[techtalk] request for ideas

[Caitlyn Martin]

Hi, Lisa,
>
> I must disagree with this.  GUI's are great if you
> don't care what's going on under the hood.  But to
> truly learn linux, you need the command line.

The target audience, which I presume is the mainstream, for the most part
couldn't care less what's going on under the hood.  For that matter, I could
care less, and I make my living as a network engineer.  I use graphical
tools to administer the network or make configuration changes whenever I can
because it makes my life easier.  I can and do use the command line, and can
and do understand more than the average computer user because of my career.
I think of users like my Mom.  To her, Linux is nothing more than faster,
cheaper, more stable Windows.  For business users and most home users, that
is the bottom line.

Think of it like driving a car.  I want the best car for my money.  I want
it reliable.  I want it to give a smooth ride and to be comfortable.   I
want to do little more than add gas.  Translate that to a PC and you have
the typical user who wants to surf the web, type letters, e-mail friends and
family, and do the family finances.

>  It's
> pure, it's the only way I could have learned what
> little I know about linux so far.  I occasionally fire
> up X, but only to download stuff or surf.  Sure it's
> perty, but it's also intrusive, sucking up my system
> resources and keeping me from my beloved command line
> (!)

That's all well and good, but you are not a typical user.  If our goal as a
community is to get Linux into the mainstream (what Linus Torvalds termed
"world domination") then that approach is counterproductive.  Most newbies
won't start on the command line.  It's a steeper learning curve, to say the
least.

If it weren't for the development of great GUIs for Linux, I'd be promoting
NT right now.  Thankfully, it never came to that

Regards,
Caity
(who runs under X 100% of the time, but usually with at least 3 open
terminal windows)



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