On Mon, Feb 18, 2002 at 11:27:56PM -0600, Chad C. Walstrom wrote:
>rarely, if ever, crashes, that has all of the software that (s)?he needs
>for creating documents, sending email, browsing the web, and playing a
>few games, then Linux is as good a fit as any.


Sure, till they try to share files via floppy, or make a cdrom. How about
zipping an email attachement, or unzipping one. Let's not forget about what
happens when a windows user sends them a microsoft word document and they
doublie-click on it in thier mailer....
>If the casual non-technical user wants to have the latest and greatest
>games, then they should do one of two things:

I wasn't even talking about games.

>You can't have the best of all worlds.  There is sacrifice that amounts
>to applying one's learning skills.  If the casual non-technical user is
>not willing to learn, then they shouldn't be using computers in the
>first place.

There's varied levels of how much someone is willing to learn.

>Now, if you were to say most people were market-driven consumers, then
>absolutely, they should stick with market-driven software products and
>platforms.  Even then, the lines are starting to shade a bit.

And there you have it.

>Regardless, we're all biased one way or another.  You won't know how
>someone will react to Linux until you sit him/her down at the computer and
>give him/her a quick go-around on it.

I just got turned off of this by too many bad experiences. I helped a
person who wanted to use linux get a piece of hardware setup and do some
other things for two hours. I tried to teach the individual what I was
doing and so-forth, after a while I noticed that glazed in their eye that
said "I'm not really interested, you're boring me" now the person is asking
me all sorts of question and shows no will to learn what-so-ever (this has
happened to me alot lately) and I ask myself two questions:

1.) Why does this person feel the need to use linux?
2.) Why did I waste my time helping? 

And now I have a half-dozen or so people who need so much help I can rarely
concentrate on my own stuff without answering very basic questions.

-- 
Ben Lutgens		http://people.sistina.com/~blutgens/	
Sistina Software Inc.

pub  1024D/9A0DDC59 2001-12-12 Ben Lutgens <blutgens at sistina.com>
     Key fingerprint = 8FCD A1EE CEA7 DEE1 9361  F32C 0A90 30D1 9A0D DC59
sub  1024g/1FC75C99 2001-12-12
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