Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:47:32 -0700 From: Chad Perrin <perrin@apotheon.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Tips for installing windows and freeBSD both.. anyone?? Message-ID: <20101112194732.GB40427@guilt.hydra> In-Reply-To: <20101112194951.5d56b86a.freebsd@edvax.de> References: <201011100009.oAA09mfG024502@mail.r-bonomi.com> <AANLkTi=KNcjf6bo52=D9ioh7c8Fu%2BTHOzusvEdA_KRt6@mail.gmail.com> <20101112011934.GC35128@guilt.hydra> <20101112194951.5d56b86a.freebsd@edvax.de>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
--H+4ONPRPur6+Ovig
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Disposition: inline
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
On Fri, Nov 12, 2010 at 07:49:51PM +0100, Polytropon wrote:
>=20
> The primary REFUSE to use the keyboard because the mouse EXISTS
> prevents lazy users even from READING that 3x5 card. They are
> often not WILLING to follow instructions, no matter how simple
> (or even idiotic, sorry) they may be. In worst case, they expect
> YOU to come over and DO THEIR WORK.
>=20
> This leads to the misbelief that things which AREN'T easy "are
> easy" - because someone else does them. :-)
This sounds a bit like a common problem with people thinking that
Unix-like OSes are not "user friendly" because they're "hard" to install,
a frequent protestations of people who like MS Windows because it comes
already installed on their computers, and that they think is easy to
"install" because of the recovery partition that resets the system to
factory settings. Comparing this with installing from scratch is an
apples and orange comparison.
>=20
> Web browsing IS a majority, for example. A well-designed web
> browser could benefit both the average and the professional
> user. Let's say this "ideal browser" requires a bit of learning,
> maybe some reading. The professional will do that, and he will
> master this new program and productively use it. The average
> user will refuse to read in the first place, and resist to use
> "something different". There's a big aversion against anything
> that is "not like mine".
Web browsing is a majority of *time* spent, but it is only one task in
and of itself. As such, it only increments the minority number of tasks
that really do better in the GUI by 1.
Actually, with the amount of Web browsing people do, the default GUI
approach to using a browser is incredibly inefficient. Some people begin
to get beyond that when they start learning the rudiments of driving an
interface via the keyboard, using the keybindings for the specific
browser they use -- such as Ctrl+L to get to the address bar, typing a
word like "blogstrapping" there, and hitting Ctrl+Enter to automatically
add a "www." in front of that word and ".com" after it then load the page
at the other end of that resulting "www.blogstrapping.com" URL.
Most of them never realize the significant efficiency benefits that could
be realized by spending fifteen minutes (at most) learning the basic
interface of something like the Vimperator extension for Firefox, or how
to use a natively keyboard-driven browser like uzbl. True, these are
still essentially GUI tools in many respects, but with those keyboard
driven interfaces they effectively become CLI/GUI hybrids, using commands
to control a graphical display. In even the most GUI-oriented tasks, I
tend to find that at least some hybridizing with a CLI approach results
in a massive efficiency and productivity improvement.
>=20
> That's what I always tell them: I couldn't do that Magic from the
> beginning, I had to invest time and exercise - that's why I'm so very
> expensive :-) - in order to master those tools. But ***YOU*** are free
> to learn those tools, too.
Good. A principle I apply to my own consulting work, which is relevant
is this:
A true professional works toward the day when he is no longer
necessary.
I've come up with a number of different formulations of that concept over
the years, but the basic premise and principle remains constant.
Empowering clients is much more rewarding as a career path than training
them to be unhealthily dependent upon me.
--=20
Chad Perrin [ original content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ]
--H+4ONPRPur6+Ovig
Content-Type: application/pgp-signature
Content-Disposition: inline
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v2.0.14 (FreeBSD)
iEYEARECAAYFAkzdmdQACgkQ9mn/Pj01uKU8ZwCeJKSTuca/nFUliZMTBSOHsFPK
7xYAoM9caxQ4jFeQyYz150PTmE5iNZl6
=N9h7
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
--H+4ONPRPur6+Ovig--
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20101112194732.GB40427>