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Re: Home user and passwords

__/ [hopkins] on Sunday 05 February 2006 13:00 \__

> I can just picture the number of nerds sniggering to themselves when I
> say I've set a blank root password, but think of it this way. If linux
> is ever going to crack the home user market they have to think a little
> less system adminy. I mean KDE is great, very "user friendly" but when
> the average Windows user comes along as says right I want to install
> program X. They would normally buy it on CD or more common now download
> it and run the install shield. We tell them, now you dont need to do
> that. All your programs can be installed and configure from a central
> place. You show them around yast and they think its great. A few weeks
> pass and they start to change more and more of the programs theyve been
> used to using for open source equilavents. Running yast everytime they
> want to install something, they get used to having to type in an
> incredibly long, complex password. Then they find they yast doesnt have
> what theyre looking for, so you tell them they can download the rpm
> elsewhere and install it from the command line, but they still need to
> put the root password in. Then they start using USB devices and you
> show them how to mount and umount things, again they need to punch in
> the root password. And so on and so on. 

Ubuntu took such observations into account and simplified matters
tremendously. That is one among many reasons why it suits new users without
obvious inclination towards systems administration. KDE stands for Kernel
Hackers Desktop Environment if I recall correctly. GNOME, which Ubuntu is
based on (as a WM, not Debian), is intended to be most intuitive.

Best wishes,

Roy

PS - I hope you realise that my last comment was indeed sarcastic and
intended to hint at that very first sentence of yours, which made me smile.

-- 
Roy S. Schestowitz      |    Proprietary cripples communication
http://Schestowitz.com  |    SuSE Linux     |     PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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