[room] Fwd: Re: Why Ubuntu isn't for New Linux Users

[Michael Shigorin <mike@osdn.org.ua>]

	Здравствуйте.
Ресь о
http://linux-blog.org/index.php?/archives/128-Why-Ubuntu-isnt-for-New-Linux-Users.html

----- Forwarded message from "Michael T. Richter" <ttmrichter/gmail.com> -----

Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2006 09:34:03 +0800
From: "Michael T. Richter" <ttmrichter/gmail.com>
To: sounder/lists.ubuntu.com
Subject: Re: Why Ubuntu isn't for New Linux Users

On Sat, 2006-25-02 at 16:42 -0600, Randy Gloden wrote:

> This blog entry makes good points, but it is the same sad song.  We have 
> covered most of these issues in this very list in the last few weeks.  
> No one . . .  make that most aren't denying the issues raised, but this 
> blog doesn't really help as it doesn't detail any solutions.  


Actually it does.  It's just that the solution is one that developers
(of any stripe -- paid or volunteer) don't like to hear.  Let me quote
the relevant part again:

"This is about all of those people who possibly haven't even heard of
Linux before. This is the target audience. This is who all programmers
and application designers should keeping right in the middle of the
bullseye."

This is the core problem.  Many software developers -- again, any kind
-- think that "core functionality" is king and the user experience is
the stuff you do at the end to make things pretty.  This view is patent
nonsense, however, since spectacular core functionality is utterly
useless if the end-user can't figure out how to access it.  Further, the
user interface will often inform the implementation of the core
functionality, so if you design something that's resistant to including
a good user interface, you're killing any hopes of an end-user adopting
the technology.

I think that all software developers around the world should be required
by law to make friends with at least two technology-declined people.
People that are not viewed as targets for techno-evangelism, but who are
instead sat down in front of programs and recorded trying to use them.
People, in short, who are listened to instead of talked at.

--
Michael T. Richter
Email: ttmrichter/gmail.com, mtr1966@hotpop.com
MSN: ttmrichter/hotmail.com, mtr1966@hotmail.com; YIM:
michael_richter_1966; AIM: YanJiahua1966; ICQ: 241960658; Jabber:
mtr1966/jabber.cn

----- End forwarded message -----

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 ---- WBR, Michael Shigorin <mike@altlinux.ru>
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