[PD] Re: [PD-OT] [PD-announce] more objects: passwd utils

Marc Lavallée marc at hacklava.net
Fri Jun 16 16:33:14 CEST 2006


Le 15 Juin 2006 18:22, João Miguel Pais a écrit :
> you spoke about programming. that means that you're a programmer, right?

I'm a user that program, sometimes, not very well, but I try my best.

> I'm not, as the great majority of computer users, and don't have the time
> to spend in forums and web-search when some unix system doesn't know how
> to configure itself for some hardware (specially when it says that it can
> and/or it is). or even worse, when some programmers think that because
> they know how to set each variable they decide that everyone should do it
> as well, and to install one program it is necessary to read the whole
> programming manual or install an x number of other programs.

Recent Gnu/Linux distributions are quite easy to configure. As a non-Windows 
user, I can assure you that I'm suffering a lot when I have to install and 
configure a Windows system. I don't know how to use OSX; each time I tried 
I freaked out, and I had to pop a bash terminal to use some of it... To me, 
a good Gnu/Linux system is much easier to use, it makes me feel at home. 
It's just a question of time, as with any OS and software. Time is money, 
that's why I invest mine learning about free software, because free 
software belongs to us, not them...

> I'm willing to drop windows for linux (I already have ubuntu installed,
> and tried already several times to do it with other distributions). 

Great. Ubuntu is (supposedly) a very good distribution (although I believe 
it breaks compatibility with Debian, but I might be wrong).

> Since 
> I don't have much more time or pacience to spend my life browsing the net
> or mailing people to solve problems like the printer doesn't work (even
> thought it says in the screen that it is installed) and the winmodem
> can't be configured, or the newest one, sometimes gnome doesn't want to
> start (and the official documentation about these problems is some mail
> in a thread somewhere - if someone is nice enough to post it -, and not
> in the program's homepage), I invite you to come here and setup my system
> until it works. I can't afford to pay you, so I can offer that I host you
> and cater for you. Is this constructive enough?

Then try KDE instead of Gnome. Don't expect all newest computers designed 
for Windows to work out of the box with Gnu/Linux. Maybe I can help; send 
me a private message so we can arrange my free travel with food and 
entertainment ;-)

> windows might be not "pure" in body and spirit, but it works, and you
> don't have to loose as much time setting it up as with unix systems -
> when you're not a programmer (as is the case with almost all musicians).

I agree. Even Linus Torvald agreed a couple of years ago; he prefered his 
own father to use Windows, because it was easier for common tasks. Even 
Eric Raymond (the gun nut of open source) wrote a long a bitchy comment 
about the problems of printing with Gnu/Linux. But things are getting 
better. About winmodems, you should know (as their names  implies) that 
they were designed to work exclusively in Windows with proprietary drivers, 
so they are not real modems; next time don't buy a computer with a 
winmodem, or get a real modem. 

> even to build up pd on unix it's necessary to look around the makefile
> and change by hand some variables, but this isn't clearly mentioned in
> the documentation. is that supposed to be user-friendly?

I suspect it's not easier to build it on Windows. And you don't have to 
build it, it's already compiled for Windows, OSX and Gnu/Linux.

But if you want to build it for Gnu/Linux, once you know about a couple of 
important paths, it's friendly enough; the average user have plenty of free 
neurons to remember a few basic things, but most refuse to fire those 
precious cells because they were brainwashed to believe that a computer is 
only a mouse and a screen to show some popup ads, which is like thinking 
that a car is no more than a gaz pedal on 4 wheels, with a seat in between 
and a windshield to look at gigantic ads on the highway.

I suggest to read "in the beginning was the command line" by Neil Stephenson 
(try to google it). If you're really too impatient, don't use a computer, 
because all complex technologies sold in supermarkets are dangerous for the 
soul, especially those with "friendly user" tags.

> if you're looking to be pure in ethical matters, you should emmigrate to
> a deserted island and speak to no one. in the real world every contact
> you make with someone will be always a compromise. you just have to look
> deep enough and something rotten will be there.

I was on a Gnu/Linux desert island about 10 years ago. I stayed there and 
now lots of people are staying with me. My deserted island is more like a 
flourishing continent, growing on top of rotten PC user's brains. If you 
ever see a penguin in your Windows desert, maybe it's not a mirage.
--
Marc




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