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I was also getting into linux at about the same time. I used ubuntu 8.10, and had a horrible time getting my Broadcom wireless card working. I think the onboar

I was also getting into linux at about the same time. I used ubuntu 8.10, and had a horrible time getting my Broadcom wireless card working. I think the onboarding is still very difficult for new users (installing, getting packages installed, etc.). The GUI ways of doing package installation aren't as reliable as they could be. As soon as you run into trouble and look for help online you're advised to open a terminal emulator. I think the ecosystem has come a long way certainly. Technical expertise is a spectrum, and we've certainly lowered the barrier, but you still need to be well above the bar to get up and running, and then operating productively every day.

gavinray 5y ago
> I used ubuntu 8.10, and had a horrible time getting my Broadcom wireless card working. Ah yes, fair. I also had this problem back then: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29202511 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29202511 > As soon as you run into trouble and look for help online you're advised to open a terminal emulator. Also fair (Though it's hard to say -- if your average computer user who only uses the browser and things like Office tools, would be doing enough stuff to run into issues. Possibly, but I like to hope that pre-installed Firefox and LibreOffice/OpenOffice would be enough) > I think the ecosystem has come a long way certainly. Technical expertise is a spectrum, and we've certainly lowered the barrier, but you still need to be well above the bar to get up and running, and then operating productively every day. I didn't think about the fact you need to actually burn the ISO and reinstall your OS. Goes to show how much technical bias I have, as it didn't even register. IMO (again, opinion), if you can get it installed, and you're using everyday software, I do genuinely believe a non-technical person could use certain distros. But yeah, have to install it first.

gavinray 5y ago

> I used ubuntu 8.10, and had a horrible time getting my Broadcom wireless card working. Ah yes, fair. I also had this problem back then: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29202511 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29202511 > As soon as you run into trouble and look for help online you're advised to open a terminal emulator. Also fair (Though it's hard to say -- if your average computer user who only uses the browser and things like Office tools, would be doing enough stuff to run into issues. Possibly, but I like to hope that pre-installed Firefox and LibreOffice/OpenOffice would be enough) > I think the ecosystem has come a long way certainly. Technical expertise is a spectrum, and we've certainly lowered the barrier, but you still need to be well above the bar to get up and running, and then operating productively every day. I didn't think about the fact you need to actually burn the ISO and reinstall your OS. Goes to show how much technical bias I have, as it didn't even register. IMO (again, opinion), if you can get it installed, and you're using everyday software, I do genuinely believe a non-technical person could use certain distros. But yeah, have to install it first.