Re: [tlug] disk configuration: drive mounting

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

>>>>> "Josh" == Josh Glover <jmglov@example.com> writes:

    Josh> On Sun, 2002-04-07 at 21:23, Christopher SEKIYA wrote:
    >> > Most end users want point and click solutions to
    >> > configuration issues, and at this stage of the development of
    >> > linux, I think they're entitled.
    >> 
    >> The hell they are.  Linux/*BSD developers don't owe the great
    >> unwashed masses anything, unless the masses are paying said
    >> developers (_not_ distribution packagers) to cater to their
    >> whim.

    Josh> Chris is right on, as usual.

Chris should take a couple of Alka Seltzer or stop eating Thai for
lunch, though.  He's getting trolled too easily.

    Josh> One problem with the recently growing popularity of GNU/Open
    Josh> Source (tongue firmly in cheek, there) is the attitude of
    Josh> people who switch from Windows and then proceed to get
    Josh> pissed at the community that *gave* them an alternative to
    Josh> Microsoft because things are "hard" or "don't make sense".

Well, I don't think they've thought about the economics.  After all,
Windows is "free", too (we can't ask them to be up on "rms thought",
and anyway, who deserves that?).  Microsoft showed us how, how hard
can it be to copy the design and avoid their mistakes?  ;-)

Also, there has been lot of hype (and some non-hype but misinterpreted
as more of the same) about Linux for the desktop and Open Source for
the masses and so on.  And about how the "many eyes" fix bugs so fast,
yada, yada, yada.  It's not surprising (if somewhat self-serving) that
a lot of people think that what they think are bugs or desperately
needed enhancements should be high priorities for the development
community.

I do wish the "if-only-Linux-were-Windows/MacOS-but-open-source" folks
would stop wearing that chip on their shoulders when they come in.
After all, Linus intentionally took the XOR with Microsoft's design on
many many dimensions.  Why not those two?  ;-)

    Josh> If they instead took the attitude that Linux / BSD / AtheOS
    Josh> / whatever is a great platform, but a few things could be
    Josh> made easier, and then made suggestions to the developers (in
    Josh> a reasonable tone of voice, of course), there would be less
    Josh> tension.

I doubt it.  See my direct response to Marlo re configurators.  There
is an inherent tension between what Linux developers mostly want, and
what the New Users are asking for.

There's probably a a business opportunity here (note Chris's hint;
Mandrake shoots too high, I think Frank Bennett is pretty close
though), but I don't know where the revenue comes from.  MCSEs are too
cheap.

    Josh> Now, if you are a sysadmin, and your users "need" to do foo,
    Josh> then that is a slightly different story.

But Marlo is _not_ a sysadmin in the classic Unix sense.  He (she?)
doesn't have remote superuser access or even a remote login shell on
most of the boxes he admins.  He doesn't have an acceptable shell and
reasonably flexible tools on those boxes.  He needs (or thinks he
does) something that the users can do themselves.

    Josh> Or, if users have to be sysadmins for some reason (as in Jim
    Josh> Breen's case), they should take a deep breath, RTFM

Again, there may be a business opportunity here, if this niche hasn't
been filled by Red Hat or Mandrake yet.  And it hasn't.


-- 
Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences     http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp
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