Date: Thu, 15 May 1997 08:29:08 -0800 (AKDT) From: Steve Howe <un_x@anchorage.net> To: dmaddox@scsn.net Cc: Snob Art Genre <ben@narcissus.ml.org>, questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: FreeBSD 2.1.7 and COMPAT_43 -Reply Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.95q.970515082654.18290D-100000@aak.anchorage.net> In-Reply-To: <19970515002255.62491@cola77.scsn.net>
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On Thu, 15 May 1997, Donald J. Maddox wrote: > No, that's not what I meant. I'm not qualified to do an in-depth anaylsis of > NT's success; however, I _know_ that an appreciable number of people who might > have chosen a UNIX-like OS end up giving up in frustration... Just _installing_ > most UNIX-alikes is a daunting task for the average user, and once they _do_ > manage to get to their first login: prompt, they find themselves in a foreign > place where the signposts are not all that obvious. If they ask for help, they > are likely to be greeted by RTFM and UTSL, and they often don't know what > FM to R. > > Most of the 'traditionalists' would probably say that we are better off keeping > the clueless out of the club, and maybe that's a valid point of view. But some > of us would like to see more commercial support for FreeBSD, and the way to get > that is obviously to increase the user base, even if it means inviting in the > unwashed masses. > > In short, I think that anything that can be done to flatten the learning > curve, to make the install easier, to make customizing the environment easier, > especially when it comes at no real cost (like friendlier kernel config > files, for example) is a Good Thing, and will help us, at least a little, > to minimize the advantage that NT has with it's familiar Windows interface, > etc. i don't think Windows is any easier to install/manage than FBSD. i think the fact that most people buy their PC's with Windows pre-installed is being forgotten. all the avg PC users i know couldn't install 96 or NT without tech support, and i know engineers that diddle-daddled with NT for weeks just trying to get them to ping each other! -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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