Mark,
Let me be more specific. And let me continue using my mother as an
example of the average computer illiterate user.
Mobo: ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe, nvidia chipset w/AC97 6-channel audio,
onboard Marvell Gigabit ethernet
Video: FX 5700
When I built this machine two months ago, I installed Windows XP. Easy
install and EVERYTHING worked out of the box... ZERO configuration
issues. Two weeks ago, I switched to Linux. I know that Linux is the
right move, though it comes with caveats.
Knoppix... did not recognize the video.
White Box EL 3.0... supported audio but not ethernet; sure, I can
install drivers, but I'm not expecting my mother to figure it out.
Mandrake 10.0... there was something it didn't support, I just don't
remember what. It was an easy install, which I believe my mother could
run. I am willing to bet dollars to pesos that with her slightly dated
hardware, she should have zero problems on this distro
Fedora C2... random issues that I am happily trudging through but
wouldn't wish this exercise on my mother... or your mother... or
anybody's mother. Audio did not work straight up. Now, I get audio
from the cdplayer and gaim but nothing else. After some patches were
applied, gnome quit working. I backed out the patches. Sure, once
everything is working, I would say that it is a great system. But it
is an exercise... an exercise that I did not have to walk through with
XP.
There are hoops that we have to jump through to get things working.
You cannot refute this as evidenced by the traffic on this mailing
list. Hoops that XP users do not have to think about. At least, I did
not have to think about it with XP, nor did my mother, nor did my RHCE
roommate.
I am not saying Linux is bad... I am not saying this at all. I am
saying that for the able, Linux is good and, for the average consumer,
it is a huge gamble. Unless, of course, YOU are there to set it up for
them.
Richard
--- Mark Haney <mark.haney@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I would have to say that the pundits (and you) are wrong. My mother
> runs FC2 just fine and she knows less about computers than my kids
do.
> For the most part, most people will only use a Browser, Email, and
> Instant messenger. My 4 kids and my wife all use FC2 with no
> problems, I can control their access to more things with it than I
can
> with Windows and I never have to worry about random
> crashes/viruses/trojans/etc. I suppose you don't recall the madness
> with Win95 when it shipped and especially Windows 2000 when it
shipped
> having to check the Hardware Compatibility List?
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