Sorry to wake this thread up again, guys. I don't often read this one, and scanning back over the last 2-3 pages, it struck me that fiskrond's request is probably not unreasonable.....
from the the perspective of an ex-Windows user.
Windoze users are used to dealing with an organisation with a multi-billion dollar budget (read 'bottomless pockets'), and a whole army of highly-skilled, enthusiastic,
PAID employees. Upon venturing across to 'the dark side', they bring these expectations with them; they've never been used to anything else, after all.
Naturally, they don't understand why all the thousand and one little 'knick-knacks' that make for a really 'slick' user experience aren't present.....and moreover, why even if they
were present, why they don't constantly reflect the very newest hardware and software, the instant it hits the shelves.
Are you gonna tell 'em the truth.....or shall I? To me, this excerpt from
'oneandoneistwo' sums it up neatly:-
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Problem #3: Culture shock
Subproblem #3a: There is a culture....
"Windows users are more or less in a customer-supplier relationship: They pay for software, for warranties, for support, and so on. They expect software to have a certain level of usability. They are therefore used to having rights with their software: They have paid for technical support and have every right to demand that they receive it. They are also used to dealing with entities rather than people: Their contracts are with a company, not with a person.
Linux users are in more of a community. They don't have to buy the software, they don't have to pay for technical support. They download software for free & use Instant Messaging and web-based forums to get help. They deal with people, not corporations.
A Windows user will not endear himself by bringing his habitual attitudes over to Linux, to put it mildly.
The biggest cause of friction tends to be in the online interactions: A "3a" user new to Linux asks for help with a problem he's having. When he doesn't get that help at what he considers an acceptable rate, he starts complaining and demanding more help. Because that's what he's used to doing with paid-for tech support. The problem is that this isn't paid-for support. This is a bunch of volunteers who are willing to help people with problems out of the goodness of their hearts. The new user has no right to demand anything from them, any more than somebody collecting for charity can demand larger donations from contributors.
In much the same way, a Windows user is used to using commercial software. Companies don't release software until it's reliable, functional, and user-friendly enough. So this is what a Windows user tends to expect from software: It starts at version 1.0. Linux software, however, tends to get released almost as soon as it's written: It starts at version 0.1. This way, people who really need the functionality can get it ASAP; interested developers can get involved in helping improve the code; and the community as a whole stays aware of what's going on.
If a "3a" user runs into trouble with Linux, he'll complain: The software hasn't met his standards, and he thinks he has a right to expect that standard. His mood won't be improved when he gets sarcastic replies like "I'd demand a refund if I were you"....."
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Puppy, as stated, isn't even a 'mainstream' distro; it's very firmly in the realms of being a 'hobbyist' one. And one which, at that, was designed, from the outset, to make it as easy as possible to keep ancient hardware alive that most folks would have long-since consigned to the trash....
(Ye anciente Dell lappie is a case in point. We bought it 16 years ago, direct from Dell. I was as green as grass in those days; to me, 128 MB of RAM sounded a huge amount. Little did I know it was barely enough to start the OS, much less actually do anything with it..!!)
(*swap, swap, swap, thrash, swap, thrash, thrash; ummm.....I
think ya get the picture..!*)
Just for a giggle, a couple of years ago, I briefly re-installed XP to it, just to see if it really
was as bad as I remembered it being. Oh, God.....it was achingly,
agonizingly slow. It lasted all of about a week. 'Twas enough for me. Reminded me why I'd tried Puppy in the first place; OK, even Puppy can't turn a P4 into a 'powerhouse' again, but with the RAM upgrade to 1.5 GB, and the swap to an SSD, the old girl's a reasonably usable box once again. She's on her third battery pack, second 'power-brick', and the second, rechargeable CMOS battery.....but that P4 just keeps chugging along. I've a
lot of respect for it, I really have!
At least with the usage-pattern mine gets, it'll never suffer from SNDS (
Sudden Northwood Death Syndrome)...!
I think the thing most Windoze refugees have trouble with is the more 'bare-bones' approach of Linux. You get a basic install; you want eye-candy, or fancy software, you install it yourself....as much, or as little as you want. What you
don't get is a 'corporate' experience dreamed up by a bunch of folks who will never, ever have to interact with or justify themselves to you.
Mike.