Jim Lawrence
accessd at shaw.ca
Tue Dec 10 22:37:19 CST 2013
Hi Arthur: Let's be honest Arthur...our parents or grandparents couldn't even run Windows. Most people, our age, outside of the IT crowd, had to have their computers initially setup for them and if any software went sideways that is when I got a call. All people my age have been working with Windows computers for going on twenty years and if they are still having difficulties with simple tasks, it just goes to show Darwin was right. As for your problem with Linux, you should probably be using Ubuntu 13.x. First: The user, if he/she is a first timer should not be using the Administrator username. This means that all applications installed will be installed to the client's home directory. This means any files can be easily added and removed. (The only thing that might confuse a beginner is that some directories and files are hidden...for good reason. See below for solution.) Second: The home directories are automatically or with a couple of simple replies to prompts, setup a continuous, in the background backup/synchronization to your Ubuntu One Cloud. Setting up full backups are equally brain-dead simple. There is a backup application named "backup" that, at assigned intervals or immediately, backup the contents of any directory or the whole computer for that matter to an attached backup storage, through a USB connection, network cable or even across the net. The backups are serialized so that a recovery can be made from various dated backups or from individual files. It is all one click and select to recovery from either backup. Third: Installing or removing a piece of software is super simple. Just click on the Ubuntu Software Centre button, enter "MySQL", or you can page to it and it will show you the product, to install or uninstall and ask whether you wish to install or remove it. Notes: Once a piece of software is installed, at regular intervals (default or selected), the Software Updater, from the Software Centre will keep your product current. What basic user will be installing and running MySQL? It is on the level (maybe more) with MS SQL. With three database engines and a capability of handling millions of pieces of data (it use to run Facebook), it is hardly a beginner's product. A user can unhide a directory(ies) by just right-mouse-clicking, at the place of the file of directory and then select hide or unhide from the popdown menu. Same thing as Windows just not as difficult for a first time user to find. Normally, a program running is added to the launcher side bar. If the application is to be used continuously then just be right-mouse-clicking, the application icon can lock it to the bar. For more fancy floating program icons, click the Ubuntu Software Centre, enter an app name "Create Launcher" and press install. From then on you can dump icons attached to programs anywhere you want. As you have notice no where did it require the use of the terminal or command prompt. A year or so ago I installed half a network in Ubuntu Linux. I have not heard from them in six months and the staff is quite happy with their new stations. Everything they needed for their job just works. There is a young lady there, in her early thirties and she never had used Linux before I showed up. Now she has the whole networked tricked up and probably knows more than I do. Jim ----- Original Message ----- From: "Arthur Fuller" <fuller.artful at gmail.com> To: "Peter Brawley" <peter.brawley at gmail.com>, "Peter Simpson" <petersimpson at powergate.ca>, "Discussion of Hardware and Software issues" <dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 10, 2013 2:22:32 PM Subject: [dba-Tech] What I hate about Linux The following link describes how to uninstall and then re-install a corrupted version of MySQL 5.x on Linux. http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-completely-reinstall-mysql-server/ Compare that to the Windows 3-step: 1. Back up the data directory. 2. Un-install the program. 3. Install the program Or even worse, the 1-click recovery, as in Office or SQL Server or numerous other programs: 1. Repair. This article is an excellent summary of why Windows continues to win the battle for the desktop. As soon as something goes wrong, the Linux user is off into the frightening world of the command line -- and not once, not twice, but several times. The very least that vendors could do is add an icon to the desktop or the menu. But apparently, that is stooping too low. As long as that situation persists, Linux will never win the desktop, despite the admirable efforts of the Ubuntu and Mint etc. boys. They are writing for the Highest Common Denominator. Bill and Steve chose instead to write for the Lowest Common Denominator. I run them side by side almost always, and can see obvious advantages to Linux, when everything goes well, but even then, could the vendors not possibly supply an addition to the desktop that leads to Uninstall/Repair? Talk about Shooting Yourself in the Foot! Maybe the real hurdle to surmount is their collective refusal to recognize that Windows and Apple make it so much simpler? -- Arthur _______________________________________________ dba-Tech mailing list dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com