Linux Format forums

[Bazza]

Hi again all...

Another good read...

http://linuxlock.blogspot.com/2010/05/semantics-is-restricting-linux-desktop.html
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73...

Bazza, G0LCU...

Team AMIGA...

[johnhudson]

This isn't semantics; it's a foreign language and most people who have learned only one language expect there to be a word for word translation; they don't realise that languages include different concepts from the ones they are used to.

One advantage of being brought up surrounded by Commodores, Ataris, Amigas and Amstrads, not to mention PCs and Macs, is that one quickly realised there was no common language or, in some cases, common concepts.

Monolingual Windows speakers have to take that first step. OK we can produce introductory 'Linux in seven days' type courses - but we cannot take away the shock of trying to say even simple things in a different language differently from the way they have been used to.

[wyliecoyoteuk]

Actually, it is not Semantics, it is not even a foreign language, it is a poor understanding of English combined with a poor understanding of computers.

"Restricted" only means limited in a particular way. If someone reads that as "illegal", they don't understand English.
And they are really gonna freak out when windows tells them that something has "carried out an illegal instruction".
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[guy]

The guy has a point. I too come from a long line of systems, from mainframes to Sinclair's wristwatch calculator. When I pick up a new toy I want familiar words like "Internet", "Files" and "Writer" next to my icons, not unfamiliar codewords like "Safari", "Nautilus" or "Fireworkz" - those from three different OS for the trainspotters among you. If the OS doesn't explain itself adequately I just go find one that does. Debian developers are beginning to understand this, which is one reason I use that distro. But I rarely venture beyond the painfully-obviously-labelled. It's not my job to make life easy for the developers, it's their chosen task to make life easy for the rest of us.

Meanwhile I for one am delighted that the "restricted" drivers were turned down. Long may the innocent be protected from proprietary lock-in, by any legal means!
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Cheers,
Guy
The eternal noob

[wyliecoyoteuk]

The other side of the coin is that in Windows, everything is organised by developer name.
i.e.
Microsoft, Symantec, godknowzwhatevercompany, etc.

In Most Linux distros we have Office, Word processor, Internet, etc. Which IMHO, makes it far easier to find what you need.

Trouble is, most Windows users will look for "Microsoft Word" because they have been taught to do that.

No matter how you change Linux distros, they will never be the same as Windows, for good reason.
New computer users find no problems with Gnome or KDE, because they have not been handicapped by being previously taught Windows as the only OS.
The latest version of windows (7) seems hell bent on removing flexibility and functionality from the GUI.
The new locked down menu system rapidly becomes a pain to use, if you have more than a handful of applications for example, and is worse than useless on a netbook screen. While the libraries idea is good, it is poorly implemented, and the network browsing still retains some of the visual bugs from XP.

At least in most Linux window managers or DEs, you can customise them to suit your own tastes and requirements.
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The sig between the asterisks is so cool that only REALLY COOL people can even see it!

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