Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 09:33:55 +0000 (GMT) From: "P. U. (Uli) Kruppa" <root@pukruppa.de> To: Ted Mittelstaedt <tedm@toybox.placo.com> Cc: <the_philologus@excite.com>, <questions@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: RE: Applixware 5.0 installation Message-ID: <20010727082428.B11141-100000@localhost.de> In-Reply-To: <002201c11657$c745f0e0$1401a8c0@tedm.placo.com>
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Thu, 26 Jul 2001, Ted Mittelstaedt wrote:
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
> >[mailto:owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG]On Behalf Of
> >the_philologus@excite.com
> >Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2001 2:09 PM
> >To: questions@FreeBSD.ORG
> >Subject: Applixware 5.0 installation
> >
>
> >As I am new to Unix-systems in general as well as
> FreeBSD, the learning >curve is steep and I have found
> the online help pages generally only a >little bit
> helpful. They presume WAY TOO MUCH knowledge on the
> part of >non-Unix users. Basic stuff is missing or, if
> present, presented in the >least straightforward form.
> For example, it took me 3 days of looking to >figure out
> (not "find", "figure out") what the FreeBSD command to
> mount a >CD-ROM is. (Unix reference books sometimes give
> Unix commands with some of >their Linux counterparts,
> but no FreeBSD commands.) Windows users, if they >come,
> will be bringing their files with them. Guess what?
> Accessing >("mounting" and reading) their old DOS-based
> files is going to be of utmost >importance to them.
> This isn't even nearly adequately enough covered
> >online. (Yes, I already have checked out quite a number
> of the links you >give at your site. They do half a job,
> at best.) Exact syntax and EXAMPLES >need to be given,
> not just some general statement of given commands. The
> >"man pages" don't cut it.
After these three days/nights I always think:
Thousands of other newbies must be confronted with the same
problem sooner or later. Why not just put some lines down,
how one solved it, and collect them in some central place
near THE handbook and call it "UsingUnix" or something like
that?
"Using" because it just describes how to get things running.
Details can and have to be looked up in the manuals and
docs.
"Unix" because it should describe things that can be done
with an OS of this type.
"Central place" because you need a starting point, when you
neither know the name of a program, nor can describe exactly
what it has to do.
Actually I always fall asleep having this wonderful thought.
> What about a book or two? See:
>
> http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/bibliography.html
Someone who knows how to make money out of these things
might even print "UsingUnix".
> >I'm pulling for the Unix systems on the desktop, but
> they have such a >loooong way to go before average users
> can replace their Windows stuff with >them. Most home
> users WOULDN'T have spent the three nights I have trying
> to >figure how to get the system to read a CD-ROM. Nor
> should they have to. >They'd just give up and say, "To
> hell with it. I'll just stay a Microserf. >Bill is good.
> Good is Bill."
Of course Bill may help writing. BSD is free :-)
> Tee Hee - they won't be doing that in a few years. You
> know what Microsoft has planned for all those home users
> don't you?
>
> Within 5 years possibly less Microsoft will be releasing
> serialized versions of Windows that will require the
> license to be renewed every 2 years, by the end user
> telephoneing into Microsoft and paying another $100 for
> an unlock code. On top of that they will only be able
> to do that a few times, Microsoft will use that to
> enfore manadatory upgrading of OS software.
Not within 5 years, but even today young people don't know
anything about command-lines and simple programming. So they
will stay with ready to run colorful products.
> Once all those home users start having to pay the
> Windows tax a whole lot more of them are going to be
> spending those 3 nights. And consider you only have to
> spend the 3 nights once, with Windows you have to keep
> paying and paying. And you won't be able to do what most
> home users do and borrow the Windows CD from the office
> and load up your $69.95 no-name clone bare systems with
> it.
Most people use their compies for playing and surfing. They
already do pay a lot and will go on paying. They will be
able to watch videos and they will pay $7.98 per month for
having "cvsupped" their system once a week.
Perhaps they will give up their portable telephones to save
the money and start videophoning instead.
> When the masses have to start paying money they will be
> ripe for the picking.
>
> Consider also that Microsoft will never get out from
> being declared a governmentally regulated monopoly until
> they forcibly expel 50% of the userbase from their
> product.
Perhaps I am not quite up-to-date:
A lot of talk has been made. Nothing happened.
> They know this and are preparing to expel
> those users - and they are arrainging it so that the
> users that get expelled are the ones that won't pay for
> software unless forced. (ie: the unprofitable ones)
<=> Young people, students. And they would be happy to find
"UsingUnix" or something similar.
Uli.
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