Collins: A Linux User Goes Back
Jul 11, 2002, 16:00 (136 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Tony Collins)
[ Thanks to Jason
Greenwood for this link. ]
"In much of today's online news, we hear of how many people are
migrating to GNU/Linux. What we don't seem to hear much of, is
users going back to their old operating systems. The reason for
this article is to say that I've done just that.
"Yes, I've gone back. After three and a half years of trying to
make GNU/Linux work on the desktop, I've decided that it's simply
too hard for the average home user. Before I go into my reasons for
going back, let me outline what I believe an 'average' home user
is. Mr Joe Average is someone who wants to install their OS, boot
it up, and it works. He wants to be able to upgrade his PC , and
have the hardware work in a few short minutes. He wants to read
email, browse the web, talk to his mates online, and play some
games. Feel free to disagree with me, this is merely how I see
myself. Note: I'm not referring to Grandma using Linux, or even my
mum using it. I'm referring to average users who know a little
about their computer.
"Three and a half years; that's how long I've been trying to
make Linux work on my desktop computer. Right about now, I'm sure
that you are now screaming that I didn't try hard enough, or that
I'm just plain stupid. Let me assure you that this is not the case.
Stupid users don't doggedly stick at something for three and a half
years, trying distribution after distribution in the hope of
finding the holy grail of Linux desktops. They give up in less than
a few hours of trying to (unsuccessfully) install RedHat
[sic] Linux. Hear now my sad tale of why Linux isn't
suitable for my desktop..."
Complete Story
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