3 ms·

The problem exists between chair and keyboard. You don't understand how archives work and are trying to run a program with many files from an archive before fi

The problem exists between chair and keyboard. You don't understand how archives work and are trying to run a program with many files from an archive before first extracting it to a folder in your filesystem. You could have taken this time spent blaming Linux and used it to google around a little bit and learn something new. I recommend learning a bit about how your filesystem works and why it can't find linked files from within an archive. This is essential computing knowledge. The fact that you are not aware that Ubuntu comes with a software package manager means you are still inexperienced and should not blame the system until you have spent more time with it. You similarly shouldn't blame a car for bad UX because you have to take a class and multiple exams before understanding how to use it?

deleted 4y ago
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breadloaf 4y ago
User has no business in learning anything about file systems. This is basic UX error and one of many cuts, which are keeping Desktop Linux on its 1% market share.
VWWHFSfQ 4y ago
So do I wget the big green Free Download link instead of click on it? Do I then cd to my Downloads folder and tar xf on the file? And then I cd into the extracted directory and ./thunderbird? ... We see the usability problems here.
awill 4y ago
I sort of read the OPs message ironically. The OPs point is that this stuff is broken compared to how a Windows or Mac user would do things. Windows/Mac users just click download, and double click. Linux could get to the same spot (more or less) by using Flatpak. I think that has to be the answer here. It's absurd to expect a developer to build their app for a dozen different distros.
quotemstr 4y ago
> I recommend learning a bit about how your filesystem works and why it can't find linked files from within an archive. This is essential computing knowledge Billions of people use computers (most of which are, for historical reasons, called "phones") that require none of this "essential" knowledge, and they do just fine. Don't you think humanity is better off for freeing all these people from having to spend their brief time on Earth from having to learn about archives and filesystems? Sometimes difficulty isn't a mark of virtue but instead just pointless pain.
FinalBriefing 4y ago
This mindset is why Linux will always have basic usability problems. > I recommend learning a bit about how your filesystem works and why it can't find linked files from within an archive. This is essential computing knowledge. Really? Is that _really_ essential computing knowledge? On macOS, you download a disk image, then drag the icon into the application directory. Many publishers include a shortcut to the application directory and a background image with an arrow and instructions. It's primitive, but it works, and hasn't needed to change in like, 20 years. It requires no knowledge of linked files, or even what a disk image is. Drag and drop. Done. If you can't install an app like that on most Linux distros (I don't think I've ever seen that), then Thunderbird probably shouldn't suggest that as an option. I've moved away from using Linux as an everyday OS because all these little usability things add up and suck too much of my time.
- School-Cotton 4y ago
  > This mindset is why Linux will always have basic usability problems. It works fine for me! People who want to run macOS can do so. Why does everyone act like a free product not being everything for everyone is some kind of moral failing?
  - hypertele-Xii 4y ago
    > Why does everyone act like a free product not being everything for everyone is some kind of moral failing? Probably because the free software movement is making (very vocally) it a moral failing that all software should be free. If all software must be free, then all free software must be everything for everyone.
    - School-Cotton 4y ago
      This RMS-style ideological "free software movement" is a tiny minority of the people who actually use, work on, or care about software like Linux. It's best to just ignore them.
- Tainnor 4y ago

deleted 4y ago

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breadloaf 4y ago

User has no business in learning anything about file systems. This is basic UX error and one of many cuts, which are keeping Desktop Linux on its 1% market share.

VWWHFSfQ 4y ago

So do I wget the big green Free Download link instead of click on it? Do I then cd to my Downloads folder and tar xf on the file? And then I cd into the extracted directory and ./thunderbird? ... We see the usability problems here.

awill 4y ago

I sort of read the OPs message ironically. The OPs point is that this stuff is broken compared to how a Windows or Mac user would do things. Windows/Mac users just click download, and double click. Linux could get to the same spot (more or less) by using Flatpak. I think that has to be the answer here. It's absurd to expect a developer to build their app for a dozen different distros.

quotemstr 4y ago

> I recommend learning a bit about how your filesystem works and why it can't find linked files from within an archive. This is essential computing knowledge Billions of people use computers (most of which are, for historical reasons, called "phones") that require none of this "essential" knowledge, and they do just fine. Don't you think humanity is better off for freeing all these people from having to spend their brief time on Earth from having to learn about archives and filesystems? Sometimes difficulty isn't a mark of virtue but instead just pointless pain.

FinalBriefing 4y ago

This mindset is why Linux will always have basic usability problems. > I recommend learning a bit about how your filesystem works and why it can't find linked files from within an archive. This is essential computing knowledge. Really? Is that _really_ essential computing knowledge? On macOS, you download a disk image, then drag the icon into the application directory. Many publishers include a shortcut to the application directory and a background image with an arrow and instructions. It's primitive, but it works, and hasn't needed to change in like, 20 years. It requires no knowledge of linked files, or even what a disk image is. Drag and drop. Done. If you can't install an app like that on most Linux distros (I don't think I've ever seen that), then Thunderbird probably shouldn't suggest that as an option. I've moved away from using Linux as an everyday OS because all these little usability things add up and suck too much of my time.

School-Cotton 4y ago
> This mindset is why Linux will always have basic usability problems. It works fine for me! People who want to run macOS can do so. Why does everyone act like a free product not being everything for everyone is some kind of moral failing?
- hypertele-Xii 4y ago
  > Why does everyone act like a free product not being everything for everyone is some kind of moral failing? Probably because the free software movement is making (very vocally) it a moral failing that all software should be free. If all software must be free, then all free software must be everything for everyone.
  - School-Cotton 4y ago
    This RMS-style ideological "free software movement" is a tiny minority of the people who actually use, work on, or care about software like Linux. It's best to just ignore them.
Tainnor 4y ago