Well it happened. The one thing I never thought I would live to see has happened, well aside from Israel and Palestine burying the hatchet for a group hug. Microsoft admitted to slandering competition and lying to cover their tracks, even falsifying "Knowledgebase articles" during this year's CES (Consumer Electronics Show).
The long and short of it is that Microsoft issued a patch for Office 2003 that blocked users from opening previous Microsoft formats and any competitor's formats, claiming the competition's formats were a security risk (because Windows itself isn't, right?). They went so far as to scare the less informed, claiming "They may pose a risk to you." In their defense, Stevie B was jumped by 3 OOXML documents and mugged earlier in the year, but you can't blame an entire format for a few bad seeds.
Now if you had to make an apology to millions of people, and the CES show, a highly publicised event, is going on right now, you might use your clout to be the bigger man and fess up during the show. Well, Microsoft came close. David LeBlanc made the apology in his Blog on MSDN. Who's David LeBlanc you might ask? Exactly. He's a programmer for Microsoft. Why not have Billy Boy or Stevie B announce it in their flair? Well, for one Stevie B might set fire to the stage and bite the head off of an audience member at random. And secondly it would be admitting they were at fault.
Another issue with this apology is that it isn't much of an apology. They say they were doing what was right, that they were very old formats, you know, like the new Corel formats. In fact, the only time the word apology appears is in the statement "We also recognize that we have not made any of this as usable as we'd like, and we apologize that this hasn't been as well documented or as easy as you need it to be." This is in reference to the file opening fix. Never do they apologize to Corel, their users, or the public they lied to. Isn't that like smacking someone and saying "Sorry I didn't give you ample warning."?
They also state "From the data we have on file opens, very few users open files in these formats, so we decided to modify the default behavior to this safer approach." From the data they have on file opens? This should send up a flag to some Office 2003 users. They're tracking file usage, in some cases at least. That I find a bit bizarre, I can see how it's useful for them when making new formats, but a bit "Big Brother"ish as well.
Good luck finding this story at the top of any major news networks, though we can always hope, right?
You can read the full "apology" here.
Side note: I hope nobody is offended or even believes the statements I make about Steve Ballmer, he's actually a very delightfully insane man and has never, to my knowledge, been jumped by any document or file format.
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Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
1.01.2008
Where does Linux (and its users) fit in?
Happy New Year my fellow Tillamookians! It's been a bit since an update, I've been on involuntary sabbatical and Jeremy has been kept busy with the job(s) that pays the bills. We've kicked around a post like this for a while, but after reading this article from Linux Journal I decided to get on it. Besides, what else am I going to do while watching football?
I use Linux on my laptop, which I use more than my home desktops. I have one desktop with Linux, and one with Windows XP Pro. My parents have 2 computers with Windows 98 and 4 with XP Home. My fiancée uses XP Home on her desktop and Vista (does it matter which version, they're all painful?) on her laptop. So you could say I'm an OS outcast. I set up a desktop for my mom's classroom with EONS on it and she loved it, she preferred it to XP or 98. Then I told her it was Linux and she said she didn't know how to use it. Where is this going? I ask the same of Linux sometimes.
Most average users think they can't use Linux. They already do in a lot of ways though. It's used in car computers, phones, broadband routers, HD receivers, wireless devices, PDAs, and public computers. I've been doing some testing, I let average users try out a computer with EONS on it, and they always like it, they think it's a new version of Windows. When I ask them if they would want a Linux computer they always say they don't know how to use it and don't want to learn a new system. I find that really interesting.
Linux is more secure, so for careless users who are more at risk of getting viruses and spyware it should be advantageous. It's free and so is most of the software for it, which is good for users but bad for software companies. Unfortunately for most Linux distros though, their UIs are poorly designed and unintuitive for even those of us who have been using Linux for a while. That's where Windows, up until Vista, was far superior. My grandparents finally learned to use Windows 98 last year, I'm not about to hand them a Linux distro with a greatly different UI. For Linux to fit in and thrive in the desktop market it must adapt to the well designed Windows desktop and menus, and add built-in Win32 program support.
Where do Linux users fit into the desktop world? As a free software community most Linux developers are unpaid and are working in their spare time. It then falls on the users, not out of obligation but out of desire for better free software, to help report problems and do what they can to help. If a user wants to support a project they don't need to donate money or code, they need to donate documentation and support. Support isn't enough, the documentation needs to be tested and make sure that it is accurate on more than one computer. Linux needs the How-To books and the Quick-Start guides that Windows has had almost from the start. Sure there have always been these guides for server environments, but desktops are where most users are.
So what need does Linux fill now? It gives you all Windows does and more, but for a pricetag of $0, and last I checked that was less than Windows. And where do its users fit? They act as developers, users, writers, and testers. We want to encourage users of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) to always help however they are able, even if it's just spreading the word. Now go do some good and have a safe new year friends.
I use Linux on my laptop, which I use more than my home desktops. I have one desktop with Linux, and one with Windows XP Pro. My parents have 2 computers with Windows 98 and 4 with XP Home. My fiancée uses XP Home on her desktop and Vista (does it matter which version, they're all painful?) on her laptop. So you could say I'm an OS outcast. I set up a desktop for my mom's classroom with EONS on it and she loved it, she preferred it to XP or 98. Then I told her it was Linux and she said she didn't know how to use it. Where is this going? I ask the same of Linux sometimes.
Most average users think they can't use Linux. They already do in a lot of ways though. It's used in car computers, phones, broadband routers, HD receivers, wireless devices, PDAs, and public computers. I've been doing some testing, I let average users try out a computer with EONS on it, and they always like it, they think it's a new version of Windows. When I ask them if they would want a Linux computer they always say they don't know how to use it and don't want to learn a new system. I find that really interesting.
Linux is more secure, so for careless users who are more at risk of getting viruses and spyware it should be advantageous. It's free and so is most of the software for it, which is good for users but bad for software companies. Unfortunately for most Linux distros though, their UIs are poorly designed and unintuitive for even those of us who have been using Linux for a while. That's where Windows, up until Vista, was far superior. My grandparents finally learned to use Windows 98 last year, I'm not about to hand them a Linux distro with a greatly different UI. For Linux to fit in and thrive in the desktop market it must adapt to the well designed Windows desktop and menus, and add built-in Win32 program support.
Where do Linux users fit into the desktop world? As a free software community most Linux developers are unpaid and are working in their spare time. It then falls on the users, not out of obligation but out of desire for better free software, to help report problems and do what they can to help. If a user wants to support a project they don't need to donate money or code, they need to donate documentation and support. Support isn't enough, the documentation needs to be tested and make sure that it is accurate on more than one computer. Linux needs the How-To books and the Quick-Start guides that Windows has had almost from the start. Sure there have always been these guides for server environments, but desktops are where most users are.
So what need does Linux fill now? It gives you all Windows does and more, but for a pricetag of $0, and last I checked that was less than Windows. And where do its users fit? They act as developers, users, writers, and testers. We want to encourage users of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) to always help however they are able, even if it's just spreading the word. Now go do some good and have a safe new year friends.
12.11.2007
Merry Tillamook to all!
Well, it's that time of year. The year is almost done with, we're one step closer to tax season, and we're getting closer to a world without Steve Ballmer and his antics. Oh Stevie. We've had a good year, in 3 months we have had over 1,000 visitors and helped quite a few of you I hope. We have a nearly releasable version of EONS, our Linux-based OS optimized for the average desktop user. Due to our perfectionist natures, we prefer not to release it until we have 0 problems and have thoroughly tested it with all age and skill groups, but fret not young Tillamooks.
Now we can have some fun here. Following are the top 10 gifts we would like to see under our Tux-adorned Christmas trees, followed by the top 5 tech headlines we won't see in 2008. Some are headlines we would like to see, some we're glad we won't. So here we go, in grand countdown style:
The Top 10 Tillamook Gifts
10. A flux capacitor replica. Who among us hasn't seen the third major trilogy (behind, of course, the original Star Wars and Lord of the Rings), Back to the Future. Well now they're selling working replicas of the work of science and art, and by working I mean it lights up. Now your Toyota, Saturn, Geo, or bicycle can time travel with the best of them. Great Scott!
9. Atari Flashback 2.0. Who isn't a fan of retro gaming now? Even those who weren't alive to experience the joys of early game systems can appreciate the low resolution images and monophonic midi music. Now, if you aren't one of the lucky ones with an original system, you can at least enjoy a new system complete with a bunch of your favorite games. The system comes preloaded with 30 games and there are even websites with information on hardware hacks for the system.
8. ZaReason MegaLap. ZaReason is a California-based computer company who started by building computers out of parts from the local electronics recycler and installing Linux on them. They now sell their own custom systems with your choice of Ubuntu, Kubuntu, or Edubuntu installed. The MegaLap comes with 1GB DDR2 and a 17'' screen, more than enough for any Linux user on the go. And at around $1,500 it's a decent deal for a reliable system. They also sell much more affordable systems, for those of us with smaller pocketbooks, though I would still recommend Toshiba for high quality on the cheap.
7. Toshiba Gigabeat T series. I've been a fan of the Gigabeat since its inception, I even have the original Gigabeat. They have excellent audio quality, great battery life, and a high quality screen. They've typically gotten better reviews than iPods and have a far lower price tag, but don't do much in terms of advertising. If you're looking for a portable digital audio player I suggest you look no further than Toshiba.
6. Nintendo Wii. Alright, I admit this is probably on almost every tech gift list you'll see this year, but it's a lot of fun. Nintendo has always had good games, cheap prices, and reliable systems. The gyro-based controls are a lot of fun too, unless you swing wildly and clock grandma during a heated game of tennis. If you can find them, they're well priced and small enough to fit in an entertainment center.
5. Muse. Smart homes have been getting more affordable and easier to set up. Convergent living just made it easier, and with embedded Linux as well. The Muse is a WiFi system that, when used with their other systems, can control cameras, temperature, TVs, lighting, audio, security, and everything but your mother-in-law's mouth. If you want a smart home, look at the offerings from Convergent.
4. Tesla Roadster. I know, there's no way this would ever fit under a tree. And at a base price of almost $100,000 it won't fit in most wallets. But wow. Electric cars have been around for quite a while now, and electric motors accelerate much more quickly than gasoline or diesel engines. But with 248 hp, 0-60 under 4 seconds, 245 mile range, and relatively quick charges, coupled with a body rivaling most European cars or supermodels this one is a winner. Every environmentally conscious individual with a need for speed (and a lot of extra cash) should have one of these.
3. Asus Eee PC. Ok, so it's a poor name. But that and the small screen are as far as my complaints go. Imagine this: a solid-state, rugged laptop running Linux with WiFi. Now stop imagining and go look at the Eee PC. It has a 2-8 Gb solid-state drive, decent audio (so say those who have one), and 256mb-1GB DDR2. This thing would beat the pants off of my Toshiba laptop, if it wore pants. Can life get better under $400? Probably, but not much better right now.
2. Chumby. Sure, it has a funny name. And yes, it does look somewhat odd. But what's better than embedded Linux in a leather multimedia console? It has a 350 MHz processor, WiFi, USB, a touchscreen, and accelerometers. It will know when you're tossing it around! That puts it above some cats! It's fully hackable so you can load other software on it, or completely alter the hardware. My plan, should I be fortunate to find one under the soft glow of LEDs this holiday season, would be to load Android on it eventually and make it scream when thrown. Party on Garth.
1. OpenMoko NEO 1973. An embedded Linux phone? Hark, are they not things of legend only, mythical creations dancing like sugar-plums in yon noggins? Well this one is real, and from what we're hearing it actually works. Trolltech got our hopes up with the Greenphone, but this one may come through. Thankfully, Trolltech is backing the NEO 1973 which will hopefully prove to yield a quality product. There are even videos of people playing Unreal Tournament on the phone, why someone needs to do that boggles the mind, but apparently it's capable of it. Now will the software match the awesome factor of the hardware? That has yet to be seen, though there are some rumors lingering of a partnership with Google for the Android platform being shipped with the final version, though the legitimacy of those is in question. It's enough to make a geek downright giddy though.
The Top 5 Tech Headlines We Won't be Seeing in 2008
5. OLPC a success! The One Laptop Per Child computer, which is targeted to third-world countries has proved successful. Microsoft conceded in their attempts to put their operating system on the computers and allowed them to operate unabated with Linux. All hardware failures are immediately repaired by the now tech-savvy youth and the computers generate no waste. Miraculously, there were WiFi hotspots available to all the youth in the countries they were sent to, as well as adequate power grids, things unavailable at the time they were shipped. Now, thanks to the OLPC program, every hut and cave in the world has a laptop and the children are computer literate. Motombu Genericchild of Small Country #2 said "Gee, I might even start a new ecommerce site. It even stopped all the larger countries from dumping their electronics waste in my village! Now if only it could grow food for my family."
4. Linux overtakes Windows in the desktop market. In a recent poll, shocking everyone except the 6% who were already Linux users or Nostradamus, it was found that 45% of the desktop computers in operation are using a Linux operating system. Microsoft's Windows operating system has now slipped to 44%, the Mac OS now holds 10%, and the remaining 1% are men wearing suspenders who maintain Unix or OS/2 Warp are vastly superior.
3. Google goes belly-up. One time Internet search king Google closed shop this week. It turns out their Android operating system, YouTube, wireless networks, innovative and unobtrusive ad systems, and countless other projects weren't enough to keep them afloat. Yahoo spokesmen were quoted saying, "Neener neener neener."
2. Linus Torvalds wins Nobel Peace Prize for Linux Kernel. Inventor of the Linux operating system and kernel maintainer Linus Torvalds was finally recognized for his contribution to humanity. Linux has enabled thousands of those who would otherwise be unable to afford a graphical operating system to have full access to all the wonders of technology. After the awards ceremony Torvalds donated his prize to the public domain and his money to helping promote open-source software. In related news, Microsoft has launched a lawsuit claiming they hold undisclosed patents related to the prize, open-source software, Linux, and the name Linus.
1. Windows: FOSS Edition. In a stunning move by Microsoft they have adopted the Linux kernel and the GPL for their latest revision. After realizing most people don't want to go buy a high-end computer so they can have bouncing windows and more security holes than your average 7-11, the software giant moved to only free and open source software. Bill Gates went on to say "I figured we don't need to make any more money on our innovative code, which we created all on our own. We already bought the patent to the US Patent Office, so we are researching other revenue streams." Steve Ballmer, resident spokesman, was quoted saying, "We looked through our books and found out we violated some of our own patents and are failing to make ad revenue from Clippie, so we will be filing several lawsuits against ourselves. B'YAHHHHH!!!" The new version of Windows will be released in the third quarter of 2008 and will retail for $295 for Basic, $318 for Business, $459 for Student Premium, $689 for Safe and Secure, and $1,098 for Super-Ultra-Platinum-Premium. Office will still not be included and will retail for $9,000,801.
Now we can have some fun here. Following are the top 10 gifts we would like to see under our Tux-adorned Christmas trees, followed by the top 5 tech headlines we won't see in 2008. Some are headlines we would like to see, some we're glad we won't. So here we go, in grand countdown style:
The Top 10 Tillamook Gifts
10. A flux capacitor replica. Who among us hasn't seen the third major trilogy (behind, of course, the original Star Wars and Lord of the Rings), Back to the Future. Well now they're selling working replicas of the work of science and art, and by working I mean it lights up. Now your Toyota, Saturn, Geo, or bicycle can time travel with the best of them. Great Scott!
9. Atari Flashback 2.0. Who isn't a fan of retro gaming now? Even those who weren't alive to experience the joys of early game systems can appreciate the low resolution images and monophonic midi music. Now, if you aren't one of the lucky ones with an original system, you can at least enjoy a new system complete with a bunch of your favorite games. The system comes preloaded with 30 games and there are even websites with information on hardware hacks for the system.
8. ZaReason MegaLap. ZaReason is a California-based computer company who started by building computers out of parts from the local electronics recycler and installing Linux on them. They now sell their own custom systems with your choice of Ubuntu, Kubuntu, or Edubuntu installed. The MegaLap comes with 1GB DDR2 and a 17'' screen, more than enough for any Linux user on the go. And at around $1,500 it's a decent deal for a reliable system. They also sell much more affordable systems, for those of us with smaller pocketbooks, though I would still recommend Toshiba for high quality on the cheap.
7. Toshiba Gigabeat T series. I've been a fan of the Gigabeat since its inception, I even have the original Gigabeat. They have excellent audio quality, great battery life, and a high quality screen. They've typically gotten better reviews than iPods and have a far lower price tag, but don't do much in terms of advertising. If you're looking for a portable digital audio player I suggest you look no further than Toshiba.
6. Nintendo Wii. Alright, I admit this is probably on almost every tech gift list you'll see this year, but it's a lot of fun. Nintendo has always had good games, cheap prices, and reliable systems. The gyro-based controls are a lot of fun too, unless you swing wildly and clock grandma during a heated game of tennis. If you can find them, they're well priced and small enough to fit in an entertainment center.
5. Muse. Smart homes have been getting more affordable and easier to set up. Convergent living just made it easier, and with embedded Linux as well. The Muse is a WiFi system that, when used with their other systems, can control cameras, temperature, TVs, lighting, audio, security, and everything but your mother-in-law's mouth. If you want a smart home, look at the offerings from Convergent.
4. Tesla Roadster. I know, there's no way this would ever fit under a tree. And at a base price of almost $100,000 it won't fit in most wallets. But wow. Electric cars have been around for quite a while now, and electric motors accelerate much more quickly than gasoline or diesel engines. But with 248 hp, 0-60 under 4 seconds, 245 mile range, and relatively quick charges, coupled with a body rivaling most European cars or supermodels this one is a winner. Every environmentally conscious individual with a need for speed (and a lot of extra cash) should have one of these.
3. Asus Eee PC. Ok, so it's a poor name. But that and the small screen are as far as my complaints go. Imagine this: a solid-state, rugged laptop running Linux with WiFi. Now stop imagining and go look at the Eee PC. It has a 2-8 Gb solid-state drive, decent audio (so say those who have one), and 256mb-1GB DDR2. This thing would beat the pants off of my Toshiba laptop, if it wore pants. Can life get better under $400? Probably, but not much better right now.
2. Chumby. Sure, it has a funny name. And yes, it does look somewhat odd. But what's better than embedded Linux in a leather multimedia console? It has a 350 MHz processor, WiFi, USB, a touchscreen, and accelerometers. It will know when you're tossing it around! That puts it above some cats! It's fully hackable so you can load other software on it, or completely alter the hardware. My plan, should I be fortunate to find one under the soft glow of LEDs this holiday season, would be to load Android on it eventually and make it scream when thrown. Party on Garth.
1. OpenMoko NEO 1973. An embedded Linux phone? Hark, are they not things of legend only, mythical creations dancing like sugar-plums in yon noggins? Well this one is real, and from what we're hearing it actually works. Trolltech got our hopes up with the Greenphone, but this one may come through. Thankfully, Trolltech is backing the NEO 1973 which will hopefully prove to yield a quality product. There are even videos of people playing Unreal Tournament on the phone, why someone needs to do that boggles the mind, but apparently it's capable of it. Now will the software match the awesome factor of the hardware? That has yet to be seen, though there are some rumors lingering of a partnership with Google for the Android platform being shipped with the final version, though the legitimacy of those is in question. It's enough to make a geek downright giddy though.
The Top 5 Tech Headlines We Won't be Seeing in 2008
5. OLPC a success! The One Laptop Per Child computer, which is targeted to third-world countries has proved successful. Microsoft conceded in their attempts to put their operating system on the computers and allowed them to operate unabated with Linux. All hardware failures are immediately repaired by the now tech-savvy youth and the computers generate no waste. Miraculously, there were WiFi hotspots available to all the youth in the countries they were sent to, as well as adequate power grids, things unavailable at the time they were shipped. Now, thanks to the OLPC program, every hut and cave in the world has a laptop and the children are computer literate. Motombu Genericchild of Small Country #2 said "Gee, I might even start a new ecommerce site. It even stopped all the larger countries from dumping their electronics waste in my village! Now if only it could grow food for my family."
4. Linux overtakes Windows in the desktop market. In a recent poll, shocking everyone except the 6% who were already Linux users or Nostradamus, it was found that 45% of the desktop computers in operation are using a Linux operating system. Microsoft's Windows operating system has now slipped to 44%, the Mac OS now holds 10%, and the remaining 1% are men wearing suspenders who maintain Unix or OS/2 Warp are vastly superior.
3. Google goes belly-up. One time Internet search king Google closed shop this week. It turns out their Android operating system, YouTube, wireless networks, innovative and unobtrusive ad systems, and countless other projects weren't enough to keep them afloat. Yahoo spokesmen were quoted saying, "Neener neener neener."
2. Linus Torvalds wins Nobel Peace Prize for Linux Kernel. Inventor of the Linux operating system and kernel maintainer Linus Torvalds was finally recognized for his contribution to humanity. Linux has enabled thousands of those who would otherwise be unable to afford a graphical operating system to have full access to all the wonders of technology. After the awards ceremony Torvalds donated his prize to the public domain and his money to helping promote open-source software. In related news, Microsoft has launched a lawsuit claiming they hold undisclosed patents related to the prize, open-source software, Linux, and the name Linus.
1. Windows: FOSS Edition. In a stunning move by Microsoft they have adopted the Linux kernel and the GPL for their latest revision. After realizing most people don't want to go buy a high-end computer so they can have bouncing windows and more security holes than your average 7-11, the software giant moved to only free and open source software. Bill Gates went on to say "I figured we don't need to make any more money on our innovative code, which we created all on our own. We already bought the patent to the US Patent Office, so we are researching other revenue streams." Steve Ballmer, resident spokesman, was quoted saying, "We looked through our books and found out we violated some of our own patents and are failing to make ad revenue from Clippie, so we will be filing several lawsuits against ourselves. B'YAHHHHH!!!" The new version of Windows will be released in the third quarter of 2008 and will retail for $295 for Basic, $318 for Business, $459 for Student Premium, $689 for Safe and Secure, and $1,098 for Super-Ultra-Platinum-Premium. Office will still not be included and will retail for $9,000,801.
11.13.2007
Open Source with a (Bad) Attitude
Normally, I just like to spend my time writing posts on how to do and fix things in Linux, but I'm going to shift gears for just a little bit today. I want to rant about something that I saw in a Linux support mailing list today that really disappointed me. A Linux user wrote to the mailing list and voiced their support for open source, but also their disappointment with the fact that open source software is not reaching its full promise or potential. Let me first say that I am an avid Linux user and developer, and by all means an open source junkie, and even I can sympathize with this everyday user. What disappointed me was that instead of having their message replied to in a way that would open discussion and attempt to determine the problems they were having, the person was, in my opinion, scolded for even suggesting that open source software could be anything other than what it is. There are other things about what the people were saying that disappointed me, but I want to focus on that attitude here in this post.
First off, I want to ask a couple of questions. One - are we as developers so attached to our projects and ideologies, that we will deride anyone who dares to suggest that we may be missing the mark? And two - do we even try to put ourselves in the shoes of the majority of people who will be using our software, instead of assuming that everyone is just like us?
On the subject of the first question, it seems to me that we open source-ers have become very entrenched in our ideas about the way things should be. I'm not saying that we shouldn't back open source - we should. What I'm saying here is that we can't get so trapped by our ways of doing things that we're unable to adapt to changes that need to be made to survive. A great example of this is with the Linux desktop market. For years, Linux developers have concentrated on server deployment and high end workstations for their inroads into the PC market. It hasn't been until relatively recently that Linux distributions like Ubuntu (thank you again Mr. Shuttleworth) have begun to look at what everyday users need to survive. As a consequence, the Linux community is suffering from lingering tunnel vision. Many of us as developers are not shifting gears to address the fact that most users are not comfortable using certain essentials in the server world like the Linux terminal. There's a reason why PC sales accelerated once graphical operating systems began to be introduced. Most user's can't and won't edit config files on their own to get something to work right that should have worked out of the box. Its just not going to happen. I personally prefer the Linux terminal over any graphical interface, but then again I'm not everyone. I've got to understand that many of my users don't have the level of "geekiness" that I do. Its not fair for me to expect them to attain that level of experience either.
In reference to the second question, I think that the world of open source could use a lesson in customer support. How many times have I come across the same situation that I saw today where a user is scolded for having trouble - too many. How many times have I seen someone who posts a question to multiple sites and never gets an answer, not even a link that might help them - too many. How many times have I seen questions from brand new Linux users be answered with the most cryptic command line strings with no explanation - way too many. If we started seeing potential users and new users as "customers" instead of someone to impress and/or show up with our level of Linux knowledge, the barriers to entry into the Linux and open source world would be greatly lessened. Why not take a few extra minutes to add all the intermediate steps to get from point A to point B, instead of just assuming that this new Linux user has somehow learned the entire bash shell in a week. Just like with a commercial company, if someone has too much trouble with the product and/or technical support, they will take their business elsewhere (if possible). Many open source folks will argue vehemently that "there's help all over the place, you're just not looking hard enough". While its true that you can find answers to many questions about Linux, most are not complete, many are inaccurate, and some are just plain indecipherable for the average Linux user. How many of you would be happy if you got a very complicated widget that you were excited to try, only to find out that you couldn't trust the user manual to be accurate, complete, or even readable? I would venture a guess that if you couldn't operate this beautiful new whirlygig because of it, you would get upset and want your money/time back. You can argue with me on that point all day, but before you do, grab several of your family members with normal computer skills and have them try to set up and use Linux on their own (with no help from any techno-gurus).
I'm going to end this rant now because I need to get back to posting things that will hopefully help people use Linux more effectively, but I want to end with this thought. If we even want to dream of having Linux compete to become the standard operating system for the world (which I would love to see), we have to be flexible enough to meet our users needs (that includes figuring out what the majority of our user's needs are), and we have to treat people new to Linux like valued customers in order to give them the best experience possible. Without a high standard of usability promoted by us open source developers and users, most people will forever stay closely tied to Microsoft and Apple.
That's my two cents for what its worth.
Jeremy
First off, I want to ask a couple of questions. One - are we as developers so attached to our projects and ideologies, that we will deride anyone who dares to suggest that we may be missing the mark? And two - do we even try to put ourselves in the shoes of the majority of people who will be using our software, instead of assuming that everyone is just like us?
On the subject of the first question, it seems to me that we open source-ers have become very entrenched in our ideas about the way things should be. I'm not saying that we shouldn't back open source - we should. What I'm saying here is that we can't get so trapped by our ways of doing things that we're unable to adapt to changes that need to be made to survive. A great example of this is with the Linux desktop market. For years, Linux developers have concentrated on server deployment and high end workstations for their inroads into the PC market. It hasn't been until relatively recently that Linux distributions like Ubuntu (thank you again Mr. Shuttleworth) have begun to look at what everyday users need to survive. As a consequence, the Linux community is suffering from lingering tunnel vision. Many of us as developers are not shifting gears to address the fact that most users are not comfortable using certain essentials in the server world like the Linux terminal. There's a reason why PC sales accelerated once graphical operating systems began to be introduced. Most user's can't and won't edit config files on their own to get something to work right that should have worked out of the box. Its just not going to happen. I personally prefer the Linux terminal over any graphical interface, but then again I'm not everyone. I've got to understand that many of my users don't have the level of "geekiness" that I do. Its not fair for me to expect them to attain that level of experience either.
In reference to the second question, I think that the world of open source could use a lesson in customer support. How many times have I come across the same situation that I saw today where a user is scolded for having trouble - too many. How many times have I seen someone who posts a question to multiple sites and never gets an answer, not even a link that might help them - too many. How many times have I seen questions from brand new Linux users be answered with the most cryptic command line strings with no explanation - way too many. If we started seeing potential users and new users as "customers" instead of someone to impress and/or show up with our level of Linux knowledge, the barriers to entry into the Linux and open source world would be greatly lessened. Why not take a few extra minutes to add all the intermediate steps to get from point A to point B, instead of just assuming that this new Linux user has somehow learned the entire bash shell in a week. Just like with a commercial company, if someone has too much trouble with the product and/or technical support, they will take their business elsewhere (if possible). Many open source folks will argue vehemently that "there's help all over the place, you're just not looking hard enough". While its true that you can find answers to many questions about Linux, most are not complete, many are inaccurate, and some are just plain indecipherable for the average Linux user. How many of you would be happy if you got a very complicated widget that you were excited to try, only to find out that you couldn't trust the user manual to be accurate, complete, or even readable? I would venture a guess that if you couldn't operate this beautiful new whirlygig because of it, you would get upset and want your money/time back. You can argue with me on that point all day, but before you do, grab several of your family members with normal computer skills and have them try to set up and use Linux on their own (with no help from any techno-gurus).
I'm going to end this rant now because I need to get back to posting things that will hopefully help people use Linux more effectively, but I want to end with this thought. If we even want to dream of having Linux compete to become the standard operating system for the world (which I would love to see), we have to be flexible enough to meet our users needs (that includes figuring out what the majority of our user's needs are), and we have to treat people new to Linux like valued customers in order to give them the best experience possible. Without a high standard of usability promoted by us open source developers and users, most people will forever stay closely tied to Microsoft and Apple.
That's my two cents for what its worth.
Jeremy
11.08.2007
A long overdue update
Well, for the past several weeks I've been busy working on perfecting an iso image of EONS 0.1 to put out to the general public (and working the job that pays the bills and lets me use the Internet). It's not ready yet, but we still have installations we're trying on computers with beta testers. We're also compiling a list of the strengths and weaknesses of different distros as well as Windows. Some may call me a heretic for this, but Microsoft got a lot of things right with their OS as far as general usability and we need to learn from this. JeremyW and I are constantly frustrated by this, so here's what Microsoft got right and where Linux falls short for an all-purpose desktop:
Let us know what you want in an OS, and where the strengths and weaknesses of different distros are. Email: eonsproject (at) gmail.com
- Installer: Most distros use a text-based installer. That's enough to scare away most users today, including my dad, a computer user since '86. A good graphical installer from a bootable CD is essential to success. I've been watching Debian's development of a win32 loader, and I think it's long overdue.
- Out of Box Usability: Nobody can argue that Linux is more powerful and customizable than Windows. But that's also somewhat of a downfall. It requires much more customization to make it polished after an install. Joe Average can't, and plain won't, edit scripts and config files to make his OS nice, he'll go buy an OS that's already nice so he can sit down and watch YouTube videos all day after an install. This requires a lot more preseeding and config in the installer, but makes a nicer product.
- Clean Menu System: Menus are much easier to navigate for the average person in Windows than Linux. I've yet to find a "Recently Used Apps" feature in a Linux distro, a feature most people use constantly.
- Hotplug Networking: In most Linux distros you have to restart or use an ifup/ifdown to get online after plugging in the ethernet cord or turning on wireless. This is necessary.
- Program Installation: This is one area that has gotten a lot better, in my opinion, thanks to Click-N-Run and Canonical. But people want to download a program, click on it, and have it install. My grandma can't build an install file and use the terminal to install programs, and God forbid she try to compile a program from source.
- Easy to Use, Centralized Help and Information: This is also getting better, but so many forums are full of mistyped or just plain wrong information to fix problems that it can be frustrating for anyone, no matter how experienced they are with Linux. There needs to be a good single point of information, or at least better documentation by distro teams.
Let us know what you want in an OS, and where the strengths and weaknesses of different distros are. Email: eonsproject (at) gmail.com
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