LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Toby Corkindale <tjcorkin@steadycom.com.au>
  To  : linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au
  Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 19:13:32 +0930

Microsoft testing Linux..

>From Slashdot, in case you haven't seen it yet:

squistle writes:
I am one of the support technicians for Loki Entertainment Software.
This afternoon I received
        a message on my voicemail to call "Nick"--name changed to
protect the victim--who was having trouble
        starting CivCTP for Linux on his Pentium III RedHat 6.0 system. 
        When I called him back, he thanked me for my quick response and
said that he was new to Linux and wasn't sure if he'd installed
        the game right. He then said, "This machine is going to used
for... well, I'm a Microsoft employee and my group is doing a usability
        study on Linux." 

        As it turned out, he had unpacked the tarball (I had to explain
what a tarball was) on the CD by double-clicking its package icon
        in gmc and then double-clicking the install icon that came up.
He had absolutely no idea where the game had been installed, and
        didn't know how to search for it. 

        At this point I pointed out to him that CivCTP came with a
graphical install script, conveniently labeled "install" and placed in
the
        same directory as the tarball. And in fact, in that same
directory was a text file labeled "README" that explained how to run the
        install program. 

        I had him pull up a terminal window and run `sh install` (since
he had a 4.5 GB drive containing only a fresh install of RH6, he
        wasn't too concerned with finding his previous installation just
yet), and as the graphical install smoothly copied the files into
        their proper place, we chatted amiably. 

        Me: "So what kind of system are you using for this?" 
        Him: "It's a... [pause to read label on the case] HP Vectra." 
        Me: "Umm, what processor does it use?" 
        Him: "It's a Pentium III, uh... 450 MHz?" 
        Me: "Yes, PIIIs do come in 450 MHz." 

        Eventually, the installation finished. I encouraged him to grab
the patch from our website, and he thanked me and hung up. 

        Ordinarily, I am very respectful to newbies. I don't even laugh
at them behind their backs--especially if they have been looking
        through man pages and reference books trying to figure things
out. This time I almost peed my pants. 

        Then the big question dawned on me: 

        What does it mean when Big Bill gives brand new P-III 450's
running Linux to game-playing newbies who don't read reference
        books, manuals, How-To's or README's for a usability study? 

        Can you say "viable desktop environment?" 

        Note from RM: Yes, we verified the story. All parties are real. 

-- 
..I started out with nothing...and I still have most of it left

-- 
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