The First Prophet of Linux
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| Herbert's concerns about machines doing our thinking for us finds
| eloquent expression in the Windows operating system. Think about how
| many decisions it makes for the user; think about how it decides what
| you need and how it decides to check the validity of your software.
| Nearly immune to customisation and a closed book to anyone who wishes
| further information about it, Windows draws much of the decision making
| about what goes on a computer and what the computer can and should do,
| back into the heart of the software rather than leaving it to the person
| who is actually supposed to be the PC?s master.
|
| This philosophy finds its polar opposite in Linux. As Linux users are
| well aware, they are responsible for what is on their computer, they have
| to know what they require or not, and they have to personalise their
| computer to the extent they require. All in all, more thinking and control
| is exercised by the user; the computer returns to the idea of being a
| tool which inspires thought in the user rather than taking thought
| away. Herbert would have approved.
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http://www.linuxextremist.com/?p=42
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