Peter Brawley
peter.brawley at earthlink.net
Thu Feb 13 13:59:55 CST 2014
On 2014-02-13 1:02 PM, Jim Lawrence wrote: > Hi Arthur: > > As to comment to your observation, I will relate a tale from a couple of nights ago. > > We have a semi-month Geek meeting that happens at a local Starbucks and we discuss such things as software, electronics and what new in science. I am sure the other patron of the establishment just roll their eyes when we visit. ;-) > > That particular night, only three of us could come as two were sick, one had a prior engagement and one had to be in a remote town, to solve a software problem (How to migrate a depreciated version of Microsoft small business server to server 2012...the online manuals are not correct and Microsoft's support is at a total loss...but that is another subject.) > > Anyway, one of my friends had brought along his computer. He was trying to get a circuit board application running and he was having no success. He had recently installed Linux Mint on his laptop was having one problem after another so we decided to take a look. > > The solutions to the problems were simple. Within a few minutes both my friends and two more university students were clustered around asking question. They asked if I was a Linux expert...hardly, but I agreed to attempt to answer any question they poised. I had braced myself for some complex Linux issues but all the questions were just simple softball requests...how to view hidden file, how to place an icon on the desktop, how to change ownership of a file, where are all the program files stored, how to connect to a network, how to change the default storage locations, how to get help on a Linux computer (built in "man") and so on...all very basic stuff. > > The two young fellows, from the university were not taking computer science and the students that were, according to them, had no interest in helping. They even asked if I would be interested in giving a course in Linux but I am leery of that as with the first difficult question, I would be Googling. It seems that few people even understand Linux, even the very simple stuff...to my way of thinking it is even simpler than Windows but over the twenty years that Windows has been around, its design and functionality has become a standard. > > I am sure the people at Microsoft must be pulling their hair out by the roots, in frustration, at the rejection of Windows 8.x. It is really simple to use but it is just not traditional Windows and just like Linux, people, except the Geeks, do not like anything new. Well, when I first saw Win8 I rilly liked its clean, elegant look. It made me smile. So I guess I don't quite count as one of those who "do not like anything new". Trying to get basic things done on Win8 has turned me against it, with malice. Why? 1. Basic Windows tasks I'd overlearnt how to do from the Start menu or in Explorer became in Win8 timewastingly mysterious, headbanging nightmares. 2. Win8 continues the security cockup begun in Vista and worsened in Win7---design for a secret-obsessed corporate world where access to all files & folders can be specifically scoped by controlling managers, optimised for a network where all boxes run Win8. At Microsoft this latter "feature" seems to be regarded as "marketing", but it's just MS's version of forced obsolescence. To defeat Win8 Rube Goldberg "security"---for example in order to allow a network of XP, Win7 and Win8 boxes and their printers & other addons to function cooperatively as one integrated, open-access system---takes hours and hours. "1984" is not a good model for personal computing. PB > > Jim > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Arthur Fuller" <fuller.artful at gmail.com> > To: "Discussion of Hardware and Software issues" <dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com> > Sent: Thursday, February 13, 2014 10:16:03 AM > Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] The perfect storm > > Given all the free apps available on various Linux flavours, as well as the > user-friendly downloads of Ubuntu, Mint and others, and the costs of > training the user-base to adapt to Linux vs. the costs of training said > base to learn Windows 8, for me at least this is a no-brainer. > > I recommend to all my clients and friends who are open-minded, to switch to > Linux and forget once and for all about costly updates to all the essential > components that describe your environment. > > The various Linux installations have all pretty much achieved no-brainer > status. LibreOffice can do anything Office can do. Linux in any variant has > made it, and IMO has eclipsed Windows+Office. There's no longer a contest > any more. The real question is "How can MS respond? And the available > answers are: > > a) the Ostrich strategy: stick your head in the sand and hope for the > best.Given the animosity MS has created in the world of Access developers, > not to mention those in the Excel and Word 3P communities, I see no future > in this avenue. > > b) Offer future versions of Windows and Office for free (two chances of > that: a fat one and a slim one). > > Long story short, I see no future in betting on Microsoft, and I say this > sadly, since for most of the past 20+ years I have made my income in > betting on MS. But I no longer see that as a viable play. The more I > examine the terrain, the more I feel that Ubuntu + Libre + various other > packages comprise the most viable solution, for everything from Mom 'n' Pop > to Large Scale Businesses. > > There is a cost-of-transition, no doubt about it. But compared with the MS > licensing fees, this transition cost is trivial. An organization can adopt > Linux, LibreOffice and MySQL for free and forever. Punch an accountant and > ask her to wake up and smell her coffee, and further to test said > implementation on any available disposable machine, or even a VM (which is > also free, such as Oracle's VirtualBox). > > In short, there is no contest. All that remains is the will-power of the IT > people in the given organization. > > Arthur > _______________________________________________ > dba-Tech mailing list > dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com > _______________________________________________ > dba-Tech mailing list > dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >