*BSD News Article 41324


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From: mike@gumleaf.apana.org.au (Michael Talbot-Wilson)
Subject: Re: Linux thoroughly insulted by Infoworld!
Message-ID: <D2q1z0.4M7@gumleaf.apana.org.au>
Date: Fri, 20 Jan 1995 20:52:11 GMT
References: <950116203411@lambada> <D2KBMv.B5t@actrix.gen.nz>
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Steve Withers (stevew@atlantis.actrix.gen.nz) wrote:
: In article <950116203411@lambada>, Mr. Ed <ed.duomo@lambada.oit.unc.edu> wrote:

: >   o linux is difficult to install (their senior systems analyst
: >     apparently failed to install it)

: My first go took me 9 attempts before I got it right. But I had some 
: thing to login to after about the 3rd attempt. This senior analyst must 
: be limited to DOs/Win.......a babe in the woods with anything else, I 
: would guess. 

Never having seen any version of Unix I found Slackware 1.1.1 very
easy to install.  It went like a breeze to make a boot floppy, boot
off it and a "root" floppy, and run fdisk.  The fdisk was/is superb
compared with that of MS-DOS.  Much easier to use.  It was then
easy to run the Slackware setup script and install the a1, a2, and
a3 floppies to get a bootable, but basic, working system.  But at
that point there can be a lot of hand configuration to be done, e.g.
to get mail and news working nicely, and X doing it your way.

Later, as a semi-experienced Linux user, I installed Solaris 2 from
a CD.  This was a dreadfully cumbersome process.  The fdisk was
appalling.  It made me realise that Linux is superbly easy to install.
But I still use the early, laid-back Slackware tty setup script,
having found the later colour script restrictive and more difficult.
It only allows you to see and do a minute thing at a time, and seems
intended to control you rather than help you.  More like Solaris.

: The guy clearly isn't used to software as game-puzzle. He doesn't like 
: software as obstacle course. His life must be free of challenge or 
: learning curves. 

: He wants his hand held. He gets no satisfaction from figuring something 
: out for himself. 

: Linux is for people who want to *earn* the right to login as ROOT. 

: I like it, but I can how wimps would be put off by it. :-)

This stupid attitude that the difficulty of the software is a positive
virtue, and mere amateurs should keep their dirty hands off it, is a
reason why Unix is about to disappear.  Windows NT is selling well, but
a fundamentally better system, Linux with X Window, can't be given away
free.