And the ability for a 22-yr old computer science major to trash the system
just by running disk defrag - I know, I've done it. On the other hand, I
have changed the partition table on a linux sys and still been able to
reboot cleanly. (Probably could have gotten away with just remounting
all my partitions).
An hour to install the system starts seeming like pretty long when you realize
that you're doing it once a week, while the guy next door running linux reboots
once a month, and then only because he upgraded his kernel.
>
> Until one or all of the above mentioned distributors produces a
> product that does this, I don't see Linux making much of an impact
> regardless of its press releases.
I installed redhat 5.2 over the net in 30 min. No CD. Just a couple of
floppies with me. I know that depends on how fast your net connection is,
and whether you have one in the first place, but still.
>
> Over the past two days, I have been trying to get Red Hat up. Just
> because the machine was able to be booted after an hour does not
> mean that it is useful. Only late last night was I able to get
> X-Windows running. Then I find that no windows manager was installed.
> A stippled screen with a tiny window of xterm was the result of 8 or
> more hours of work. This isn't going to hack it in the 'real world`.
I find it incredible that this same person is the one `who has been a proponent
of Linux and had experience since version 0.99'. By now, I would expect you to
be typing in modelines in XF86Config without having to look at a manual.
Besides, I wonder what ver of redhat u installed. My install had fvwm2 default,
with fvwm, twm and wmaker also on the hdd if I wanted them. Even had
sickeningly many apps already configured into its menus.
>
> I had to copy some stuff of one of my other machines to make a useful
> user interface. Then I ran `xlock -nolock -mode random` to watch the
> pretty pictures.... well soon it was printing `command not found`.
What's a useful user interface? For real work, I always use text mode
anyway: a lot easier on my eyes. I just don't have the patience to set
resources for all the apps I use to make them use bigger type size.
>
> One of the selections executes `fortune` as it plays. There was no
> fortune on the machine. I had to copy this from another machine.
You could have installed it from your CD. Besides, if something similar
happened with M$, you can't even copy it from another machine.
>
> The list, I'm sure, can be expanded.
or considerably cut down.
>
> I wrote privately to one of the principals of one of the distributors
> that in order to have a good shot in the market place they should
> hand their CD to a 13 year old and stand back and take notes. Until
> they have a product that will produce a useful machine, and be on
> the Internet with a GUI in an hour, they only have a curiosity, not
> a product.
This sort of idea can be very dangerous. It can hardly be argued that a BMW
isn't a product, yet nobody wants 13-year olds to be driving one around in half
an hour (ok, bad example). But the point is, what the heck is a 13 year old
doing surfing the net in half an hour anyway? He would be much better off in
school or playing football. If he wants to learn computers, he might as well
really learn them. It is not a PC's sole purpose in life to act as a web
browser. That seems to be M$'s idea, though.
>
> This is not a kernel issue. However, every distributor reads this list.
> The product that these distributors produce has a significant impact
> upon Linux's acceptance world-wide. If I had not been a proponent
> of Linux and had experience since version 0.99, I would have thought
> that I wasted the 20 dollars I spent on the CD-ROM. However, as an
> Engineer, I look at the result and say; "Hey this is pretty good!";
> even though it's not.
An ENGINEER?????? Since when did engineers start doing that?!
-- arvind
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