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Date:      Wed, 20 Dec 2006 11:52:56 -0500
From:      Bart Silverstrim <bsilver@chrononomicon.com>
To:        questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: My recent Epiphany about operating systems
Message-ID:  <922831D2-35F5-45D7-9903-55241F0F3FC1@chrononomicon.com>
In-Reply-To: <3ee9ca710612200820o115a2391n1dccd2a5edeef5ce@mail.gmail.com>
References:  <4588601A.9030602@swbell.net> <BAY105-F20969D2E6FA89678A4EA4D9CCF0@phx.gbl> <3ee9ca710612200820o115a2391n1dccd2a5edeef5ce@mail.gmail.com>

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On Dec 20, 2006, at 11:20 AM, Andy Greenwood wrote:

> On 12/20/06, Terabyte Pete <terabyte_pete@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> 7:04 AM, Wednesday, December 20, 2006
>>
>> In Winblow$, the release & bundling of IE was purposely as  
>> crippleware,
>> virus, & bug delivery system 2 trap people into constantly  
>> 'upgrading'.  A
>> simple comparisson of Windows 95 side-by-side with the final  
>> Windows ME &
>> various IE 'upgrades' illustrates how the supposedly 'new &  
>> improved' stuff
>> is actually about 1/5 the speed, & about 10X less reliable.
>>
>> The Ephiphany:  A similar crippleware model exists in UNIX &  
>> Linux, BSD,
>> Dragonfly, IRIX, Open VMS, etc!  But what is the method of  
>> crippling?  The
>> USER INTERFACE is purposely difficult to use, requiring vast  
>> tracts of
>> arcane code & 'switches' the user is 'supposed' to be able to  
>> remember.  The
>> OS Kernels are designed to require constant patching or nothing runs
>> properly when 'upgrading' softwares.  What is the result?  Well,  
>> the OS &
>> applications may be free, but the system administrator type costs  
>> are not.
>> I have concluded, in a flash of insight, that all of the non- 
>> windows OSes,
>> save perhaps TRON (which is a Jap OS that is actually designed to  
>> simply
>> WORK - runs most cell  phones, anti-lock brakes, etc.) - the  
>> function of
>> most free OSes & softwares is to create a market for engineering  
>> services to
>> create a functional environment with them.

<snip>

*shrug* another troll to eventually ignore.  More people follow up to  
him, soon the self-anointed guardians of the list will start  
complaining, eventually the thread dies down (even though it would  
die sooner if the guardians wouldn't chime in to complain)...

This is just another guy complaining because the OS isn't made to his  
specific expectations while at the same time not being irritated  
enough to sit and learn how to program his own OS or apparently learn  
how to configure what he has already.  You already know the maturity  
level he's approaching the "problem" with when you see how he refers  
to Microsoft and cuts his words down to teen "txt msg tlk LOL!".

It's interesting to me that he knows enough of the industry to throw  
out names like TRON without recognizing that embedded single-purpose  
OS's are a different ballgame from OS's expected to handle everything  
from home finance software to the latest World of Warcraft client,  
since it adds layers upon layers of complexity as the number of lines  
of code is increased.  Also there's the fact that OS's are driven by  
customers and marketing, not necessarily purpose.  OS's are released  
when they are deemed "good enough" or "stable enough", since overall  
you losing some addresses or a paper due the next day doesn't result  
in someone dying, unlike devices like a car computer where a software  
failure may potentially mean brakes not engaging properly.

If he doesn't like the interface of a free operating system, try  
another distro.  There's only a few hundred out there (it seems).   
What exactly are you looking for?  I mean, of course it's not too  
simple...the closest thing you can get to that is the Mac, and that's  
because of interface guidelines that are (mostly) followed to keep  
things consistent.  Linux evolves in belches and burps on winds  
generated by programmer itches.  Something annoys the programmer,  
they code a solution.  Programmers are not average people.  Hence,  
you're seeing the result of a lot of eclectic priority shifts and  
itches that have been scratched.  Is there an arrogance to their  
attitude?  Probably.  They do this for free in most cases and  
customize things as they can use them to make the system more user  
friendly, where user friendly means friendly to them.  Sysadmins have  
paid their dues to get things working until they're comfortable with  
it or can get comfortable with it.

Guess what...that's the price you pay for freedom and flexibility.   
You have to learn to use it.  Don't want to do that?  Pay someone to  
configure an interface with big shiny buttons marked "INTERNET  
BROWSER", "EMAIL", "WRITE LETTERS".  Isn't that what users want,  
someone to do the work for them?

That's the real epiphany.  After years of tech support, I realized I  
was totally wrong.  I thought users wanted to learn how to use that  
expensive piece of equipment.  I thought they had the curiosity I  
had, the fascination that something looking so simple was capable of  
making movies, writing stories, finding information...so much  
potential.  All they needed was the knowledge to see how the puzzle  
fit together.  I was totally wrong!  What they wanted was for someone  
to come and DO the work for them.  They wanted just an end task, and  
the computer was what someone pointed them to in order to do it.  Set  
up a printer?  How many times do I need to explain the same damned  
procedure to the same user?  Oooh....you don't mean it when you ask  
how to do it.  You want me to come over and DO it for you!  Every  
time you screw it up, I get to do that same thing over again.

They don't care about OS's, licenses, legalities, IP, owners  
rights...they just want to make a brochure or look at porn or  
whatever else this magic black box can do.  They don't care how it  
works or why it works.  They can't even be bothered to craft emails  
anymore, just top post whatever crap blurps into their mind at that  
specific moment.  Email is little more than retarded IM.  Get a  
bounce message?  Internet must be down.  Fifteenth time I had to  
explain that before I just started telling them to forward the bounce  
to me and then I would magically solve the mystery by reading the  
bounce error right to them (how did you know that name doesn't have  
an email box at xyz.net?? WOW!)

In the end just quit your bitching about how hard it is to learn or  
how people are out to rip you off by offering services when you're  
not willing or able to learn to do it yourself.  This obviously isn't  
a secret cabal out to get you.  You're so "results oriented", then  
continue to focus on non-computer use results and just accept that  
you will need to pay someone to do what you don't want to do or can't  
do.  I accept that if I were to dedicate my life to banking, I'd  
probably get more value in my investments and I'd understand much  
more about credit and tricks of the trade while not being able to  
know every last detail behind building a house.  If I become a master  
craftsman for home building, I could build my own mansion but  
probably won't know necessarily what money market fund is best in the  
long run.  Or, I can learn fairly easily to change my own oil...but  
it's worth fifteen bucks to me to have someone else do it faster and  
dispose of the oil for me.

Deal with it.  Life sucks.

Don't like the interfaces available on "free" software?  Don't use  
them.  No one is forcing you to.




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