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Re: Linux and Windows Under Pressure
by Michal on Tuesday May 30, 2000 @ 09:38 AM
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| Re-created without edits with permission from private correspondence:
>From your article on www.LinuxMedNews.org:
> An important point in Windows favor was its 'Network Neighborhood'
> desktop program. This was superior to RedHat Linux...
Actually it is not if you will try to remember for the moment that
"Red Hat" is far from synonymous with Linux. None of distributions
includes, or can include, every single utility for everybody (probably
SuSE goes furthest in the "kitchen sink" direction and you should use
that one if you are so inclined).
There exist programs for Linux which are actually superior to the often
broken and misleading 'Network Neighborhood' from Windows. Last time I
played with 'gnomba', it was a while ago, it would not only show
graphically other SMB "shares" on the network, and will open them
automatically in a file browser like mc, but also - optionally - will
mount them using 'smbfs' file system so they may look as an integral
part of a the whole setup under Linux. 'gnomba' works using Gnome
libraries (you do not have to run the whole Gnome to use it); recently I
have seen some annoucements for 'komba' which is a similar thing but
working with libraries from KDE. I would not be surprised if there are
other analogous around.
This is a usual story - with more power of Linux you also have more
responsibilities; even if they are limited to checking out, and not
creating from scratch or adjusting, things which YOU may need. If you
think that this is too much for you personally then hire somebody to do
that (you tinker with your vehicle yourself or you leave that to
qualified mechanics?) but nothing follows from that that some particular
distribution does not provide every single piece you would like to have.
Best regards,
Michal
michal@harddata.com
p.s. I have no idea if 'gnomba', or 'komba', is included in the current
SuSE set. It really does not matter. Also Red Hat has separate
"Power Tools" additions which, once again, have many things not included
in a main distribution and, again once again, this is still not
"everything". :-) |
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Re: Linux and Windows Under Pressure
by Saint on Tuesday May 30, 2000 @ 09:41 AM
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Thanks, good thoughts. I was wondering about putting the Network
Neighborhood comment into the article, because I figured there was one for
Linux somewhere. I put it in because it wasn't obvious to me with many
years of computer experience that it had a GUIable equivalent. It was a
revelation to me to work with fairly intelligent people in Guatemala that
they didn't know how to put a file onto a floppy and put it onto another
machine. Therefore, I put it as a negative for Redhat Linux because it
didn't seem readily available to the average joe without hack skills.
Thanks again, -- IV
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Re: Linux and Windows Under Pressure
by Michal on Tuesday May 30, 2000 @ 09:43 AM
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> I put it in because it wasn't obvious to me with many
> years of computer experience that it had a GUIable equivalent.
That is why exist places like freshmeat.net, rpmfind.net,
www.tuxfinder.net or, last but not least, google.com. This list
is far from exhaustive.
> It was a
> revelation to me to work with fairly intelligent people in Guatemala that
> they didn't know how to put a file onto a floppy and put it onto another
> machine.
GUI does not help very much in such case. :-) People simiply have to
learn how to use a new tool. Did you ever try to operate, say, a lathe
without seeing such machine first? It is not THAT complicated.
Actually IMO opinion and experience GUI is highly overrated (and,
contrary to what various "GUI gurus" would claim, deeply dependent on a
cultural context which does not have to be the same for everybody).
Ever thought why we have moved from Egyptian hieroglyphs to modern
scripts? GUI undoubtely has some uses, as pictorial signs on restrooms
doors are useful even if also not a context free, but even people with an
average inteligence can operate from a command line as well once they
overcome an initial fear, instilled mostly by marketdroids propaganda,
that this is for "gurus only". And there are always cases like my wife. :-)
She is most of the time mildly confused by any GUI; does not matter
how many times I have shown her things. Beeing a university professor
she is not likely to be a totally stupid.
> Therefore, I put it as a negative for Redhat Linux because it
> didn't seem readily available to the average joe without hack skills.
As you see above I totally disagree that "hack skills" are of any
relevance at this point. "Some skills" is not the same thing.
Take care,
Michal
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