lost textures and grid

[New Horizon]

I like linux I really do, but when people start having problems installing programs on their distro, the answers to get them to work are scary complicated and technical. It's the only reason I wouldn't want to use linux, I'm too used to just installing things with installers and not having to worry about anything else.

 

I agree, but it's really not that bad once you get the hang of it...and there is a ton of linux users willing to offer support out there. They don't turn you away, they want you to learn.

 

I've been using Ubuntu off and on now for the last two years. It's a great OS. Ready for prime time.

[AluminumHaste]

I agree, but it's really not that bad once you get the hang of it...and there is a ton of linux users willing to offer support out there. They don't turn you away, they want you to learn.

 

I've been using Ubuntu off and on now for the last two years. It's a great OS. Ready for prime time.

 

That's one thing I like seeing is the very supportive community, but the Microsoft certified (snicker snicker) guys on various sites are pretty good at helping.

[SneaksieDave]

Also, it was the truth (or at least, the post I think we're talking about -- I took it as a simple tongue-in-cheek). Imagine: there are people who can't open an ini file (not to hack in changes; I mean, they can't even open it), so there's no way in hell that level of user could ever consider a *nix system. It's a shame really, but it is a fact.

[OrbWeaver]

Also, it was the truth (or at least, the post I think we're talking about -- I took it as a simple tongue-in-cheek).

 

It is the truth that certain pieces of non-widely-used third party software can be difficult to install and run on a Linux machine, such as DarkRadiant, and that upgrading core applications to a new major version can be challenging (like a new version of GIMP or OpenOffice).

 

However, this is not a concern for the average web-browsing, email-using, Facebook-updating end user that is typically considered in these types of discussion. There is no reason whatsoever that my Mum could not use a Linux computer, for example.

 

Imagine: there are people who can't open an ini file (not to hack in changes; I mean, they can't even open it), so there's no way in hell that level of user could ever consider a *nix system.

 

Then they are misinformed. There is no need to edit or understand config files for normal everyday use of a modern Linux distribution, provided the original OS install was performed correctly by the manufacturer (like they do with Windows). I can't even remember the last time I had to do this.

[SneaksieDave]

Slight clarification: the hacking-an-ini example was only meant to indicate that most users barely know how to do anything beyond point and click; I didn't mean to make a semi-complex example to indicate simple lacking know-how.

 

Better example: I have had to explain more than once to friends in MMORPGs (and a couple of girlfriends) how to use Print Screen to capture the desktop, then paste it into Paint, then how to save the file to a suitable format and attach it to an email. Fairly common things we all take as basic, given knowledge, but which in reality, isn't.

[AluminumHaste]

Upgrading programs like Open-Office and such is something most people do in windows at least the ones I speak to at work here.

How hard is it to say install updates to the OS itself?

[OrbWeaver]

Slight clarification: the hacking-an-ini example was only meant to indicate that most users barely know how to do anything beyond point and click; I didn't mean to make a semi-complex example to indicate simple lacking know-how.

 

Fair enough, my point is that with modern Linux distributions these users aren't going to be any worse off with Linux than with Windows. The Print Screen example you give is a case in point -- it isn't any harder to do this in Linux (in fact it may well be easier, since the image is saved immediately to the Desktop with a preview dialog, rather than copied to the clipboard).

 

Of course these users wouldn't have a chance at installing Linux themselves, but with the factory-installed Linux PCs that Dell and even Wal-Mart are beginning to sell now, they wouldn't have any more problems than they do already (besides simple unfamiliarity, which would be an issue for any new OS no matter how technically perfect).

[OrbWeaver]

Upgrading programs like Open-Office and such is something most people do in windows at least the ones I speak to at work here.

 

Those must be fairly tech-savvy users, the "average Grandma" would never be upgrading their own office suites.

 

How hard is it to say install updates to the OS itself?

 

Depends what you mean be "updates". The everyday updates are trivial, they are downloaded in the background and a "Updates ready to be installed" window pops up in the system tray when ready. A couple of clicks later they are installed.

 

Upgrading the entire OS is of course more difficult, but probably more reliable than trying to upgrade XP to Vista in-place.

[Crispy]

Installing software is really easy to do if it's in your distro's repositories, since volunteers have done all the work for you already. It only gets complicated sometimes when you start installing stuff which isn't in a repository, like DarkRadiant or TDM. (And in those cases, yes, it can get complicated. Such is the disadvantage of not having a homogenised environment, which IMO is often a benefit.)

[sparhawk]

I like linux I really do, but when people start having problems installing programs on their distro, the answers to get them to work are scary complicated and technical. It's the only reason I wouldn't want to use linux, I'm too used to just installing things with installers and not having to worry about anything else.

 

The only reason why this is more "complicated" than on Windows is, because on Windows most programmers already do the dirty work for you. That's one area where linux is lacking. That software developers are not used to writing easy to use installer. Sure it's partially because the systems can be much more different than on the average windows installation, but if you get down to the real OS Windows is not really easier to configure as well. Quite on the contrary, with the registry being in a binary format you have almost no chance of rescuing your system if something is screwed up. On linux you can always mount the drive on a different machine and repair it.

I don't say that one or the other is neccessary better though. There are good and bad sides to each of the approaches. I like to have more detailed control like in Linux, but on the other hand it can get really tedious if you HAVE to exert that control all the time.

[sparhawk]

Upgrading programs like Open-Office and such is something most people do in windows at least the ones I speak to at work here.

 

That's usually quite easy on Linux as well.

 

How hard is it to say install updates to the OS itself?

 

It depends. I neglected to update my Linux machine for some time. Now I wanted to upgrade some parts of it and all the servers are dead already. so I have to do a full install probably.

 

The good thing though is, that this is quite easy on Linux. I was really suprised to see that with Ubuntu I could install it over a gentoo distribution and not loosing a sinlge user option that I had configured. Even though they are completely different distributions. I was quite surprised about this. The key to that is properly seperating the parititions, which I always do anyway.

In Windows it's not really possible to do that. Installing a new OS from scratch also requires you to install all the applications that have nothing to do with the OS as well.

[Tels]

Could an admin please cut of the bottom of this thread at this post:

 

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?showt...st&p=171133

 

and move it to a new thread? It has nothing to do with the original question and discussion. Thanx!