Don't bore new Linux users with philosophy

This was a discussion on a local LUG mailing list...
That sounds like it would bore me to tears. If, as a newbie, I had thought it necessary to know the philosophy of an Operating System before **using** it, I'm sure I'd be plugging away on a Mac right now I think it's FAR more important for a newbie to have a good experience
with their first 'steps' with linux than it is for them to know why Linus Torvalds chose to write Linux instead of using one of the existing alternatives.
I agree very much with this point. I recently attended a presentation on open source software. For the first hour, the speaker described the philosophy of open source, including a detailed description of the GPL license. By the time he finished talking about these subjects, about a third of the audience had walked out.

To new users, open source should be about USING the software. It is not about the details of how it works, or why it is going to revolutionize the software industry. These users need to quickly find the application that meets their needs and then install it. This is possible with modern Linux operating systems. For example, in Ubuntu, with a few clicks they can Add/Remove applications based on the function that they need to perform.

I know it is sometimes hard for us uber-geeks to realize just how easy Linux has become. We are proud about compiling applications from source and similar feats. Once the new users become hooked on the goodness of open source, some of them will start analyzing it further, and some won't. Either way, they are using open source and telling others about it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Using the Cisco console in Linux

Image
Introduction People who work with Cisco network equipment need to be able to connect to the console port on their devices. In Windows, you can simply fire up HyperTerminal to get basic access to your devices. If you are using Linux, then you need to know how this can be done with an application called Minicom . Hardware First, you are going to need a Cisco console cable , a Cisco device, and a computer. If your computer has a serial port , then you can use the standard console cable that comes with every Cisco device. If you do not have a serial port (like most new laptops), then you need to purchase a USB to Serial adapter that supports Linux. This device will allow you to use the standard Cisco cable, which has a serial port on one end. Install Minicom You can easily install Minicom by using "System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager". Search for "minicom" and choose to install the package. Click "Apply" and Minicom should be insta
Read more

What it takes to make Ubuntu ready for use

I recently installed Ubuntu 6.10 on a new PC at work. In this post I will document all the steps I had to perform to get it ready for everyday use. Each step is assigned a level of difficulty, which I define below: Very Easy Step can be completed without using the command prompt Intuitive to complete Easy Step can be completed without using the command prompt May require searching to find the right place to make the change Medium Requires a single command to be entered at the command prompt Requires searching internet resources to find the solution Hard Requires multiple commands to be entered at the command prompt Requires searching internet resources to find the solution Very Hard Requires multiple commands to be entered at the command prompt Requires searching internet resources to find the solution Requires the user to manually edit a configuration file These criteria are quite strict, because I believe that using an operating system should be intuitive, and not require any spec
Read more

Five ways to use Windows apps in Linux

Image
1. Use an open source alternative instead When someone asks me if they can run "Windows Application X" on Linux, the first thing I tell them is to look for an open source alternative. For most Windows applications, there will be a high-quality open source alternative that can meet their needs. The biggest hurdle for non-Linux people is simply knowing that these alternative exist and how to find them. The best place I have found to search for these applications is at www.osalt.com . On that site, you can enter the name of the Windows application and it will list the open source alternatives that provide similar functionality. Be sure to check it out. 2. Buy a commercial product that was designed for Linux If you cannot find an open source alternative, and you have not already purchased a Windows application, then you should consider purchasing a commercial product that was designed for Linux. Here is a story of a civil engineer who wanted to find an open source replacemen
Read more