Message-ID:	<32A4C710.48EB@gbrmpa.gov.au>
Date:	Wed, 04 Dec 1996 08:34:24 +0800
From:	Leath Muller <leathm AT gbrmpa DOT gov DOT au>
Reply-To:	leathm AT gbrmpa DOT gov DOT au
Organization:	Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
MIME-Version:	1.0
To:	"A. Kunigelis" <algikun AT santaka DOT sc-uni DOT ktu DOT lt>
CC:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Subject:	Re: SVGALIB stuff
References:	<Pine DOT HPP DOT 3 DOT 95 DOT 961203152723 DOT 17880C-100000 AT santaka DOT sc-uni DOT ktu DOT lt>

>   Eh? Pressing 'ANY KEY' is also sometimes hard for a beginner ("I can't
> find a key labeled 'any'!"). OK, to be serious Linux is not that hard to
> set up *at all* these days! I installed Debian GNU/Linux off 4 floppies
> without problems and then downloaded the rest of fancy stuff over the
> internet pretty quick. All flavors (RedHat, Slackware, Debian) have
> package managers and it's trivial to install/remove packages. E.g. I'd
> just do:
> $ dpkg --install binutils.deb gcc.deb ...
> and there we go... And to remove them:
> $ dpkg --purge binutils

Yes, but is this going to be obvious to the beginner? I know an average
486/100 owner who I asked to install DJGPP on his machine just to see
how he would go.... basically he said: "what is a xxx.zip???". I then
gave him my Linux stuff to install of a CD, with an install program, it
started to run, and it told him to stick in a floppy - fine. It told him
to label the floppies etc - fine. It then told him to reboot with the
new floppies - fine. He got to the command prompt and: "What the
@$!#!!!"
From there, he just got stumped. :) Basically, he didn't like the
'manual'
part of the DJGPP install process. If this was automated, it would be
even easier than the Linux install currently is under Windows...
 
> Once more: Linux is not a beast! Go on and you'll see

Linux is dead set brilliant. But its still a lot harder to learn how to
use than DJGPP. This friend of mine knows how to get a dos prompt, and
compile something from there (ie: just type 'gcc'). He didn't have a 
clue what I was talking about when I told him to 'login' to Linux. Even
after I logged him into Linux, he couldn't just alt-enter back to his
Win95 and do something when he wanted to - thus said Linux sux. How is
a normal person ever going to get to learn about dpkg if they don't
under-
stand the command prompt?

You have to remember also that the installer doesn't help you use the
program... Linux is for programmer/system operator like people, and
people
who have experience in Unix. DJGPP is DOS orientated, which is even more
familiar to people who use Win95...

Leathal.

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