I installed Salix 14.1 Mate. The devs are using colorized rc.d scripts.

Just downloaded myself from torrent. Looking forward to checking it out for some fun as I've a few extra partitions to play with.

As soon as I hit the "Submit Reply" button I knew my imperfect example highlighting the role of the end user of a complex device would be critiqued.

I was merely agreeing with Woodsman about computer manuals and that the
role/knowledge/training/instruction for the end user of a complex device is different from those responsible for making/keeping it working. That perhaps we should treat computers as complex systems (like an automobile) and not have the end user have to assume multiple roles regarding the device.

Like an automobile, computers hardware and software had an engineering type person design/create the device. Somewhat like an automobile the end user may need only limited training/knowledge to operate the device. (Click the word processor icon and start typing). Like an automobile, the maintenance (system administration) of a computer encompasses a wide range of topics that may be performed by the end user, or by someone with more knowledge, or by a specialized "service center".

From reading this thread I get the impression that Woodsman is not satisfied with a simple generic install of the distributions he's researched for his customers, as those distributions don't meet his/their requirements. So additional customization is needed.

So, while it may be true that only a low computer IQ (newbie) is needed to install most distributions these days, to achieve the end result that Woodsman needs requires additional work. That additional customization work necessitates a little bit higher computer IQ than required to just "install" a distribution (without too much configuration).

I chose to install Salix64 14.1 Xfce for a neighbor (on a recycled dual core system) because of Salix's ease of use, application installation and upgrades (Gslapt) and my familiarity with Slackware. However my requirements for a running computer system for this neighbor that I would be supporting was different than an easy generic install. It has 6GB of RAM, and a two disk root encrypted RAID system with semi-automatic data backup and a simple command to check the basic heath of the system. It's also running Windows XP in VirtualBox (networking disabled) to handle a MSWindows only application and a scanner with no Linux driver.

In the same way, an end user may not want to spend their time being the system administrator even though they could eventually figure it all out. Provides a customer market for Woodsman.

I still think that when discussing a complex device (a home computer) that the automobile provides and acceptable (but not perfect) example of the end user's role. But I understand Didier's disagreement to the comparison, especially the way I worded it.

Read the above for entertainment value. Nothing to get excited about and certainly not a reason to discuss the loose comparison for the next 20 posts as we've seen before on LQ.

Ever study behavioral modification techniques? They are trying to make you change to using your right hand for the mouse. Apparently it's not working on you.

I sympathize with you. I often don't follow the norms in how I use my everyday real world environment so year after year I have to repeatedly put in the time to "do it my way".

Possibly. Most Windows users do not fix their computers. They take the computer to a repair shop, even for basic scrubbing of malware or adding a RAM stick. Migrating to Linux reduces or eliminates the need for scrubbing malware, but they still are not going to fix their computers. I really don't know where any of this might lead. Would be nice to see a small business grow. My biggest challenge is I don't do Windows.

Yup, not working! I have been a contrarian much of my life!

I started using a left-handed mouse when the rodents first became available. My reason was simple, I write right-handed and after about one hour of using my first mouse right-handed and trying to scribble concurrently I appreciated the inefficiency, not to mention that the mouse was in the way of my scratch pad. I swapped the buttons and have been that way for, gee, I don't know, more than 20 years. The real fun is when anybody uses a computer that I am using. They cannot figure out the mouse buttons.

That's the problem producing a good product. You may not get repeat customers as they are still using the originally purchased item.
For about 5 years I used a trackball instead of a mouse so I could place a writing tablet and adding machine next to it. The "ball" was about 50% larger than a billiard ball and it worked great with no wear and tear on my fingers or wrist. However it still didn't eliminate the need to use one hand for three tasks - typing, writing, pointer positioning.

I may try a left mouse for the same reason you did. I can barely write with my right hand so I certainly wouldn't be able to read what I wrote with my left hand. My wife does a lot of craft stuff and although she is right-handed she often switches to a left-handed mouse on the computer to give her right hand a break.

Have I dragged your thread far enough off-topic yet? I'll now revert to my normal online personality which is much quieter.

The thread is mine! (Slips ring onto finger....)

I installed SolydX for testing. I am growing more uncomfortable with the lack of regular update packs with LMDE. The Solyd folks have a fixed quarterly update pack schedule. They don't yet have the updated Mate 1.8 packages but I plan to install the 1.8 packages when available and continue testing. I just never seem to wrap my head around Xfce. A smaller project than Mint, but they have a sharp focus on what they want to do. Mostly patterned after LMDE but I can see differences already between the two. Green isn't everywhere either.

I really need to learn Python so I can try to port some of these graphical tools to Slackware.