[techtalk] request for ideas

[Amanda Knox]

> Julia Frizzell Wrote:
>
> But back to the GUI question -- I think having a GUI interface lulls
> a newbie into thinking "oh, this is just like Windows/MacOS" and it's
> really not. While there may be graphics on the screen, Linux (at
> least in gnome) does not operate like Windows or the MacOS. And
> that's the point I'm at right now. Linux is installed, but it's still
> just sitting there on my old computer, and I'm using my Win98 box to
> do everything.
>

Hi Julia!

I love what you had to say about being a newbie. I feel the same way when
people speak so easily about Linux. My husband is a linux and linux apps
programmer for a living, and I stand in awe of his knowledge. I hope to
someday have that type of understanding of the OS :)

Another similarity is that we've both worked tech support. I worked a couple
of help desks for a little over a year and got so much exposure to Win9x,
Macs and NT. Funny, though, how neither place supported Linux ;) I think it's
because it takes more than basic job training to know enough about the nasty
PPP connections *grin*

Anyway, about GUIs. I do agree with what you say in the above paragraph up to
a point. However, I will say that if Linux is used in an office by non-tech
people and that there is at least one sys admin running the show then the
users may never need to leave their cozy GUI setting. So, I suppose it
depends on how much you want to know about it. I (and it sounds like you as
well) want to dive right in and get into the administration end. But in a
user setting it's really not all that necessary to see the prompt. With GUIs
like KDE, for example, it can be simply navigated by the end user. So in some
respects, GUIs rock :)

Take care,
Amanda K.



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