[mdlug] An Idea inspired by....

[Michael Corral]

2007-01-09, Monsieur Garry Stahl a ecrit:
> I am a lot close to Joe User than the average member of the LUG, so I
> feel qualified to speak for him.

o_O

Joe User doesn't have a stockpile of Amigas from the 1980's. ;)

> I have used Linux on the desktop for three years
> now.  I can count on one hand the number of times I have used Windows
> since the switch.

You have just separated yourself from Joe User by quite a bit.
Heck, I'm closer to Joe User than you are. :)

> I also do not demand that all software be free.

In a sense, Joe User does demand that software be free (as in beer).
That's why Joe User rarely pays for software. He normally pirates it.
Though I agree that Joe User usually doesn't care about source code
availability, or even know what that is.

> What do I want?  The "It don't need support model".  And I'll gladly pay
> for that model.

Big divergence with Joe User here, as noted above. People who pay for
software are considered suckers by Joe User.

> So far, Windows makes the UI good, they make installation and upgrades
> easy, except when it doesn't work and then you are in Hell.

That's like saying "tobacco doesn't kill you, except for those times
when it does."

> Linux is not harmful, but for the most part it fails in the ease of use
> factor.  If you know what you are doing, it is easy to fix Linux when it
> goes south.  However, to Joe User it is as obtuse, if not more obtuse,
> than Windows in that regard.

Don't know about that. Linux is a lot easier to use than it was 10 years
ago (or even 5 years ago). GNOME and KDE are very Windows-ish. I've seen
kids pick up how to use Linux very quickly. It doesn't take a rocket
scientist to navigate the menus to launch the web browser (web browsing
being the primary activity of Joe User). Last summer I set up a PC with
Linux for my mom, who had never used a computer in her life. She was
logging in and browsing the web in no time.

Michael