My biggest complaint about Linux is installing software. Unless the system can do it unaided (as my Xandros can in some cases) you are stuck. “RTFM” has its place, but I’ve never seen a good manual, including O’Reilly publications, that provide any kind of decent instruction.
The user is simply faced with too much uncertainty, and a huge deficit of information. The user does not know how to resolve “dependencies” (whatever they are), find libraries (and verify their version), and deal with god knows how many other issues. And, what happens if an installation crashes?
Sometimes I can get deb and rpm packages to install; for compilation, I just dig up directions and pray.
Most of the time I use Xandros just to do the basics of computing: surf the web, create a spreadsheet, etc. It works OK for that. Once in a while I try to install a package on a spare system so I don’t forever corrupt my primary system.
I’ve browsed the books and never seen a good one that explains what is going on with this system. Windows really was easier; DOS was easier!
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This is a joke but it’s not funny. If someone considering Linux read this they might believe that installing software is more difficult on Linux instead of Windows. That is far from the truth. The package management system (in its various flavors) in Linux makes adding applications, utilities and libraries much easier than anything offered by Microsoft.
When Microsoft is writing code for kitchen appliances and is no longer a threat to the World population then something like what you’ve written here might be funny. Until then, there’s a lot of work to do to make the World safe from Microsoft.
Richard Chapman on September 30th, 2008 at 6:20 am | Link
I wrote the original complaint. I don’t want to make anyone angry, but I’d like to know how to make the process “easy”. The worst thing about sussing out an application install is it usually ends up being a waste of time.
For instance, Xandros (I know, it’s just one of many distros) warns that ANY software not offered by them or through Xandros Networks may bring down the system. I have no idea if that result is probable, but that is what they state. So a person wants to get it right.
(I’m most familiar with Xandros. Red Hat a few years ago was no better and probably worse.)
What package (rpm, deb, tarball, etc.) will work best? What has to be present on my system for a successful install? Where are these secondary products (or libraries or whatever they are?) How are they installed? Which are the right ones?
I’ve used Xandros for basic cookie-cutter computing, and have no serious complaint about that. (Though I wish it would run my Canon scanner.) On the other hand, I subscribed to Linux Journal for a few years and found it utterly opaque. (Windows-related magazines, on the other hand, are usually glorified sales brochures.)
Gary Weiss on September 30th, 2008 at 6:46 pm | Link
I’m certainly not a linux guru, but I do have experience with Fedora, Centos, and Ubuntu.
One of the nice things about linux is that you can try different distributions (on different partitions or drives if you want) at no cost (except your time).
I must sat that Ubuntu is pretty straight forward for the average person. Maybe you should give it a shot. I like it, and have used it as a server for several years and been quite happy with it.
I’m sure other people will chime in with their favs.
Original complainant here again, with an example. (Macaddict: perhaps your suggestion for Ubuntu is right. The Xandros developers haven’t added much lately.)
I found a music editor called Lilypond. It is available in a stable debian package, which is what Xandros likes. Xandros Networks installed it with a few warnings. (XN is a fancy front end for apt-get, or so I have read.)
Now, said program is not accessed on my menu. It is not accessed via a desktop icon. It must be accessed via the console. Downloading the documentation (note how that must be done separately), the directions say to invoke Lilypond by typing “lilypond” at the command line. Result: nothing. Nada. It’s in there somewhere, but what does it want? Why is it so f-ing complicated? I just want to start the application. Another probable waste of time.
Now, I know there is a difference between application developers and the operating system developers (or whatever they call themselves.) Lilypond happens to be part of the GNU project, which I guess is a good pedigree. So where is it? Could they not make it easy for KDE? Do they simply not care about a GUI? Just how much time to I have to spend decoding whatever they had in mind to run this thing? Maybe they don’t care about expanding the Linux user base, but it plays into MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT ABOUT LINUX!
Gary Weiss on October 11th, 2008 at 4:26 pm | Link
Gary,
And excellent example of the enigma of Linux. It should by all accounts, be powerful and easy to use (and free), but then you try to customize it and, in my opinion, too often becomes a fight.
Again, I do find Ubuntu to be well supported and I believe it has momentum going forward. All OSes have their negatives, but that version of Linux seems to be getting close to user friendliness.
Yeah join the world of real computers. the biggest mistake is trying to make them user friendly. This only perpetuates the myth that anyone can use one! Leave the computers to those who can understand them!
mark on October 11th, 2008 at 10:02 pm | Link
Linux is fun to play with and if you can get the hang of it, it will make a good os for a tech who likes to do a little tweaking to get it right, but for a regular user Linux is of no use, i would hate to be the network admin of an office full of linux pcs and having to walk every user through the problems
Ash Miller on October 23rd, 2008 at 9:49 am | Link