Comments about Linux/Ubuntu from a former MS-programmer

[Alexander Jacob Tsykin]

On Wednesday 12 April 2006 09:03, John wrote:
> Alan McKinnon wrote:
> > On Tuesday 11 April 2006 01:55, John wrote:
> >>It makes good sense to follow Windows UI until we have good reason
> >>not to. It seems to me that many of the differences are present
> >>just to be different, and that results in Linux being harder to
> >>learn than it needs to be, it results in shared applications (eg
> >>Mozilla*, OOo) being different from everything else etc.
> >
> > I contend that that viewpoint is unnecessarily broad in it's scope.
> > Just because Windows is prevalent doesn't mean that it's methods must
> > be cloned. If you want to tackle Windows head-on on it's own turf,
> > then following Windows style is probably a good idea. For a system
> > that is not trying to compete with Windows it is a bad idea.
>
> It is competing with Windows. Almost everyone here is a former or
> current Windows user.
>
> Businesses changing their desktops to Linux are faced with retraining
> costs and (temporary) loss of productivity.
>
> Some differences (such as where's my floppy) are unavoidable, they they
> can be masked in the GUI.
>
> The more the differences, the more difficult the task of retraining the
> workforce, and the more difficult the task of retraining the workforce
> the list likely the organisations to make the move.
>
> Staff where I work want to do their jobs, and their job descriptions
> don't include lots of "learning new computer technology."
>
>
> It is important that a Linux GUI be similar to Windows, good or bad,
> becase that makes it easier for prospective Linux users to learn how to
> use it when the do make the change.
>
> Remember the lesson of the keyboard. The qwerty keybard layout was
> designed to slow people down. For today's use it is the worst possible
> design.
>
> There have been efforts to produce a better keyboard inline with
> todays's needs, the Dvorak keyboard is quite a famous flop in this
> regard. I have no doubt that it's a better layout, but almost nobody
> wants to make the effort to retrain.
>
> People don't want the best possible design, they want the design that
> works best for them, and the design that works best for them is the one
> they already use, and the reason it works best for them is that, having
> used it for some time, they know how to use it.
>
> It's the same problem Apple must overcome.
very true