On Wednesday 12 November 2008 21:43, Rony wrote:
Steve wrote:
JTD wrote:
Further given the very random and one time requirements of desktop users, their unwillingness to understand the soup they are in and reluctance to change, supporting individual newbie desktops is a major pain.
Well, I totally agree with the unwillingness to understand compatibility issues ! My dad or Uncle (who are not just linux but /computer/ newbies) should not have to worry about the level of linux support a device has when purchasing it. It should *just work* ....of course this is far from ideal right now. The next best thing to do, IMHO, was to at least give then one place where they can go to purchase their hardware. That's what tuxcompatible.com hopes to achieve (or ever encourage ...blah blah ..)
Purchasing GNU/Linux compatible hardware is the job of the FOSS service provider and not the end user or customer.
A non service provider should not be doing this type of a job, least of all a new enduser.
That involves identifying compatible hardware and studying user experiences. The difference between Windows and GNU/Linux in the desktop and small office segment is that Windows and its compatible software can be sold as a product where as GNU/Linux has to be marketed as a complete solution. One of the reasons is what JTD and you have mentioned below. It is a change of working environment. The problem gets compounded more with lack of fully packaged and supported FOSS *equivalents* for commercial closed software in fields like accounting, graphics, drafting and 3D. The corporates who can afford their own programmers will benefit the most from FOSS as it is highly customizable.
Not neccessary to have employees, a suitable service provider is good enough - provided of course that the organisation is focused on the benefits they intend to derive.
At the lower level, people (users and service providers) simply want the software to work without much jugglery.
And money. The pirated cd is so at hand. I have had many single user installations screwed up by the teenaged kid installing doze so that he can play some game or the other. So if the end user does not value his data like the family jewels just drop the linux talk.