BW )(: Call for Constructive Flaming

[Paul Barnard]

I think MJ Ray is off base with the Mac HW statement.  What was  
referred to was the reliability of interoperation between hardware not  
the longevity or quality of the HW...  On a Mac if you buy and apple  
product and plug it in it just works without having to install drivers  
or anything else.  Incidentally is a problem for Windoze too...


On Jun 25, 2008, at 3:00 PM, ben at bristolwireless.net wrote:

> Quoting MJ Ray <mjr at phonecoop.coop>:
>
>> "Ben Green" <ben at bristolwireless.net> wrote:
>>> I personally whole heartedly agree with everything she says, the
>>> usability problems she has with Linux ARE USABILITY PROBLEMS LINUX
>>> HAS, that's just how it is. Because I keep up with kernel and
>>> GNU/Linux development I know that a lot of solutions are in the
>>> pipeline - live cross kernel driver updates, more hardware vendors  
>>> on
>>> board by the day, but it really isn't there yet.
>>
>> Three random snippets about those "problems" there:-
>>
>>  "It should be easy to plug in a new monitor. It should be easy to
>>  get wireless, it should be easy to add a new printer. It should be
>>  easy to play a DVD."
>>
>> Well, I don't play mainstream DVDs (evil Hollywood's encryption
>> probably causes trouble there, but that's hardly GNU/Linux's fault)
>> but none of the others has caused me much trouble. I do look before I
>> buy hardware, though.
>>
>>  "Apple controls the hardware, so there never is a problem with it."
>>
>> I laughed when I read that, but maybe something has changed since I
>> was a tech worker for a Mac-using university department!  Do you
>> really agree wholeheartedly that there's never a problem with Apple
>> hardware?
>>
>>  "there does not exist a decent usable twitter client for Linux"
>>
>> Erm, twitter's fairly open.  I've used both IceWeasel and jabber to
>> update it, as well as a webtv in a hotel room.  Why use a specialised
>> client?
>
> Okay, I don't agree with absolutely everything she had to say, but I  
> certainly think that Linux does have some elements of usability that  
> proprietary OSes do, and that people seem to have more luck  
> maintaining their own Mac systems without much support.
>
> "It should be easy to get wireless, it should be easy to add a new  
> printer."
>
> Now, that is real rub, Linux wireless support is a bit sucky for off  
> the shelf HW, so too for printing. This needs to be sorted out  
> somehow. A further threat is that when inexperienced users can buy  
> hardware with a "Works with Linux" sticker on the box which doesn't  
> actually work (you know, binary blobs on a CD that only work on Red  
> Hat 7 and the like).
>
> The Apple thing, yes true, their hardware can be bad too, but the  
> control of the whole production line does tend to make things more  
> acceptable.
>
> Twitter, dunno, but there's certainly no shortage in terms of  
> numbers, surely one must be half decent?
> http://twitter.pbwiki.com/Apps
>
> It doesn't matter if things are "Linux's fault", if they are  
> problems then they are problems.
>
>
> ==
> From Ben Green
>
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