Quote:
Originally Posted by DiapDealer
If you maintain the same thing for any user attempting to pick up ANY new OS, I'll give it to you. Otherwise, your theory doesn't really hold water if you're singling out Linux. Suggesting that learning Linux requires special considerations that are not required for picking up Windows or OSX for the first time doesn't really make sense.
Would you recommend someone "educate" themselves on iOS before buying their first iPhone? Or take a course on Android before getting their first Android tablet or phone? The first step in becoming proficient with any user interface has always been "just start using it."
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If "using" means only using the desktop apps and user controls that are designed with the most appliance-like and user friendly GUIs, then I could recommend that anyone just start using any of them...assuming we are talking about modern GUI desktop Linux versions for Linux.
Most iOS and Android users have no proficiency--or need or desire for proficiency-- beyond that.
There is a spectrum of ease of use and configurability ranging one big red button on an appliance to system programming on a general purpose computing device.
iOS and Android are purpose built to live closer to the Appliance end of that spectrum than most OSes.
Windows is quite a bit farther away from that end, depending on what level of proficiency one is looking for.
Most Windows user, I'd estimate, use it like an appliance and have no need or desire to go beyond that...and they still tend to need more tech support than iOS or Android users do to enable that kind of use.
Linux is farther away still. There are just too many variations and options and basic adjustments that require the command line or informed editing of files, even compared to Windows, for a user with that appliance-level of needs to use it comfortably unless the essence of the OS is completely hidden from them, as in an embedded system or appliance like an eReader, or Tivo, or a replacement operating environment that's closer to the appliance end of the spectrum, like Android itself, or OSX.
Most people are frightened of the command line or text editors.