Is Linux Really Harder to Use?

[djk]

What is so wrong with admitting Linux is complex? I've yet to find a physicist who'll say that String Theory is simple. Just admit it. No shame. Be proud of being able to use something that the average person finds incomprehensible.

1+

Agreed.

 

[islandman4567]

hiya islandman, have you tried WINE?

if not, you might want to click Menu, hop into Package Manager, click the Search icon, then in the popup window search for WINE...then Mark Wine 1.2 & Wine-Doors, maybe Wine 1.2-gecko...click apply...then you should be able to run Windows EXE programs, or even actually run program setup installers.

the few programs I like in Windows, I can actually run fine in Linux if I really want to...one if a fractal graphics program, it does very complex calculations and I was very surprised that it worked...another program generates tide prediction charts which I use when I walk to the beach to surf fish. I also miss the NotePad++ programmer's editor in Windows...I installed it, so if I really want to I can still use it to access some of it's powerful features.

these websites are great in hopes of finding Linux equivalents of the Windows-based programs:
http://linuxappfinder.com/
http://www.linuxalt.com/

cheers!

I've heard of WINE , but I haven't used it. I may, in the future try it out.
I have heard about certain programs not being able to run in WINE so I always just switched over to windows if I needed to. I also tried out virtual box , that was kinda cool to have windows running inside linux. but I never really found myself using for much either so any time I need windows for something I'll just use that partition.

 

[WoodPeckr]

What is so wrong with admitting Linux is complex?

I honestly believe it is more a case of being different than complex.
My 8 yr old nephew had no problem picking up Linux when he was 6 yrs old.

I felt the same the first time I used a Mac after using M$ for 9 years....it appeared complex for being so different from what I was accustomed with Windows. Same applies to Linux.

Having used Linux over 4 yrs now I see it is more logically laid out than either W98, XP, Vista or W7.

I still dual boot mainly to keep up with and see what M$ is doing but at this point in time can do all I want with Linux....

 

[Berlin]

What is so wrong with admitting Linux is complex? I've yet to find a physicist who'll say that String Theory is simple. Just admit it. No shame. Be proud of being able to use something that the average person finds incomprehensible.

I am more interested in knowing what difficulties you encountered with linux which led to your previous comments.

The right or wrong ( if there's such a thing ) in admitting linux is complex is a non issue to me really.

 

[canucklehead]

Have a little mercy for those of us who took the short bus to school.

That is my one of my two gamer tags sh0rtbus or xm03_l35t3rX

 

[danibbler]

According to Canonical, the guys who make Ubuntu, yes, Linux is too hard to use:

https://terb.cc/vbulletin/showthrea...Admits-Ubuntu-Too-Difficult-to-Use&highlight=

Oh yeah, so does the Linux Foundation:

https://terb.cc/vbulletin/showthread.php?283460-Linux-Foundation-Wants-to-Copy-Apple&highlight=

 

[basketcase]

For the average user who surfs the web and deals with standard doccuments, linux is exactly the same as anything else. Where linux gets comlicated is if you want to do more customization.

 

[larry]

For the average user who surfs the web and deals with standard doccuments, linux is exactly the same as anything else. Where linux gets comlicated is if you want to do more customization.

Not really. When you receive a word document, edit it and save it and send it back and they say they can't read it, you're in deep doo-doo. Folks that don't know anything should stick with windows. sharper folk with special needs can use linux if applicable. and then there's mac (I was at a internet coffee shop a few days ago and had to listen to one jerk tell a lady how great mac was. how EVERYBODY who had one LUVVED it! LUVVED!!!I finished what i wanted to do using my low powered windows 7 starter netbook and left). Your hammer may be fancier but we both hit the same nail.

 

[Cassini]

Not really. When you receive a word document, edit it and save it and send it back and they say they can't read it, you're in deep doo-doo. Folks that don't know anything should stick with windows.

Like that never happens with Word. Most embarassingly, it happens regularly with PowerPoint. Open a PowerPoint presentation on a different computer, and it is always interesting to see what changes. Even using the same version of PowerPoint does not protect the presentation.

I've noticed that some speakers now store their presentations as PDF files to prevent PowerPoint from messing them up. PDF files can be displayed accross windows, mac, and Linux environments with no problems. They look nice, and can be distributed on the web easily.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Ain't that the truth!
Recall all the grumbling that took place when Word 97 was replaced by Word 2000, then W2003, then W2007, to W2010 or whatever, when folks were forced by M$ to constantly upgrade since there were compatibility issues with earlier versions of Word.

Going PDF solved them problems across all platforms.

 

[basketcase]

Like that never happens with Word. ..

docx anyone?

 

[WoodPeckr]

Open Office does all I need with Linux and M$....

 

[spiderman05]

Linux is not difficult to use at all, unless for the minority of people who do not know how to use a mouse yet. On the other hand, the installation of Linux on a new computer is still a challenge for the average user. I have spent many hours reading through forums a couple of weeks ago until I made Linux work properly on my computer (I mainly had problems with my Ethernet card, sound card (headphones and microphone did not work) and ACPI. Some of these problems have been already fixed in Ubuntu 10.10. I presume that people would have exactly the same problems with Windows/Mac OS if their computers did not ship with these systems already installed and configured.

I have been using Unix and then Linux systems for the past 17 years. Linux distributions have made an amazing progress in terms of user-friendliness. I recall that I had to do some calculations re. video X and Y refresh rates when I installed my first Linux distro (a red hat 5.x). Personally, I don't care if the average user adopts Linux or not (maybe, I prefer Linux to remain this geeks'OS, and it is better for security).

HFE.