Snit <CSMA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
[ gratuitious deletia ...]
>
>> Of course I am paying him in bogo-dollars, which due to their open source
>> nature can be legally replicated and copied as often as one likes, which makes
>> it difficult to define an exchange rate with other currencies.
>
> Hmmm, interesting idea...
Actually, considering the way the US dollar is dropping, I'm thinking
it is not much different than a bogo-dollar. :-/
> I have been trying to get people to talk about Linux's ease of use features,
> especially Ubuntu's. I have not had much successes... seems people do not
> really want to talk about Linux.
What the heck, I'll give it go.
First off, I like how Ubuntu organizes its menus, particularly the
organization of Applications into functional groups and the placement
of Add/Remove prominently in the list to make customization easier.
The arrangement of applications in the software repositories follows
the same model, so apps end up where you expect in the menu when you
install. I find this much more intuitive than the way Windows does
it.
Ubuntu comes with commonly used apps preinstalled, and puts icons for
the most widely used (Email, Firefox, and OpenOffice) up in the top
panel for easy launching.
If you click on content that you don't have a codec or app for,
Ubuntu will prompt if you would like to download and install the
appropriate software. This was a very nice enhancement that 7.10
brought to the table.
Administrative tasks are nicely arranged in the System menu. The
GUI tools for admin tasks work very well, are more intuitive than
earlier generations, and preserve correct use of the text
configuration files so remote admin over SSH is still possible.
I'm a command line hack from way back, but I've forced myself to use
just the GUI tools to better evaluate the current state of desktop
Linux, and I've yet to find any common admin task I cannot do with
an intuitive clicky app.
Since I know you are a Mac fan, and I use a Mac also, I'll try to
make some comparisons.
Generally, I like the default OSX interface, particularly the
Doc for launching apps. When I want to find an app that is not
already in the doc, however, it seems a bit less intuitive than
the Ubuntu Applications menu. Also, I've never been completely
comfortable with the default Mac behavior of always placing the
current in-focus application's menu at the top of the desktop
rather than on the app's main window. This can cause brief
confusion if I've accidently clicked on the desktop, causing
the finder menu to be active instead of my app. Of course I
realize that someone used to the Mac way of doing things
probably finds the other model equally annoying.
Of course what the Mac really has going for it is a great suite
of consumer applications with consistent UI design and cross app
integration. Apple did the right thing early on when they
published style guides for their app writers. Ubuntu has done a
great job collecting together and enhancing a good set of well
integrated apps. If you stick with apps flagged as 'works well
with Ubuntu' in the repositories, you will also have pretty
consistent experience. Of course the repositories are also full
of a lot of other cool software that is not so consistent. That
is where Linux starts to receive its 'rough around the edges'
reputation.
In summary, I like both OSX and Linux, but I definitely prefer
Linux. I don't hesitate to recommend a Mac to someone if they
are looking to do some major multi-media content creation and
need professional grade tools, but I always recommend people
give Ubuntu a try if they just need a rock solid Internet
surfing station or just need to do a bit of word processing.
It particularly makes sense if they already have an older
Windows box sitting around that they can re-task.
Cheers,
Thad
--
Yeah, I drank the Open Source cool-aid... Unlike the other brand, it had
all the ingredients on the label.
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