Newsforge: Making Linux look harder than it is

[R. Scott Belford]

Yes, the success of linux depends on the ability of those who "know" to be
able to explain its ways to those who do not.  Knowing the gui helps because
the "newbies" are the masses of people entirely too busy to impress
themselves or a select few with command line jockeying.  We all know that
this is an essential skill set for sysadmins, but the masses we would all
like to see adopt linux have no interest in this.  It' why they use windows
instead of dos.  Too often those in the linux community try to impress
others or mask insecurities by showing how much they know.  What a way to
intimidate new users.  Real knowledge exists when you can impart it to the
less informed.  This is the challenge.

scott

success without humility is just an indulgence in arrogance.


> From: Warren Togami <warren at togami.com>
> Reply-To: "Linux & Unix Advocates & Users" <luau at maile.hi.net>
> Date: 06 Dec 2001 23:26:47 -1000
> To: "Linux & Unix Advocates & Users" <luau at maile.hi.net>
> Subject: [luau] Newsforge: Making Linux look harder than it is
> 
> http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=01/12/05/1259245&mode=thread
> 
> "Many "gurus" teaching new users about Linux make it look harder than it
> needs to be, and apparently fail to explain that yes, you can make
> PowerPoint-style presentations in Linux, you can view Web Pages that use
> Flash animation and other "glitz" features, and that you can manage all
> your files though simple "point, click, drag and drop" visual
> interfaces. Could the biggest problem with Linux usability be that most
> of the people teaching newbies to use Linux are too smart and know too
> much?"
> 
> I agree with this guy.  Gurus should not only know the "powerful and
> flexible" commandline way, but the easy GUI ways of doing things in
> order to help newbies get started with Linux.
> 
> 
> 
> 
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