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Let's face it: an operating system, like a computer, is "a tool for a job." That "job" is never "to run this-or-that operating system." (Except to geeks. )
You buy a particular type of computer, and the operating system that runs it, so that you can accomplish a particular task quickly and easily. (You hope.) Therefore, if you find yourself futzing around with the operating environment, you must be doing something wrong.
Within arm's reach I've got a Linux box, a Windoze box (run as a "Limited User" with no virus-check software anywhere to be found), and a helluva OS/X box. All three of which are here for a particular purpose, and I move between them interchangeably.
Therefore: don't bother to try to get your relatives to run Linux. Don't let them get near Windows. Buy them a Mac. Of the three, in my humble, Mac is going to get them closest to what (very trivial things...) they want to do, with the least amount of fuss or opportunities for exploitation. It means nothing to them that they do their trivial things "on any particular operating environment," and it means everything that they are able to do it while "understanding" as little as possible (or nothing at all).
In the early days of motorcars (a novelty for the rich), you brought your mechanic with you. Today, you drive your car 50,000 miles and then sell it without ever once changing the oil or maybe even opening the hood. For better or worse, computers have followed the same progression: they are "consumer electronics" and nothing more.
Hmmm, that's a helluva rant! Yes, an OS is a tool. But isn't it more fun to use a chainsaw than a hacksaw? And, will a car run 50K without an oil change?
@johnlink (who will probably never post here again):
Sounds to me like in the 12 years you've been playing with Linux, you haven't practiced much. It's not that Linux isn't ready for prime time, but that you aren't ready to administer Linux.
At least Linux CAN be administered.
I've put up a couple of posts in this past week detailing the adventures of a friend of mine that had her Vista system become badly corrupted. Two weeks yesterday, and she is almost back up...after many many hours of work (including some significant and very expert help from me and some others) AND with some significant data loss in spite of the fact that she had deployed backup procedures using commercial software products.
I have also posted in the Mandriva forum about my experiences upgrading Mandriva from 2008.1 to 2009.1. Big upgrade. Annoying. I don't like KDE4. But I have suffered no data loss, the major work of the upgrade took about a day, and I am back to work.
I expect that Slowcoder's right, but in case he's not, hello, John. you've got to be either patient or stubborn--either will do--enough to hop distros until you find one that works. I discovered Linux in summer 2003, and tried it on and off for at least three years until getting anything near comfortable with a distro (MEPIS 3.4). Even then, it took me at least another year-and-a-half to give up the software that runs only on Windows. Much of that problem is now solved by virtualization programs.
If you’re looking for help Johnlink I invite you to ask a cogent question. There are many good folks here who I’m sure would be willing to lend you a hand. I know they’ve helped me more than once.
If you just want to rant about the complexities of computers or OS’s or even modern life then all I can say is welcome to the twenty first century. Linux is not perfect. Please tell me what OS is.
Too late, the OP had the opportunity to ask for help, instead the OP created another thread just to rant some more, and critisize the users here for 'not helping him', even though he asked no specific questions. I very much doubt this time he will be back. His loss, not ours.
Well, at least he posted his rant in the wastebasket stuff forum, I mean the Non-NIX General forum, where it belongs. I say, let him complain, because perhaps we can convince him to stick with Linux.
It's actually "threads that fail to amuse me" that get closed. It's one of the new top secret, don't-know-it-until-you-break-it-rules. This one is also closed.
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And, will a car run 50K without an oil change?
