LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Robert Wuttke <robert.wuttke@disc.com.au>
  To  : <linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au>, "Sam Silvester <linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au>
  Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2000 14:51:22 +1030

Re: Self help

Just on the windows and linux and doco points. Let's partake of the
documentation that comes with Win9x and the doco that comes with Linux. If
both are bought (assume this is a badged/boxed linux) the Linux doco
completely kills the tripe that comes out of Redmond.

They assume nobody reads the manual so why produce it.. This is generally
true because the manuals they did supply where typically useless anyway.

The first time I installed Linux (like a lot of you I would hazard to
guess), I had no-one else to help me. I read the RedHat installation manual
and got a pretty good handle of at least were to start. After this I got
networking working going, configured a simple DNS, had sendmail working,
etc. Ok a lot of this is configured for you (by some pretty simple questions
at install time) but I had "worked" it out.

Let's configure networking under windows. Ugggh. A lot of information is
shared amongst interfaces so you can only have 3 dns servers listed, one
domain name for the machine, etc. forget trying to have separate info for
dial up networking, Whilst some info can be done in Dialup Networking some
doesn't work properly anyway. Forget DNS unless NT (and don't make it a
secondary). MS Exchange, can we say "Biggest Pain in the BUTT".

I have digressed for doco, but oh well... Just wanted to put my 5c worth.

Rob.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sam Silvester" <silvester@techieguy.com>
To: <linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au>
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2000 2:25 PM
Subject: Re: Self help


> I find it interesting that people compare MacOS with Linux and Windows 9x
> with Linux as far as ease of use is concerned. How can OSs that are as
> different as these be compared? Linux isn't really designed to do what
Windows
> does, and by the same token Linux is _definately_ not designed to do what
> Windows attempts to do.
>
>     I think that most people think Windows is easier to learn/use because
of
> the way the user is shielded from the OS by the GUI. This results in a
> so-called "easy to use OS", but also becomes very restrictive. It appears
easy
> to use because most of the tricky or potentially confusing parts are
hidden
> from the user.
>
>     Linux on the other hand is totally opposite - everything is right
there for
> users to play with, without the "user friendly" OS holding their hand the
whole
> way.
>
>     I feel that the people who find Linux not very user friendly are still
> adjusting to the differences between windows and linux. I have been
there - for
> about 6 months i struggled to do anything useful in linux, but after i
took the
> time to sit down and read some of the documentation I began to achieve
> something useful. This list has been very helpful when I didn't know where
to
> look, and usually when someone suggested something, even if it wasn't
entirely
> what i was after, i could often find the right way on my own.
>
>     I guess it is just important to remember that sometimes Linux can be
> confusing to beginners, especially if the user is used to something like
MacOS
> or Windows, and tolerance and a guiding hand will probably bring better
results
> than derogatory posts.
>
> -Sam Silvester.
>
>
> --
> Programming is an art form that fights back
>
> Sam Silvester
> silvest@capri.net.au
> ICQ # 4855152
>
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