[vox] Fwd: Re: Fwd: Re: is the Linux desktop OS dead?

[Bill Kendrick]

Gandalf posted from a non-subscribed address
(Gandalf, can you make sure you post from the same
address that you're subscribed to 'vox' with, or change
your subscription?  Otherwise your posts get discarded by
the mailman software, and I have to manually fwd them)

-bill!

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Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:50:15 -0800 (PST)
From: Gandalf  Parker <gandalf at community.net>
Subject: Re: [vox] Fwd: Re: is the Linux desktop OS dead?
To: LUGOD's general discussion mailing list <vox at lists.lugod.org>

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009, Michael Cheselka wrote:
>
>Linux could do better if we fixed the many packing systems.  On a
>Windows system, I can just download and open a .exe or .msi to add a
>package, and go to the control panel to remove a package.  Most
>packages for Windows can be installed on XP, Vista, and Windows 7
>without worry.  On Linux, too often, it matters what your Linux system
>is like.  We need a better scheme.

Actually I would consider that to be one of the things that has Linux in a 
better position than Windows. Of course everything has its pros and cons. 
You seem to understand the advantages of the Windows system but that is 
also one of the things that has led to some of the major complaints about 
Windows.

PRO anyone can write and distribute for Windows
CON anyone can write and distribute for Windows

I do not think Linux needs to go down that road. And definetly not an 
advantage if it does. One of the things I tell people about Linux is that 
most of the distros have a pop-up catalog. Any new thing I want to do I 
just search the catalog and tag it. It downloads, installs, and configs 
usually without any questions being asked. Of course you CAN pick up 
programs off-catalog and those take abit more effort to install but I 
think that is also a pro/con thing. Its good that off-catalog items take 
more effort.

HOPEFULLY all of us here are at LEAST linuxy enough to check the catalogs 
for our distro before looking elsewhere online for softwares. If you 
always do the windowsy thing of googling and downloading anything you find 
then of course you will be unhappy. You are missing one of the good things 
about linux. Sometimes I forget and google first. But I usually emember 
before actually installing and remember to check the catalog then. Im 
rarely disappointed. And the auto-update is well worth choosing catalog 
items whenever possible.
(disclaimer: Im probably using the wrong term or catalog)


Gandalf  Parker



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-bill!
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