copono wrote:For instance, Win7 really doesn't suit me (and nor does Unity in Ubunut) or what I mainly do or how I want my system setup, nor does OS X where you can't even customize the simplest of things and aren't even able to open up a folder in Finder with just clicking space or enter.
The customization of OS X and Windows is much better for most users than that of linux. All those customizations of linux are only available to a very small amount of people.
Yes, I agree it is so for most users. That is not due to the systems inherent nature though. It's an effect of people not knowing other system(s). Maybe not that strange since most users first contact with a computer was on Win that came on their machine, pre-installed. (As for the customization of
OS X I don't agree though and would actually rather use it of a an almost perfect where the user is expected to adapt to the system, and not vice versa. Virtually nothing beyond the changing of the wallpaper is customizable in OS X. Heck, there isn't even an option that allows you to set how fast the dock appears/disappears.)
In any case, most people/average users don't even know customzations are possible and don't desire them since they don't know what could have been done instead with or via the OS and the way it operates, affecting their workflow and everyday computer usage in positive ways. If I take that into account and I agree with you even more.
With OS X you have a terminal that is quite the same as that of linux. For doing Scientific computing I never needed something else. and it feels very compatible with linux. I mean, it has all you need to create software. /../ I think that people should never touch the terminal unless they code.
Yes, the terminal is the same or almost the same, both are unix based anyhow, so nothing strange there. I also agree with that the terminal shouldn't ever have to be used for anything at all by the average user, if the system is intended for the average joe out there that hardly knows that there are more than 1-2 OS:s to choose from in the first place and truly believes that a "mac" doesn't equate a "pc"
as the marketing would have it.
And An OS is not something that one should care about. An OS is not more than something that allows you to run and manage software.
True. At the time being though you
really should care about what OS you choose, since it will greatly affect your work and possibilities depeneding on your usage of the computer. For example, if you want top notch gaming and playing mainstream titles then Win is your
only viable option. I can't think of any situation where OS X would allow you to do anything that can't be done on Win or Linux, but let's pretend it exists. And then we have Linux, which of course will allow you to do everyday work and pretty much anything unless of course there happens to be a lack of software in some field or you're bound to certain standards (i.e. working with propriatary files). Whichever system of the three you run it will have a major impact of your everyday experience and possibilities.
I use Linux because I know that everything on it that I myself have any use of is free and also because it works and many times outperforms its counterparts, that coupled with the very modular nature of it and licenses makes it ideal for me, while also making it a bad choice for somebody else. Maybe a person doesn't have the proper hardware for it, or maybe one is used to OS X or rather use or have to use Adobe Illustrator instead of Inkscape, and so on.
I think crossplattform software is great and that the OS is, in the end and like you seem to argue, just the foundation that should stay behind the scenes and just make stuff work.
And that is the main problem of linux. Programmers think they are the center of the universe. They think that because they know, others should know. Because they care about, others should care. Because they spent time on that, others should too.
It's more of a problem within parts of the Linux community than Linux itself that there are plenty of arrogant zealots around. Then again, I don't think it matters much which OS a community is associated to. In the end there are countless good and bad parts of a community. You have the arrogant "elite" 14-year old users in all camps, everywhere from cult apple-fan-boys to windows overclockers and linux coders.
My personal theory is that Linux, due to it having been considered to be "hardcore" or "hard" for long, often attracted nerds with attitude that used their knowledge as a part of their identity and creation of a personal profile and presence online. It is easily seen in various forums where people try to outdo each other in how much mad skills they have by, among other things, distancing themselves from the average joe and mainstream that is clueless about computers in general and/or OS:s or code.
Maybe they are overrepresented in the Linux camp though, at least online, since offline at conventions and meetings you will more or less only meet very nice penguins. If you check out the figures for Humble Indy Bundle it also seems Linux users give more in terms of monetary support, and probably the same could be said about community, documentation, wikis etc put into proportions. Ubuntu is a good example even on the community level where they have a very very solid community with some excellent stuff going on that is yet to be matched by Apple or MS...
And that's not going to convince people. Ubuntu changed that a little bit, but unless that continues in that trend, linux will never have a desktop market share above 10%, and software companies are never going to even think about producing software for it.
It wouldn't bother me the least if Linux never got a share above even 5% on the desktop: It doesn't affect me, nor does it affect anyone that uses Linux today on his/her desktop. There is no inherent need to create an operating system that "conquers the world" (in that regard Linux "won" long time ago, virtually all of the internet is ran by it, and so are more or less all systems that matter around the world). I think it's computer interested teenagers that care about the figures, and companies that try to sell/develop software/hardware. Admittedly the more software there is for Linux the more likely it will be adopted by users, and the same goes for hardware.
If it would be up to me I'd happily see a scenario where there are even more OS:s competing as I believe competition is healthy and good for us as end users: I don't want a world that only runs Linux, but would happily see a world where it eats up to 50-70% of the market and, more importantly, where open source software and hardware continues to thrive.
And they shouldn't need to know (almost) anything about the OS in order to run the computer and use the software they need.
No, of course not. Again, I think there are very few Linux distros that do a good job right now on that front when/if you target the average joe.
Then again, I often meet "normal people" that are totally clueless about pretty much anything within their system, be it Win or OS X or even Android/iOS. The knowledge possessed by the general public about computing is probably even dumbed down the recent years thanks to "app-ification" and the oversimplification of software where you, yet again, have almost zero control and always follow very pre-defined wizards and templates and where the options are scarce, not due to technical reasons, but because the coders feared people wouldn't grasp the software if it wasn't infantilised before release.
In terms of production, not everyone needs to produce in the computer. /../ There is people painting on canvas
My worry is not about the computer not replacing a canvas or a toaster or whatever: I'm worried that pure consumer oriented soft/hardware, like for example an iPad, doesn't encourage or really give the possibility to be creative compared to a real computer with a traditional setup (mouse, keyboard, monitor). Heck, even such a simple task as writing an email or this forum post would be a pain in the ass on such a device
in comparison, not to mention everything else. My worry is more one of
generations of users and not about me or you as consumers as we probably grasp things in another way. I imagine that todays children that grow up using smartphones and tablets, mainly to consume or do very basic production (I wouldn't call tweeting or taking a picture and posting on facebook production) will have a totally different view and approach to the desktop, writing, using mice, working in CAD or 3d studio, coding, etc than previous computing generations. There are even studies that already show that their attentionspans and brains develop differently and in dire ways due to the idiotification that pure consumer media many times entails. Not only because it turns them into consumers, but because a larger portion of them will become pure consumers and because of what they consume. That, in all, is a tragic direction for humanity...
It should be the computer the one that adapts to users needs, and not the user adapting to what the computer can do.
Exactly my point for not using OS X
lol.. nah, just teasing you. Todays reality is that everything isn't compatible with everything. That forces us as users to adapt, to match soft and hardware. That matching can be described as us "adapting". It's a non-issue. Issue would be there if I want to use Linux, but can't because Illustrator or program x doesn't run on it. Then the choice is really simple: Develop the software yourself, find an alternative or stop using Linux
Using a system isn't a goal itself, as you wrote - the system is there to serve us. Whatever serves you the best should be your choice.
It's a lot of people doing it, but some people produce in other thing, people in construction, people in sales, etc etc. And while computer is, each time taking more share in everything,
I'm looking forward to when the 3d-printersm, especially open source ones, become really good... it's the next industrial revolution and will change the world in ways politicians haven't grasped yet making mainly raw materials and semi-refinement central, killing of plenty of other commerce...
