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I thought the same way until people came to me with virus-ridden Windows computers and I helped install Linux for them. They never had a problem and they never

by reedlaw 11y ago

I thought the same way until people came to me with virus-ridden Windows computers and I helped install Linux for them. They never had a problem and they never came back to me for help. They even thanked me for introducing them to Linux. These were not technical people. They were middle-aged and mainly used their computers for checking email or occasionally using office productivity software. At the time I was using Ubuntu so that's what I gave them. Now I use Arch Linux and I'm not as willing to introduce Ubuntu. Arch requires more patience than Ubuntu so I only introduce it to people like my wife whom I can help regularly. So while I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Linux over Windows, I regret that there's not a more beginner-friendly distro. Ubuntu is broken in my opinion. Partly it's due to its success. There are too many beginners using it and if you search the web for answers you get lots of cargo-cult advice and copy/paste solutions. Arch Linux has the best documentation[1] I've seen, not just for it's own parts, but for tons of Linux-related software. It's technical but concise. It helps you gain understanding instead of simply grabbing an easy solution. Macs are the polar opposite. Everything is "easy" but it'll cost you $30 to buy an app to fix your mouse and you gain no useful knowledge through the experience. 1. http://wiki.archlinux.org/ http://wiki.archlinux.org/

Udo 11y ago
This sounds very alien to me. Only one of the factors I listed could possibly be fixed by choosing the right distro, so I must attribute the rest of your success story to extreme culture differences. Don't get me wrong: it's nice to hear this is working for you, but that outcome is nowhere near a realistic expectation where I live. > Everything is "easy" but it'll cost you $30 to buy an app to fix your mouse and you gain no useful knowledge through the experience. While I don't think paying for software is necessarily a deal breaker, I have never come across a situation where buying an app for $30 was necessary to "fix the mouse". What was wrong with it? I agree that just using an external tool doesn't give you knowledge, but strictly speaking, fiddling with an arbitrarily designed config file doesn't grant you any meaningful knowledge either beyond the single program it was intended to run on. For example, I would rate the knowledge of how to edit an X11 config manually as functionally equivalent to knowing how to install a GUI tool that manages your display.
- reedlaw 11y ago
  I don't remember what the exact problems were, but when I tried OSX I found the only way to change some basic keyboard and mouse behaviors was to purchase apps that cost $20-$30 each. I remember not liking the inverted scroll and wanting all 3 mouse buttons to work as I was accustomed to. Also, the non-symmetric keyboard layout was very frustrating (where the Ctr, Super, and Alt keys on reside on PC keyboards). Knowledge about Xorg config files is admittedly not very useful, but it's been years since I've touched one. Nevertheless I'm glad that those files are there and that I can look up how to edit one if necessary[1]. 1. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xorg#Using_xorg.conf https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xorg#Using_xorg.conf
  - Udo 11y ago
    We're getting side tracked somewhat, but these preferences are a bit arbitrary. In my experience every platform I ever encountered has both interesting options and frustrating limits to its configurability. If we're being honest, we're just prone to silently live with the weaknesses of whatever platform we're currently fond of using. > Nevertheless I'm glad that those files are there and that I can look up how to edit one if necessary[1]. Well, you can look up how to configure OS X's scrolling direction as well, same as for most customizations where dedicated apps exist that are really just thin wrappers over the command line [1]. 1. http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-manually-change-the-scroll-direction-in-mavericks/ http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-manually-change-the-scroll...

by reedlaw 11y ago

Udo 11y ago

This sounds very alien to me. Only one of the factors I listed could possibly be fixed by choosing the right distro, so I must attribute the rest of your success story to extreme culture differences. Don't get me wrong: it's nice to hear this is working for you, but that outcome is nowhere near a realistic expectation where I live. > Everything is "easy" but it'll cost you $30 to buy an app to fix your mouse and you gain no useful knowledge through the experience. While I don't think paying for software is necessarily a deal breaker, I have never come across a situation where buying an app for $30 was necessary to "fix the mouse". What was wrong with it? I agree that just using an external tool doesn't give you knowledge, but strictly speaking, fiddling with an arbitrarily designed config file doesn't grant you any meaningful knowledge either beyond the single program it was intended to run on. For example, I would rate the knowledge of how to edit an X11 config manually as functionally equivalent to knowing how to install a GUI tool that manages your display.

reedlaw 11y ago
I don't remember what the exact problems were, but when I tried OSX I found the only way to change some basic keyboard and mouse behaviors was to purchase apps that cost $20-$30 each. I remember not liking the inverted scroll and wanting all 3 mouse buttons to work as I was accustomed to. Also, the non-symmetric keyboard layout was very frustrating (where the Ctr, Super, and Alt keys on reside on PC keyboards). Knowledge about Xorg config files is admittedly not very useful, but it's been years since I've touched one. Nevertheless I'm glad that those files are there and that I can look up how to edit one if necessary[1]. 1. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xorg#Using_xorg.conf https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xorg#Using_xorg.conf
- Udo 11y ago
  We're getting side tracked somewhat, but these preferences are a bit arbitrary. In my experience every platform I ever encountered has both interesting options and frustrating limits to its configurability. If we're being honest, we're just prone to silently live with the weaknesses of whatever platform we're currently fond of using. > Nevertheless I'm glad that those files are there and that I can look up how to edit one if necessary[1]. Well, you can look up how to configure OS X's scrolling direction as well, same as for most customizations where dedicated apps exist that are really just thin wrappers over the command line [1]. 1. http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-manually-change-the-scroll-direction-in-mavericks/ http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-manually-change-the-scroll...