Date: Sat, 19 Apr 1997 23:05:41 -0400 (EDT) From: jack <jack@diamond.xtalwind.net> To: "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@time.cdrom.com> Cc: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Price of FreeBSD (was On Holy Wars...) Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.96.970419222358.14969A-100000@zeus.xtalwind.net> In-Reply-To: <5354.861482487@time.cdrom.com>
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On Sat, 19 Apr 1997, Jordan K. Hubbard wrote:
> > By `fancy setup and configuration tools' I sure hope you don't mean NT's
> > install that blew up on us probing an Adaptec 1542. We tried to let it
>
> No, of course not. That would be deliberate stupidity and I'm not
> talking about anything like that.
NOTHING will put a bad taste in a users mouth any worse than an install
that fails, or drags on like a crusade. Next time you feel like wasting a
day install NT 4.0 on a P90 with 16 megs of RAM. You can install FreeBSD
on a 486-66, compile and install your favorite shell, utils, and a kernel;
go to lunch; compile, install and configure INND et al. and have news
flowing in both dirrections by the time NT is asking for its IP address.
> Also, the UNIX traditionalists should please bear in mind that such an
> interface would NOT BE DESIGNED FOR THEM.
But if it is not completely bullet proof it won't help the people that
*do* need it. When the folks that have 8 megabyte hard drives,
1.something gigabytes of memory, and who's modem speed is 133 Pentium get
their hands on this either it has to be able to figure out *everything* or
there has to be someone at the other end of a phone that can teach them
the difference between the left and the right mouse button.
{
"Are you left or right handed?"
"Right"
"Is the mouse in your right hand?"
"Yes"
"OK, press the button FARTHEST away from your body one time."
"Nothing happened"
"Do you still have the pointer on the picture?"
"Ah, no."
.....
}
> the #1 straw-man argument every time this comes up that "anyone
> wishing to dumb-down UNIX and replace its hallowed, cherished
> interfaces with a GUI should be shot" despite the fact that the
> proponents have never even remotely suggest *replacing* anything, and
> such a system would be a wholly optional add-on. However, no matter
> how clear the advocates may make this, it just doesn't matter -
> mention the very concept and it's Fear And Loathing time, rumors of
> the imminent arrival of apocalyptic horsemen and the minions of Gates
> being fiercely debated in every mailing list.
I'm not that paranoid of BillyBob, I just hate the thought of using NT's
install as a role model. I've been through about 4 release, ??
snap|alpha|beta Freebsd installs, 4 versions of OS/2, DOS from 1.? thru
6.22, Win3.0 and 3.1, Windows95, and NT 4.0. Given a choice I'd rather do
any 12 of the others than a single NT install again. In my experience, an
NT install has a lot in common with a root canal.
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