Re: linux-kernel-digest V1 #1951

L. Adrian Griffis (adrian@idir.net)
Thu, 14 May 1998 19:43:25 -0500

owner-linux-kernel-digest@vger.rutgers.edu wrote:
>
> linux-kernel-digest Wednesday, 13 May 1998 Volume 01 : Number 1951
>
> From: Gavin David McNair <gavinm@jumper.mcc.ac.uk>
> Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 11:32:24 +0100 (BST)
> Subject: Re: Prettying up the boot process
>
> I'd like to agree with the people before this mail, the boot process on
> Linux though very informative and often usefull doesnt look nice and does
> often fill many page. Cant we have a briefer show of Messages with
> a more detailed verbose output to an appropriate logfile.
> Even the idea of dots works ok, Ive solved many a problem with lilo from
> interpreting the word LILO, verbose doesnt always mean untidy.
>
> Id encourage further conversation on this matter, every day Linux is being
> taken more and more seriously by serious users. Asthetics is a more
> important issue than it ever used to be, companies like things to look
> nice and the nicer linux looks the more commercial support its likely to
> get.

I do think that Linux could stand to get more user friendly. But
Ordinary Users aren't the only people who need friendlyness. What
I really detest about MicroShaft Walls is that it is not programmer
friendly. Can't we find ways to make Linux more User Friendly w/o
making it less Programmer Friendly at the same time?

I vote "HELL NO!" on castrating the boot messages. Please, folks,
think about this; A user friendly Linux machine is going to
boot straight into X-Windows, so the user won't have to look at
those Programmer Friendly messages for very long. Then the
screen will look nice an pretty with a customized xdm login
screen. I just don't think you folks asking to pretty up the
boot process understand the harm that this would do. Linux is
not MS windows. You can't make Linux as simple minded as Windoze
without cripling it. As long as Linux is complicated enough to
be useful, it will be a good idea of have people who understand
it around to troubleshoot problems. I don't want my users to
turn off boot time messages no matter how "ugly" they think these
messages are. If their machine is hung, I want to be able to see
these messages without altering the normal boot process.

These messages are wonderful. Sometimes, I flip back through
screens to see if there's some other delighful facet of Linux
that I need to explore. Another thing that I hate about WinDoze
is the fact that it hides things and discourages normal people
from exploring and trying to understand the system. I want
my users to see these messages because some of them will
become curious about them, and I'll be delighted to answer
their questions. Let's not let The Evil Empire (MS) lure our
users down the path of mindless dependency.

Linux does need to become more User Friendly, but not at the
expense of Programmer Friendlyness. This User Friendlyness
needs to be achieved with better applications, and not by
dumbing down the kernel to avoid scaring users who don't
understand the insult MicroShaft is paying them by hiding
information and by limitting their options to those few that
MS thinks them can handle. MicroShaft WinDoze has an edge
on Linux where office automation and user friendlyness are
concerned. The Linux Community in general (and not the
Kernel developers in particular) needs to strive to take this
advantage away from MicroShaft. We need better applications,
but they need to rest on a solid operating system.

User Friendliness is good. This does not imply that Programmer
Friendliness bad. Vote no for suppressing information
during the boot process.

my $.03 worth (sorry... inflation).

-- 

---
L. Adrian Griffis - KE6CSX - adrian@idir.net


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