Too many choices... new user confused?!
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| thenixedreport Jul 08, 2008 6:16 AM EDT |
Quoting:We may not be confused by the huge selection of distributions, but new users unfamiliar with Linux will be. Ya' know. I think it's about time we stopped treating new users as if they were completely stupid. |
| jdixon Jul 08, 2008 6:19 AM EDT |
> The Swiss Army Distro - Might Someone Finally Be Getting It? Umm, Debian, anyone? > I think it's about time we stopped treating new users as if they were completely stupid. Agreed, though to be fair, some are. |
| Libervis Jul 08, 2008 6:26 AM EDT |
I tend to agree as well. The thing is, if the choice is so confusing for new users they'll probably be looking for some guidance anyway, in which case those who they seek guidance from can pick what they deem to be the best choices for them. Just because there are so many distros doesn't mean we all have to advertise and offer all of them to those to whom we advocate, advertise and market GNU/Linux. For example, GetGNULinux.org introduces people to the OS, the general idea behind it and recommends only three distros for three general types of audiences: Ubuntu, Fedora and gNewSense (for those jumping in 100% convinced in the idea of Free Software ;) ). http://www.getgnulinux.org/switch_to_linux/choose_a_distribu... |
| bigg Jul 08, 2008 7:08 AM EDT |
How many distros do potential users actually encounter? How many of them are affected by the choice of Parsix or Kiwi? I see no problem with the existence of too many distros (whatever the heck that means - as if our only goal is to reduce confusion of potential Linux users). |
| jacog Jul 08, 2008 7:16 AM EDT |
I find the uninitiated to be confused by the basic concepts of "distribution", "operating system" and "desktop environment". Someone once waddled over to my desk and looked at my laptop, running KDE on a 'buntu setup. He looked, and went "Wow, is that Linux? I did not realise it looked this good". I had to explain these concepts to him at this point. Not sure if I was successful. |
| gus3 Jul 08, 2008 7:53 AM EDT |
Libveris, you just gave me an idea for a website: UnderstandLinux.org A site whose time has come. |
| jdixon Jul 08, 2008 7:56 AM EDT |
> I had to explain these concepts to him at this point. I think the auto/breakfast cereal concept seems to work fairly well. Taking the cereal approach; Ubuntu is like Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Kubuntu is like Kelloggg's Frosted Flakes, Xubuntu is like Kellogg's Corn Flakes with banana's or strawberries, Debian is like a generic corn flakes, the other distro's are like Cheerios, wheat bran, etc... Slackware is like Cream of Wheat, some cooking required, but the taste difference is worth it. :) Using the auto analogy, Unbuntu is like Ford, Red Hat is GM, etc. KDE is a gas guzzling V-8, Gnome is a V-6, and XFCE is a four cylinder, etc. |
| gus3 Jul 08, 2008 8:19 AM EDT |
Thanks a lot jdixon. I use Slackware. And I hate Cream of Wheat. >|-P |
| jdixon Jul 08, 2008 8:31 AM EDT |
> And I hate Cream of Wheat. >|-P Substitute oatmeal or your hot cereal of choice. What did those poor little wheat kernels ever do to you anyway? :) |
| Libervis Jul 08, 2008 8:52 AM EDT |
gus3: > Libveris, you just gave me an idea for a website: > UnderstandLinux.org Sounds like a good idea, though there may already be some who are doing what that sound may be about. But then again, I am not against the idea of competing even in how best to present Linux to people. I've had some ideas myself.. :) Cheers |
| hkwint Jul 08, 2008 8:54 AM EDT |
It's not that hard to figure out. For those newbies with a rather quick inet connection; I'd point them to this nice pic: http://futurist.se/gldt/gldt76.png and they'll undertstand there are only a few real choices; and the rest is just some tiny differences. nLite, XPLite, WinXP OEM / Retail, slipstream software where SP3 is included, pirated "Office 2003 pre-installed" WinXP from Atjih and Deera etc. don't make up different distributions of Windows either, do they? That's the thing you should explain to Windows users complaining about too many choice. |
| gus3 Jul 08, 2008 9:03 AM EDT |
It sounds like a project worth putting a little effort into, just for some preliminary organization and graphics. Just to see what I could come up with, and see if I think it would be worth the greater effort of a full site. |
| rgviza Jul 08, 2008 10:59 AM EDT |
I think the author forgets that the corner stone of OSS and FOSS is choice. The more you have the better off you are. With choice comes the inevitable confusion. After it clears and you "get it", the choice is a blessing. If I had to run Ubuntu, I'd end it now. As it is I prefer the flexibility and speed of a Gentoo. I also prefer learning as much as possible about the inner workings of an operating system. Gentoo is ideal for this. "Forks" and a distro are sort of mutually exclusive since a fork is a split in a source tree. A distro is made up of thousands of source trees. Most distros have a property(s) (philosophy, performance, ease of use, media codecs, package set) that appeal to one segment or another. That's why they are there. If you try to shove all the qualities of every distro into one it would be unmanageable and likely end up appealing to no one since it wouldn't do anything really well. One person's dog of a distro, is a match made in heaven to someone else. That, my friends, is what it's all about. -Viz |
| Steven_Rosenber Jul 08, 2008 11:05 AM EDT |
The writer advocates folding all of the Ubuntu offshoots into the main Ubuntu distribution. You can bring any one of those "environments" into Ubuntu through apt, but it would be better, in my view to have a more universal network-based installer that would install Ubuntu or Xubuntu, Kubuntu, or whatever else they come up with. More like the Debian, Slackware or CentOS/Red Hat installers, less like what it is now. In my last Ubuntu install (8.04), it didn't strike me as particularly intuitive, easy, informative or powerful. Not that the end result is unsatisfactory -- I still like Ubuntu 8.04 a whole lot. Last time I ran them, I didn't find Xubuntu or Kubuntu nearly as polished and a lot more buggy. |
| Sander_Marechal Jul 09, 2008 2:39 AM EDT |
Quoting:> Libveris, you just gave me an idea for a website: It's a great idea. I too have an idea about this. I intend to write a long article about it in the future, but I'll post the summary here for you to pick apart. It's an analogy with cars. A linux distro is a brand of car. E.g. Ubuntu == Volkswagon. A distro release (Ubuntu 8.04) is a specific model of a car. Whatever you end up picking, it's all similar-but-different. A Volvo (Slackware) is also a car. It has the same basic features (engine, auto or manual transmission, a steering wheel, four wheels -- kernel, KDE or GNOME desktop, Xserver, GNU bases system) but all the brands and models feel and act a tad different. Some distros base off other distro's like Porsche building on Volkswagen. Some brands come with support contracts (Red Hat / Xandros -- Hummer). Some are easily servicable yourself (Ubuntu, Debian -- Volkswagen, Ford). This analogy scales pretty well IMHO. Both Linux and cars have 3rd party service engineers that offer support on brands they don't sell new. Some car shops only service their own cars, or cars of one brand. Cars can be leased instead of owned (SLED?). Etcetera, etcetera. Distro wars are just like car enthousiasts going at eachother discussing if a Toyota is better than a Chevvy :-) |
| NoDough Jul 09, 2008 5:46 AM EDT |
Quoting:UnderstandLinux.orghttp://www.getgnulinux.org |
| Bob_Robertson Jul 09, 2008 7:23 AM EDT |
> UnderstandLinux.org Isn't that what http://www.linux.org/ is supposed to be? |
| Sander_Marechal Jul 09, 2008 7:38 AM EDT |
Quoting: > UnderstandLinux.org No. The two can complement eachother quite nicely. Use getgnulinux to explain in very basic terms what Linux is and why you should use it. It's a sales pitch. Use understandlinux to explain what makes linux tick and how this whole FOSS thing works. It's a FAQ. A place where people go when they have answers too detailed for a sales pitch such as getgnulinux. @gus3: Perhaps you should contact Olivier Cleynen, the guy behind getgnulinux and work on this in tandem. I think it could work quite well. Quoting:Isn't that what [HYPERLINK@www.linux.org] is supposed to be? If it is, it fails horribly. |
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