Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 17:38:03 -0400 (EDT) From: FreeBSD Bob <fbsdbob@weedcon1.cropsci.ncsu.edu> To: cwasser@v-wave.com (Chris Wasser) Cc: jcm@dogma.freebsd-uk.eu.org (J McKitrick), freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: "easy installation"!!!!! yeah right Message-ID: <199910292138.RAA18814@weedcon1.cropsci.ncsu.edu> In-Reply-To: <008701bf2241$947e7f80$271a6c18@vwave.com> from Chris Wasser at "Oct 29, 1999 01:12:24 pm"
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> > I agree. A simple easy-tryout version of FBSD would be nice. > > Frankly, > --cut-- > > I've said it a hundred times, Microsoft and Windows have turned the > usually intelligent end-user into a brainless double-clicking fool. Generally, agreed. But, that still does not really negate the case for having a training wheels release, to help folks along. It could be tailored as a no-brainer where it steps you through installation, and setup, and general mundane tasks like adding users, shutdown, setting up mail, practicing a telnet/ftp session, etc. It is hard to train a newbie if they can't even get a basic working machine up for whatever reason. It would make a good case for having a basic system up in a ``dos/windoz/whatever'' emulator, for safety's sake. One could use the dos pdp-11 emulator running V7, or one could use minix, or one could use whatever. But, it might make more sense to run a ``mini-FreeBSD'' that way, and be good PR for the crew. That is probably thinking out too loud, but it is a reasonable possibility and approach. Whether or not it comes to pass, who knows. > Sure, MS may have made computers easy to use but it's been my experience > that when something looks too good to be true, it usually is. Afterall, > if you have to maintain and support as many Winsux boxes as I do, you'll > get bitter as well. I avoid such boxes, like the plague, although I am constrained to use an NT box locally for production use.... oh, well.... > Man I sure miss my old Tandy Color Computer 3... in those days, computer > users were considered to be little men who hid in dark rooms with the > glow of a CRT illuminating their face, for the most part, this wasn't > too far from the truth. Well, I recently happened to run across one of my original CP/M boxes from 1981, for one whole buckeroo de realme in surplus. If I fire it up this weekend, in a darkened room.....(:+}}..... memories..... > The point of this rambling is, with UNIX/FreeBSD there is a big learning > curve if you're from the era of double-clicks, however, I found that > after the initial learning curve (ie: how to move around, etc) I found > it was the same comfortable place such as the old days of MS/PC-DOS ... > There is a curve involved, and UNIX is not there for > instant-gratification. And yes, when people tell you to RTFM it's for a > good reason and generally your own good. Sure, there is a large learning curve. And that is one reason I often suggest running a spare box (without those other systems aboard), so a newbie can crash it to his liking and learning. It won't really break, nor run across the table, but, it is good learning that way, if it can be crashed at will and brought up from the pits, again. That's a bit of ``the olde fashioned way'', but good training. RTFM does not always help, but it is good to keep the FM's handy as you are walking through the installs/crashes/whatever. More good reference for learning. Just because I may have been running computers of various sorts for over 20 years absolutely does not mean that even I don't have to keep one hand on the FM's, still, for reference. There is a lot there, and it is not all in one place. FreeBSD IS one of the easiest and smooth- est of the lot to run with, though. All newbies should be aware of those FM's, although I still am of the opinion that some sort of training wheels system, in conjunction with those FM's would be good for all newbies. Perhaps a FreeBSD version of the on-line unix training classes from here and there would be good juju. That would definitely make FreeBSD more visible, and possibly more attractive for newbies. IMHO there ought to be a way do do that online from FreeBSD.org, so newbies could test-drive from a windoz browser. Will it get done... who knows. > So if you want the easy road, stick with Winsux and I garauntee you'll > be no smarter then you were 5 minutes ago. If you want to get those > juices flowing in yer melon, then rough it out with UNIX and learn > something useful. Don't bother having some sort of infantile > temper-tantrum just because you don't know how to read. FreeBSD != > Winsux .... I would wish all the newbies well, and goodspeed.... tantrums aside..... There is no easy road, and the learning curve seems to be around 6 months to reach any productive efficiency. But, if they hang in there, they CAN do it. Good Luck! Bob To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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