a silly philosophy; tell me why i'm wrong ;)

wolfen69
September 10th, 2007, 07:32 AM
there are distros for all kinds of people. ubuntu ultimate and sabayon come with most everything pre-installed. on the other hand, if you are a purist, you can use something like arch or slackware. which require knowledge of the command line. i like it the way it is.

eentonig
September 10th, 2007, 07:45 AM
You're right, to a certain amount.

Tools (and that's what an Os is) are meant to work for you. But like any other tool, if you want to take the full profit out of it, you have to learn how to use it. And why to use which version of the tool.

There are tens of types of hamers. And all they do are meant to do is bang on stuff. Or a million types of screwdrivers. Why not just one screw(-all)driver?

Circus-Killer
September 10th, 2007, 07:49 AM
There are two points which you should consider.

Firstly, you must remember that linux will always require some level of learning for the new user. Windows is no different. If a person hasnt ever seen a windows machine before, they too will struggle their way around. The only reason why it seems as if windows requires no learning is because most people were brought up with it, much like their home language. Do you remember how hard it was to learn the language you speak at home? Of course not, its as if you were born with it. But take someone who has never heard your home language, and it would take months for them to learn the language. Same as if you were to try learn a different lanuage other than your home language.

The second point to consider is that of the old problem, usability vs configurability. whilst windows is easy to use, its options for customization are no way of the quality for linux. basically, theres a simple rule. the more simple something is, the less features/options it will have. for example, whilst windows can do almost anything, there is a lot you cant change, you either accept it....or switch to ubuntu. :p

Seriously though, essentially gui's take away from configurability. its been like that for as long as i can remember, and the fact is that where to draw the line between the two becomes harder to find.

hyper_ch
September 10th, 2007, 08:13 AM
And a small note for me:

You say things have to be intuitive... however that what is considered as intuitive varies from person to person because of their invidiual background.

schizzorl8
September 10th, 2007, 09:50 AM
Things self-made are more difficult to forget! :)