Cultural differences in Indian computer usage?

[sharathpaps]

I have to agree to the fact that a lot of Indians compulsively have to use 'Refresh' five or six times before or after doing anything on their computer. It's sort of like twiddling your thumbs digitally while you wait for something to happen or maybe like cleaning up everything after you're done. I very rarely do it but sometimes I confess, it's an itch that has to be scratched and so on Ubuntu I end up using F5 every once in a while.

Another reason maybe is because in Wind**s, clicking "Refresh' rearranges the icons neatly. It is something that I honestly miss in Ubuntu. Also, 'Refresh' generally does away with incorrectly drawn windows, or some program that has crashed etc. I'm not really sure what Refresh does though..

[amitabhishek]

I did during Win98 days.

BTW its funny article...lol...like they say "it happens only in India"

[zeex]

This is point 3 from the blog

What does an average Indian user do when the desktop loads in Windows?He rights clicks on the desktop and refreshes the desktop about 5-6 times or until he is satisfied.This is a ritual performed by most Indian Users after switching on the computer and just before shutting down the computer.

When this average user tries to perform his ‘Refresh’ ritual in Ubuntu,he is in for a rude shock.The Ubuntu Desktop does not have a Refresh Option or any other simliar option like Reload in the Right Click Menu.

So I advice Ubuntu Developers to include to a Refresh or a Reload option in the right click menu on the Desktop and in the Nautilus File Manager.The option should be equivalent of pressing Ctrl+R.As of now ,pressing Ctrl+R refreshes the Desktop in Ubuntu.

Don't take the word ritual and combine religious cultural meaning to it. It more like sarcasm.

The real reason Ubuntu or any Linux is mostly a failure in India besides the obvious reason that Windows is awesomely noob friendly, It's practically free. It's pirated copy is almost everywhere probably in about 70-80 % computers may be more.

There are other reasons like the software support I'm talking about home computers and not corporate offices. Support for linux is not available in India. Like if someone's PC develops a problem they take it to some software vendor who sold 'em the PC and these people only know windows and so no one installs also there is not a lot of debugging required in windows. Apart from the Virus and security issues which most of people are not very much aware of windows cheap and easy to use. The vendor sells 'em they take it (not everyone is a geek) just like Dell is doing "Dell : We recommend Windows Vista". People look for comfort. They get a complete system and if something goes wrong they can simply throw the system back at vendor. Not everybody know or wanna learn and spend time on linux They just want to use the computer.

Cyber Laws are not that strict in India unless it's about sending obscene SMS,MMS or mail or worse sending terror e-mails then they'll hunt you down. If Microsoft even came knocking about pirated copies they probably will be surprised to find couple of copies right there with cyber cops, playing Counter-strike on it

In simple terms people just wanna use the computer for their work and windows provides a very easy to use stable system. Yes windows is more prone to virus and spyware but atleast everything works properly you 've support for every major softwares. Windows is easy and more stable than ubuntu. Look at the problem people facing in Jaunty where as Windows 7 simple to use with all the drivers available with it.

I'm not vouching for windows (although it does seems that way )

[neo_1in]

I have to agree with most of what zeex said there. When you have every other commercial software available at Rs. 50-100 (< $ 3), no average computer user is going to use linux. Then there are vendors and tech support practically clueless about any other os except windows encouraging users to install windows to make their own job easy.

Windows is easy and more stable than ubuntu. Look at the problem people facing in Jaunty where as Windows 7 simple to use with all the drivers available with it.

Absolutely not true. You said it yourself. Lack of support for linux and abundance of it for windows. Windows is not problem free, you know that. Its just that people are ready to throw money at tech support rather than learn something themselves. Its just laziness. Make piracy laws more strict and, trust me people will run to use a free os. Its a little ironic though.

Anyway, points in that blog article are not the reasons of failure of ubuntu but rather reasons why ignorant windows users don't use linux.

From what I could gather, it seems that the belief is that it makes the OS faster - something to do with refreshing the RAM!?

However funny that sounds, i have to say i have seen so many self confessed computer geeks and even guys from from tech support doing it as if it the ultimate solution to all of your windows troubles.

[misGnomer]

Most of the observations in this thread are spot on, including the rather humorous "refresh reflex".

The average computer users who, like most of their counterparts elsewhere, have little understanding about computing, let alone privacy or security issues, simply load anything and everything that looks "valuable" from cheap and often virus-infected CDs and only when their computers grind to a halt under the weight of malware will they carry their boxes to a nearby shop or reinstall MS-windows themselves. And thus the great wheel begins another cycle...

I've helped number of shops, individuals and organizations install Linux (incl. Ubuntu) in India, and since the 1990s awareness of Linux has actually grown significantly, but even the published Linux magazines (which helpfully ship with DVDs full of Linux distros and software) are geared towards developer and admin types.

Still, Linux knowledge continues to spread and percolate both from the grassroots upwards and from the gov't and state level downwards, closing in on the average user. In some cases open-source software (OS + apps) also offers the only native-tongue computer experience.

As MS-XP gets to the final end of its already many times extended life-support/cycle and with MS-vista/seven being too heavy for many machines, Linux will be there to pick up the pieces. It won't happen overnight, but organically over time.

[zeex]

http://agnipulse.com/2009/05/10-reas...lure-in-india/

Note: I'm not interested in the rest of the article, just point 3. It never really occured to me before that different nationalities could have possibly unique computer use traits.

Dude WTF

Why did you think this has something to do with culture. Just because that blog used the word Ritual. Right click -> Refresh is a nice time pass when your boss does not let you play solitaire. What do think we refresh, rings some bells light up candles before shutting down the computer.

A quick look on Google seems to hint that that's the way Indians do things.

what did you search for? I wanna look at some of these articles.

[Pasdar]

Calm down, it's an article by an Indian and the tone in the article is very serious and not "humorous".

[Viva]

http://agnipulse.com/2009/05/10-reas...lure-in-india/

Point 3 of the article is interesting and the commenter's reactions to it.

A quick look on Google seems to hint that that's the way Indians do things.

Any Indians want to comment on this?

Note: I'm not interested in the rest of the article, just point 3. It never really occured to me before that different nationalities could have possibly unique computer use traits.

I'm an Indian and I can confirm that most Indians are computer dumb. That guy reflects the Indian tech community perfectly. For all the talk about the IT industry here, there is very little innovation and a lot of animosity towards anything remotely non-microsoft. The author though takes it to a whole new level. What sort of an idiot complains about Ubuntu not using the same terminology as windows?

[amitabhishek]

I'm an Indian and I can confirm that most Indians are computer dumb.

This is such an absurd conclusion!!!

[glotz]

And India is the country where half the world is out sourcing their IT operations now to.