Man Overboard: GNOME Cofounder Joins the Mac Side

are technically literate people, who actually do most of the things that are complained about here

Quoting: Slashdot blogger yagu also uses a Mac, but he saw no reason for worry or fuss, he told Linux Girl.

"That doesn't mean I've given up or lost interest in Linux," yagu explained. "I just don't have the time any more. Applying patches, downloading dependencies, even re-compiling kernels -- those take time and I don't have that.

and

Quoting:Hairyfeet has also "completely given up on Linux for home use," he told Linux Girl. "It's great for servers, but since I no longer work corporate there is just no point in beating my head against the wall."

So, "I really don't blame Mr. de Icaza for wanting something hassle-free when he comes home from a hard day of work," hairyfeet concluded. ...

Not because they have to, but because they like to.

However this is FUD, it is FUD to characterise Linux operating systems in this manner. I can easily name at least a half dozen people in my circle of friends an acquaintances, all of whom are not by any stretch of the imagination hackers, or even particularly computer literate (enough to attempt to install Linux, but certainly not much more) most of whom have installed their own copy of Ubuntu, Linux Mint or Mandriva, who seem to have far less problems with Linux than these two claim on a regular and ongoing basis.

"Slashdot Blogger Hairyfeet" and the usual "Linux is hard" nonsense...

> Applying patches, downloading dependencies, even re-compiling kernels -- those take time and I don't have that.

I haven't had to compile a kernel since in something like 3 years. And then it was only to support some newer hardware on a motherboard, which I didn't really need to do.

As for apply patches: slackpkg update; slackpkg upgrade-all. And this is on the supposedly hard Slackware.

Yeah, downloading dependencies can be a pain, but Slackware is one of the few distros which still requires that you do so, and even then only for compiling or installing custom software. Most distros handle dependencies automatically, and seem to do a good job of it.

Don't think hairyfeet is a real person. I suspect it's just a sockpuppet account used by Katherine Noyes herself to troll for opposing viewpoints on anything she writes.

Something is my gut is telling me this is just a straw man. While it's admittedly unofficial, most of the users taking my DR user survey report *only* using Linux at home. And these arguments that "Linux is too hard, takes too much time, doesn't work out of the box, etc..." are nonsense. Linux has had better driver support out of the box compared to Windows for years. And certain super easy to use distros, like Mint, Ubuntu or openSUSE, require minimal post-installation setup. That's why people like them so much, I'd wager. Just install them and go. Updates are a snap.

This whole campaign that Linux is too "hard" is pure FUD. Who recompiles kernels anymore? Maybe that uber leet power user or system admin to squeeze out a few percent more performance or to support a custom hardware configuration, but even power users don't do that every day!

I call pure FUD on this stuff. I use Linux every day for work and home use. It's easy to use and has the tools I need to get stuff done. And, believe me, I don't have time to waste so if it didn't work, I'd use something else. The fact is, it's superior in so many ways to other operating systems. I just can't believe what some of the former leaders in our FOSS community are saying. It just doesn't make any sense.

We've lost HairyFeet. It's hopeless now.

Quoting:I suspect it's just a sockpuppet account used by Katherine Noyes herself to troll for opposing viewpoints on anything she writes.

More like gossip invading the blogosphere.

Anyone who claims Linux "is hard" or complains about having to apply patches or compile a kernel on a regular basis is NOT a typical Linux user. In fact, I would argue such a person isn't a Linux user at all. I've been using Linux for 10+ years and I can count on one hand the number of times I ever compiled a kernel or applied patches in order to use some program or feature. In fact, the few times I have compiled my own kernel I did so out of curiosity and for fun, not out of necessity or any breakage. The truth of the matter is that Linux is as easy to use today, if not easier, than any expensive proprietary operating system. This terrifies and intimidates those who sell said operating systems or those who have foolishly spent money on them. The aforementioned claims are FUD and nothing more. Next!?

Nah, "hairyfeet" is real.

He was apparently once enthusiastic about Linux. He occasionally recounts his experience as a would-be Linux computer dealer.

The short version:

He sold a handful of "Linux systems" from his small IT/computer-shop business; but he didn't actually know what he was doing yet -- so it ended badly. He couldn't wrap his mind around the reality that his Windows expertise wasn't entirely applicable to Linux, and consequently refused to learn, what he needed to learn, to make it work well -- instead, he placed the blame on Linux (and still does).