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SubjectRe: *** draft 4 - press release ***
From my experience most newbies who come to me for help are stuck on
one of the following places:

dialup networking (chat has got to be replaced)
isa PnP
sound card
and occasionally fdisk

Thanks to redhat Xwin install has gotten easier by the release, I've
noticed the number of help requests go down over each RH release. Most of
my advice in this area involves the words "type XConfigurator" and they
(usually) come back and tell me it works now.

Though not foolproof I do know 13 year olds who can install Linux. Mind
you I think this is a poor standard. What we really need is to test this
on a 45 year old that lacks computer experience. Somehow I allays have
less trouble helping the 13 - 15 age group.

Clearly more work is needed, however it's gotten MUCH easier since the
first time I installed Linux. (although RH 5.2 install doesn't seem to like
either of the 8 mb ram machines I'm currently trying to install on)

I have little doubt that Linux distributions will continue to improve
their installation programs.

Gerhard


> > > What Microsoft has is the ability for any 13 year-old to install
> > > its product and be connected to the Internet in an hour or less.
> >
> > It has this ability. Of course. Unfortunatelly just in you imagination,
> > not in real life.
> >
> > "When people claim Linux is hard to use, what they're really saying is that
> > it's hard to install and get running, but Windows 98 is really no easier to
> > install than Linux on the first try. Set an experienced UNIX person who has
> > never used Windows down with a blank hard drive, a Windows 98 CD, and
> > Microsoft's original manuals, and you'll see just as much puzzlement as you
> > see on the face of a Windows-only computer user who is confronted with Linux
> > for the first time."
> > Jack Bryar, http://www.andoverNews.com/cgi-bin/news_column.pl?195
>
> [SNIPPED all the rest]
>
> Wrong. The same machine, with a windows 98 CD is functioning within
> 30 minutes. It is done at least twice per week here at work by
> technicians who don't know an operating system from a hole in the ground.
>
> You are being myopic. Step back and see what the rest of the world is
> doing. If you want some special configuration, i.e., Windows and
> another OS, you have problems that require the help of experience,
> either by obtaining that experience from doing it over and over again
> until you get it right, or by getting the help from someone experienced
> like yourself.
>
> The basic Windows installation takes 30 minutes (if your hard disk is
> not too slow) and is ready to connect to an Internet provider.
>
> This does not mean that Windows is any good. It just means that it
> installs easily. Now, it is possible to have a powerful installation
> program that learns about the hardware that would install Linux
> with no human intervention at all. In fact, the default configuration
> could have one of those "harmless" never to be routed IP addresses and
> even a default machine name.
>
> It does no good to claim that it isn't important. It is important
> enough so that Distributors that plan to remain in business will
> be adding value to their distribution by designing such an installation
> program. Otherwise Linux will just remain a fad for college students
> that can't afford Suns.
>
> The `quick installation` instructions would tell a user how to
> customize his machine (IP address, machine name, domain name, etc.).
> The machine is already running in a distributor-defined configuration
> before any such customization takes place.
>
> The major bottleneck is the X-Windows installation. However, powerful
> programs which are executed as part of the installation procedure
> can find the correct server and configure the machine. Monitors even
> 'tell` the input if it's synchronizing properly so a powerful program
> can even determine if the user's monitor is able to handle 1280x1024
> or if it's got to be left at 1024x768, etc,.. The windows installation
> always gets the screen right.
>
> Cheers,
> Dick Johnson

--
gmack@imag.net

As a computer I find your faith in technology amusing.



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