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[Rodd Clarkson]

On Fri, 2005-04-08 at 09:24 -0400, Fulko.Hew at sita.aero wrote:
> When you look at this, you really have to remember that Linux/Unix _is_
> a multi-user platform, and the single user scenario is just a sub-set
> of its functionality.

Of course, ironically, this is what makes Linux so much more suitable to
the concept of "My <something>" and "System <something>" than Windows.

In the past Microsoft have worked really hard to give their single user
environment a feeling that, while 3 or four people use it, it's actually
'each users' desktop.  It's really quite laughable, more marketing than
any real value, but that's a good way to think of Microsoft's products
(IMHO ;-])

Linux on the other hand, with it true Multiuser environment, actually
makes sense to have a distinction between what settings affect the
individual user, and what setting affect the system.  Things have
progessed nicely to such a stage that you can even set up X windows
defaults for the system, but each user can have their own preferred
display size (which my wife has been wanting for ages - 1600x1200 WFM
but not for her), so the idea of "My" and "Everyone/System/Default"
actually makes a huge amount of sense.


Rodd.


PS. This is not an endorsement of Linux using the terms "My" and
"System" but more a comment on the fact that while it might have been
something the Microsoft used as a marketing ploy (and still does) it
actually makes sense in Linux.