A little musing on Linux ( was Re: Zip files to multiple floppies)

[Parameshwara Bhat]

On Fri, 04 Jun 2004 04:51:13 +1000, Daniel Stonier 
<snorri_dj at operamail.com> wrote:

> On Thu, 03 Jun 2004 23:28:49 +0530, Parameshwara Bhat <pbhat at ongc.net> 
> wrote:
>
>> That's greatly assuring.I think my initial not-so-nice experiences with 
>> various distributions Of linux have made me think a little harsh about 
>> the attitudes.As I said elsewhere on the list,security and other 
>> aspects for desktop installations should not be on the same footing as 
>> for a server.Also command line mentality still rules the roost.While 
>> granting their power,it is really a distraction for a guy like me twho 
>> wants to use computer only as a tool to get into their 
>> intricacies.Nice,functional GUIs and sensibly setup Desktop Environment 
>> spare me time to concentrate on my own job.
>>
>> I am into Linux for long-haul.I have switched on a point of principle 
>> and not because in India here there is any dearth of easily available 
>> pirate copies of any new Windows versions.In fact in India,Linux costs 
>> and troubles far more than Windows.
>>
>> Hope we will all be part of the Linux evolution into a nice desktop OS 
>> as user community.
>
> I remember reading someone else's email on this thread earlier about
> linux's emphasis on security first, usability second and the opposite
> situation with windows. So where does a sensibly set up environment fit
> in?
>
> If the OS is ever going to be used in secure situations, the last thing
> you'd want is to have to undo many install configurations that have been
> set up to make things easy for a home user, just on the off chance that
> you miss one.
>
> On the other hand, is it really that good to have a system set up in the
> exact same way as a windows machine where anybody can hack and slash into
> pretty much anything? I used to think it was a royal pain having to worry
> about writing permissions, users, mounting permissions etc but I dont 
> think
> I have for a long while. Once I learned how it worked and got used to the
> idea I much prefer its benefits. I think the best advice for new people 
> is to
> be open to the idea that it's doing things differently and be willing to
> find out why (there's almost always a logical reason for it).
>
> On a side note, creating gui's for everything would be great, but 
> probably
> an impossible pipedream. The amount of extra work to program a gui
> is enormous and that's where one real advantage of programming and 
> working
> on the command line comes from. One simple program can be programmed
> with literally hundreds of features on the command line - creating a gui
> to handle the same thing would be a huge task, and might even leave you 
> with
> a program that throws so much at you in the gui you end up getting lost 
> in
> a menu system. This is also one of the limiting features of a windows
> box - forever having to wait for a programmed gui to come around.
>
> Mounting filesystems for example - windows computers only
> really deal with floppies, iso's and windows filesystems. Pretty simple.
> Linux however gives you the ability to be able to mount pretty much any
> filesystem you want along with a hugely configurable list of options. 
> Writing
> a gui to handle this that still wouldn't require the user to understand
> much about it would be fairly nontrivial.
>
> Nonetheless, I like GUI's where they can be put in :) Alot of the 
> redhat-config
> gui's are great, even though they only implement the frequently used 
> basic
> features of various things. CD burning programs too. Worth remembering
> that there's almost always more behind the gui.

I am becoming aware of the power of command-line and in no way discounting 
that.But GUIs are more user-friendly and they do not need to incorporate 
all features of the original command line as most users who use computer 
only as a tool,( I count myself among them ) do not really need all the 
intricate features.

Only concentrating on the failures of Windows and not acknowledging the 
many features which has endeared it to overwhelming majority of people is 
not going to help further the cause of Linux.

Linux must not ape Windows and it can do it's work certainly 
differently,but it must better.I think I have answered the other user in 
more detail if only to clarify and confirm my own position. Basically, I 
do not see any reason why usability and security are to be seen as 
inherently contradictory.

> Cheers,
> Daniel

Cheers more,

Parameshwara Bhat
>



-- 
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/