> Perhaps this *is* harmful for the acceptance of Linux among the unwashed
> masses, perhaps Linux should adopt Win* habit of reporting error
> messages like "Your network doesn't work" or, for that matter, "Unknown
> error". I don't think so. I think exposure to the technical verbosity
> of Linux makes it - not simple, but at least straightforward - for users
> to increase their knowledge and technical understanding.
I think the thing about Windows (for example) in this area and some
others isn't that the error messages are bad or somesuch, more that
you're STUCK with them, you cannot FIX them. What is broken STAYS
broken.
Linux is about freedom, getting to choose between all those different
combinations, and being able to switch between them so easily. I like
having stuff done the Right Way, and being able to break it myself if I
want to! For top Doom performance, get into single user mode, kill
everything you don't need, set up a few routes (network games are so
much better) and frag away (that kind of thing makes the difference on
my 486).
A good example of this follow.
Say I am the sysadmin of a network that uses PCs running Linux as X
terminals (for cost efficiency), accessing Linux servers (what else? ;-)
).
Of *course* the Linux servers are in full "boot messages so verbose and
complicated I think they're in Greek" mode, but I don't forget why I
chose Linux in the first place: because it let me do what I want in a
stable and reliable way, so I can read linux-kernel and surf the web all
day instead of fixing stuff. Having users calling me like maniacs
because their PC spewed some innocent message while booting is working
against this goal. Linux is *against* me!
"Breaking" Linux and slapping some dumb graphic screen is all I need
there, so I can just relax while the user is held in total ignorance. Of
course, I'm not stuck (and him neither), because I just have to type
"nobootlogo" at the lilo prompt and I get the regular stuff.
My ability to read linux-kernel and surf the web is not related to the
"acceptance of Linux by the unwashed masses". Actually, it would let me
learn more about Linux in all that copious free time. ;-)
-- Pierre Phaneuf Web: http://newsfeed.sx.nec.com/~ynecpip/ finger: ynecpip@newsfeed.sx.nec.com- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu