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The Problem With "My First Experience With Linux" Posts
A popular topic for bloggers and technology journalists (I would even argue that some major newspapers have participated) are “my first experiences with Linux” posts. In other words, the author sits down and installs and tries to use Linux writing whatever they think as they go along.
In theory, I understand why people write them. It should be useful to understand the experience of a new user, but all it ends up being is a war between Linux users and Windows users/the author in the comments. What’s wrong? Two things:
Authors, Do Your Research
Most of these posts are written like notes with whatever the author was thinking at the time. In other words, almost no research goes in to these posts. Unfortunately, I admit, it is very hard to criticize Linux if you are not well informed. If you make a wrong claim or an apparently mis-informed claim, it will be jumped on, particularly if you used it to point out a flaw. Instead, I suggest authors keep these notes to themselves. After trying out Linux, or while you try out Linux, figure out the solutions to the problems you encounter and take the time to understand what the perspective of an advanced Linux user would be. Then, once you have done this, tell me the difference between the newbie’s perspective and the geek’s perspective.
You Can’t Fit Everyone’s Wishes
Everyone has a way they want everything to be done and it better work that way or else it makes no sense whatsoever. The problem is that if you make one person like it, the next person comes along and hates it. You can’t win – except by education. Now I realize this depends on people doing a little bit of research, but, in my opinion, the most important thing for Linux now is to improve the end user documentation, so that they can easily discover how things work in Linux. Then, at least, you can point out that the information is clearly documented and the author should have read it.
It’s not that I want the Linux-haters and Linux-dislikers to just be quiet, I am just sick of poorly -researched posts that do nothing more than generate a war.
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To resurect this post… I know it is a bit old.
Ubuntu has lead the charge to make the GUI top priority. Hense, why Grandma and surf the web, type emails and documents, using Linux based Debian derived Ubuntu.
Now that GNOME and KDE are in a headed race to be top DE… the Linux GUI has become usable, whole and mostly bug free.
Now, the next step is to make the GUI accessible, via API’s
Microsoft would be dead long ago, if it were not for it’s API … called WIN32. Now they have C# and .NET which gives microsoft an even larger head start.
Think VISUAL BASIC. It is very easy to create GUI apps using the drag and drop controls with some coding in for logic.
The reason why Linux is not making much of a dent in Desktop market, is because all these years people have had the tools to easily produce GUI software, to sell and build a MASSIVE market with.
Microsoft simply created the API and TOOLS ( Visual Studio and Visual Basic…now .NET and all that) so massive amounts of software programs could be mass produced for … the masses!
Now, the biggest barrier to entry is not having an awesome OS and Stable GUI (Linux+GNOME/KDE/ETC) but rather the transitioning of people using all those programs (photoshop, office, etc) to have an insentive to switch to mass producing software for Linux and Windows … (apple too)
Take for instance, game programmers. Windows is ideal for selling your game. 1) DirectX API and Programming Tools and 2) Everyone has a Windows machine at home to sell your game install on.
It is a catch 22 for Linux and Open Source, at this point in the ‘Mass Users Game’.
On one hand software vendors want to program their game on Linux. But, on the other hand, market % says it is not economically rational to port code to work on both Windows and Linux. Not to mention Apple.
It is a catch 22… before masses use Linux they want Software and loads of it, of commercial ‘boxed quality’ with a little sticker and logo.
But, corporations (software vendors) will not bring that software from Windows to Linux until there is more of a market… aka more mass users to sell to.
The problem is, not usablility at this point in the game, but rather, over coming this ‘catch-22′.
Python… easier to program with than C# and is portable because of intermediate codebyte. Good and all…
WINE project that tries to tackle the problem by trying to allow users to run Windows code on Linux. but, there are bugs, ever changing windows api, and does not fix the problem but rather tries to remedy it with a ‘work around’ to the problem.
microsoft learns from linux.
look at the Netbook thing. 100% linux, than 80% now linux is 10% netbooks with a 1 in 4 return rate… with Windows XP stealing the lions netbook market share, just in time for Windows 7 to arrive and fix the Vista problem. (We will have to see about Win 7 as it is not released yet, but Microsoft itself has stated that the only reason they took a second look at bloated Vista, was not because they thought they had a problem with Vista… no no… Windows 7 was created only because of the threat of Netbooks, which Linux allowed to happen.
This all seems to be about MONEY in the end. I think Linux is Linux and if you want it to ’succeed’ based on fiscal rationalizations, than you probably have it backwards.
I love the command line – but i came from AmigaOS, where the command line was an integral part of the system, and it was natural to start using it. When I was finally forced to use windows, I couldn’t stand it – a total nightmare. cygwin helps a little bit, but not much.
CLI fear is nonsense. Normal ‘users’ can use the command line. Even normal ‘users’ can learn to program – programming isn’t terribly difficult, this modern affliction of lame-user ‘consumer’ mindset is great if you make the software you’re trying to sell them, but bad for everyone in general. The GUI gives the illusion of control whilst taking it all away from the user – the computer uses you.
On the topic of this post – I agree journalists need to do homework, but I have no problem reading raw reports from bloggers. That is what blogging is all about.
Golodh, I have very little command line knowledge. I’ve been using Linux for a fair number of years now. A few years ago I used to use it a little bit, but nowadays you really don’t need it–certainly not to install hardware unless stuff is seriously going wrong. And definitely not on Mandriva! The Mandriva control centre really helps for those of us who aren’t particularly into command line fiddling.
But while the “need command line” posts here are somewhat annoying, the only poster here who has really cheesed me off is Steven Robinson. Dude, I’ve been using Linux longer than you have and I’m not a techie. Go fly a kite. Linux doesn’t belong to you, and it doesn’t belong to some sub-tribe of users. It belongs to everybody. And you know why? Because it’s Free Software. You might want to go to http://www.gnu.org and look that stuff up. I use Linux because of freedom. I started when it was a hassle and a pain, because I wanted to control my computer and my information and not be beholden to a lawbreaking monopolist. I respect technical people, but the ones who insist that only the technical matters and the politics are irrelevant make me sick. Your attitude really isn’t any different from the people who invented “leetspeak”; that is, you’re elite and the unwashed masses are ignorant. You may be elite about some subset of computer languages, but you appear not to understand jack about free software, the reasons it exists or the reasons it is needed. Indeed, you would appear to be an example of precisely why it is needed–the kind of person Free Software exists to protect me against.
The thing that bugs me the most about the “you have to use the command line with linux, blah, blah” stuff is that when you have an issue with Windows – you look at their Knowledge Base & all the instructions are all about either “click on start->Run and type regedit” or “Type into the Command Window” or even Power Shell/AD/Policies etc for chrissakes, which makes ANY aspect of linux look simple.
Ps and don’t get me started on obtaining MS drivers or codecs in a consistent & straightforward manner without risking exposure to malware on dodgy sites
First Linux experience, second computer experience. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Linux for the general user now. Every complaint I’ve heard relates to the fact the Linux is not Windows. It’s not just the user experience that Microsoft has a strangle hold on. Microsoft has conditioned users how to think about a computer. The new Linux user has to learn a new GUI and has to change the way they think about what a computer is. That’s a huge change but people are making it every day. As far as I can see, people will continue to migrate to Linux in ever increasing numbers. They will have no choice, Microsoft isn’t giving them the tools they need to survive in the digital age.
The main problem with Linux GUI documentation is when you hit the Help button in an app and it goes to the KDE Help system – and there’s nothing there except maybe a note that it hasn’t been written yet.
That is simply embarrassing. No app should be released without at least minimal help. I mean, it can take a couple hours to write it – how long did it take to write the app?
I had to learn both Linux and Windows at the same time. And I discovered that there wasn’t a penny’s worth of difference between them in terms of ease of use – although they are worlds apart in reliability and security. And I had to learn Linux from the command line first, THEN the GUI.
I do Windows tech support for a living at the moment, and believe me, a PC tech spends a lot of time on the command line even if normal users don’t. Almost anything you do to fix an ailing PC requires some Windows command line familiarity. There’s a reason Microsoft introduced a new Powershell command line utility.
But in my day to day use of openSUSE, I only go to the command line when I need to install some app that isn’t in the repository – or to recompile the NVidia drivers when the kernel is updated (and that’s only because I prefer the NVidia drivers direct from NVidia and not the ones in the openSUSE repositories). Occasionally I go command line because something might actually be easier to do there and I’m in a hurry. But that’s rare.
99 percent of my time is in the desktop, not the command line and for almost all users of any modern distro that will be the case. The only exceptions will be if you buy hardware that is not supported by the Linux kernel and requires proprietary drivers or reverse-engineered drivers or simply drivers that haven’t been integrated with the install process – and that’s an issue for the hardware seller, who chose not to support Linux users properly, not Linux itself.
The latter problem will be solved when corporate users finally decide that making Bill Gates the richest guy in the world isn’t a profitable use of their capital. Then they will start using Linux, then see that it would be logical to install the same OS on the desktop as that running on the server. Then they will demand drivers from their desktop suppliers, who will then demand certified drivers from their peripheral suppliers. And that will be that.
It’s quite likely the current economic collapse will hasten that process.
I love that kind of posts simply because the writer is always wrong! Last time I used XP I printed some stuff with the EPSON original drivers, and it came out all fu**ed up, when I try in Ubuntu it works perfect!
WTF? Since when are Linux drivers better than propietary ones?
OK, XP is old…but form my PC it’s heavy enough, don’t talk bout Vis*a.
This post hits the nail right on the head, just do a little research and life will be a little better ( not easy). I consider myself a pretty good power user in MS but still had a problem migrating form 2000 to XP and an even greater problem from XP to vista and from Office 2003 to 2007. The problem is that with anything new there is a learning curve and a little research will help.
Matt Kukowski does have a point in terms of documentation, the Linux community might have to focus on multilevel documentations, basic getting started documents which features just GUIs for the average user (Ubuntu might be the new standard for writing such a document), a more advanced package for the machine administrator and an even more advanced set with the full set of instructions for terminals and other command line operations.
Well, I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree with the article in that I believe that un-researched (“zero-knowledge”) comments do have a value of their own, but that one should be careful about what they mean and what they point to.
What do “zero-knowledge” posts point to?
————————————
They point to problems that people encounter who *will not* read the manual, but who just want to do “simple” things, and go by what they see, in front of their eyes, on the desktop (and perhaps after pressing the “help” button a few times…).
Things like like installing some system hardware (a graphics card, a network card, sound options), or peripheral hardware (e.g. a mouse, a webcam or a printer that’s connected to their machine or to a server), browsing the net, creating and printing a spreadsheet or a text document.
I think we can all agree that for a modern OS all these “simple” things should not require any knowledge of the OS whatsoever. The ability to point and click should be sufficient.
The average user is not a system administrator
—————————————–
Now there is where the problem arises. Linux in and by itself requires one know how to edit configuration files (and which ones), and to have a “mental map” of what system components are needed for the tasks mentioned, in what approximate order, how to install them, how to configure them, and how to troubleshoot them.
That is something for a system administrator (or even a dedicated amateur), not for an end-user who just happened to download a Linux distribution. It is most unreasonable to expect an end-user to suddenly become a system administrator for his own Linux system just because he bought a machine with Linux pre-installed or bought (or downloaded) a Linux DVD.
If this is what the author means by “learning”, then I totally disagree with him. The “Linux” he is envisioning is either a tool for experienced system administrators, experienced users who can double as system administrators, or a toy for people looking for a learning experience and with a lot of time on their hands.
Legitimate demands on an OS aimed at end-users
——————————————–
For an end-user OS it is especially unreasonable to expect end-users wanting to do such “simple” things to read “man” files. Man files are turgid and unhelpful documents at the best of times. Even if they so happen to be up to date.
On the other hand, one may expect users to read and follow instructions in a “Howto” file, _provided_ that
(1) the user is clearly directed into the Howto file through the Help system, and the Howto is opened for him
(2) the instructions in said “Howto” file apply without any change whatsoever to the system being installed
(3) following the instructions literally will lead to success.
Anything short of that requires the services of a system administrator (which an end-user isn’t).
The role of the distribution
————————
So this is where the distribution steps in and puts together an end-user-proof system that hides the system administrator tasks behind a GUI (or tries to). This is no mean feat; in fact it is a real tour-de-force if done well. And doing it well is extremely tedious, detail-bound, and time-consuming. A task that OSS developers simply aren’t good at.
Which incidentally is why all of the small “homebrew” distributions fall so far short of the ideal of an end-user-usable OS and why you need large development teams like those at Red Hat, SuSE, and Ubuntu to put them together..
The role of zero-knowledge comments
————————————
So the “zero-knowledge” comments almost invariably point to shortcomings of a specific distribution relative to the ideal of an end-user OS rather than to shortcomings in Linux itself (unless the distribution cannot handle certain hardware e.g. because there are no open-source drivers for it).
If (as various Linux afficionadoes sometimes claim) “Linux” is per definition as user-friendly (or zero-knowledge capable) as MS Windows, then such zero-knowledge reviews are a very good way of verifying that claim (or pointing out where it fails).
Matt Kukowski:
GUI does not help if there is a problem somewhere. In that case usually you have to edit configuration files and/or enter cryptic command at the command line. And you spend a lot of time in forums, looking for help.
Linux is not for everybody.
Windows is not for everybody – although M$ would want to.
Apple is not for everybody.
It all depends.
Two of the most annoying things about those types of posts are indeed 1. The author not having done any prep work before installing; 2. The comments that just attack without recognizing any flaw in a distro’s installation process, or w/ Linux distros in general. In general, I like to see them, though.
I have to agree w/ Matt, if you have to resort to the command line, the game is over. Even worse, if you are forced to edit a config file, it’s time to hunt down a developer or two & forcefully explain what a ‘user’ is. I don’t understand when commenters are offended by the idea that folks want to use their computers to accomplish things & that two clicks in a GUI is a lot easier & more elegant than wasting a day trying to figure out the right way to edit whatever.conf. I can edit a config file & it a good option to have, but every time I’m FORCED to, I get a li’l pissed & wonder who the lazy dork is who though this was good design. New users must find forced use of the command line & config files head-spinning & infuriating.
I’ve got a great idea for an article! Let’s call it “I just tried Linux today, now let me tell you everything there is to know about it.” I’ll capitalize on my own ignorance and incapability by denigrating the software whenever it makes me learn something or even just think. I can roundly criticize color choices and naming conventions! And, if I have to lift a finger to, say, install a video codec, I’ll blast Linux as “not ready for prime time”.
Tell the editor to run it near the front of the magazine, between the Microsoft and McAfee ads.
I think the article is about unrealistic expectations, as evidenced by Matt K’s rant about GUI. If he still believes that you have to use the command line for desktop Linux, he is stuck in the past like so many of these Linux reviewers. I just helped author a book on the open-source software Scribus. We still get many on the mailing list who say it can’t do this and can’t do that, and when it’s pointed out they’re wrong, they don’t necessarily change their opinion or attitude.
Another troubling aspect of the “my first experience” articles is that they typically focus on installation issues. The vast majority of computer users are going to continue to purchase computers with pre-installed operating systems regardless of whether they use vista/xp or linux. So comparing the installation of various operating systems may be interesting for the computer hobbyist, but is irrelevant to how most users will purchase their computers. For the mass market, a valid comparison should focus on how the operating systems (and associated productivity software) works for users who buy the operating system pre-installed. I have three computers that were purchased with ubuntu pre-installed. As expected, each computer “just worked” when it arrived. The same as you would expect when purchasing a computer from any manufacturer. I have yet to use a terminal command on any of the computers. Unfortunately, many of the “my first experience” articles spread the myth that the linux operating system is more difficult to use based on the unrealistic expectation that consumers install operating systems on existing computers, rather than buying computers with pre-installed operating systems.
Another thing that needs to be clarified is the “user”….
a “novice”, just show me what to point to and click on pre installed, pre configured OS…shouldn’t even comtemplate on installing an OS….just asking for trouble and frustration..
the “average”, who know the directory structure and can install additional apps but knows nothing about the inner workings of the pre installed, pre configured OS..shouldn’t even comtemplate on installing an OS….just asking for trouble and frustration..
the “power”, knows a little more about the inner workings about the OS to trouble shoot basic issues pre installed, pre configured OS..shouldn’t even comtemplate on installing an OS….just asking for trouble and frustration..
.
the “super user”, knows the advaced workings of applications and a little more about the OS and can attempt to install a new OS…
the “tech or geek” , knows the OS and apps inside out and can install OS with little hardware issues by researching issues quickly and implement the solution quickly….
you will get different reviews of Linux install depending on which “user” is doing the install and on what hardware….
I wish these same “Linux OS installers” would write up on installing Windows OS with a DVD from scratch like Linux and then compare the two…..they always compare a pre installed, pre configured OS with one that you have to install and configure yourself…
The most relevant problem for windows converts is still the hardware. There exists a lot of hardware that do not get picked up and configured properly on first attempt. You could blame the manufacturers for not providing drivers or users themselves for not knowing the compatibility issues. This is not to say that too many hardware issues may crop up on any one system, but only one issue like wireless is enough to cause nightmares for a new user. However GUI is no longer a problem since atleast 4-5 years. I have not touched the command line since a long time. If your system gets configured during setup, your experience will be absolutely pleasant. However that is not to say that my Linux desktop is an absolute replacement for Windows. Things like Yahoo messenger’s voice and video chat do not yet have an equivalent. Alternatives like Skype for video chat have come up recently but not all contacts are able to get on skype.
There may be other Win software that people have got familiar with over the years, but a little playing around will find you a replacement that costs nothing. That is not possible in a 2 hour test review.
On the other hand the biggest plus point is the zero cost for Linux which allows me to have the latest OS on my 2 to 6 year old hardware. Then other plus points include no malware, excellent boot speed and all sorts of programs that would cost a fortune if I bought them for each version of Windows.
forgot something in the last post.
the command line aren’t gone in Windows, I often use the command line in Windows for “ipconfig /all” and the shutdown command is also available so it probably aren’t as gone as you think, even if you don’t really have to use it.
Matt Kukowski this is one of those “research before you just post” moments. I have hardly ever had to use the Terminal, the only times I have used it are in the cases where I wanted to learn how it worked, except for those moments I can’t remember touching it.
Where have you gotten the impression that you must use the terminal any way?
Matt is right. Most computer users have been completely conditioned by the Windows–and Mac–experience. Both Xandros and Linspire tried to be that distro for the unwashed masses but were soundly criticized for it by some Linux zealots.
I myself have been using Linux for around 4 years now and as a software developer/techie, I love it. I have always thought of it as being an OS for technically minded people and don’t understand why it should be watered down so that non-techies can use it. It winds me up when people criticize it just because its different in the way it works, seems like people wont be satisfied until it mimics windoze in every way, and therefore becomes the same. I am happy for Linux to remain slightly challenging to master and set up just the way I like it. Technical people need technical tools with which to do their job. The rest can pay for windows and the privilege of not having to learn anything new.
Look, I love LINUX, my whole family use it. But we can’t ignore these write ups, they are written as some new users will see Linux and if they have a bad experience they won’t use it. We may not like it but we must read them, understand them and improve the features they fall over on. I’m not saying dumbing down we don’t need to do that, just improve. And something else we don’t need to do is writing comments that do nothing but call the author a complete and utter £$%^& that doesn’t help either…. though I do feel your pain, there are some complete ^&*$ writing dross, just to rubbish Linux. Linux is a choice, an open choice…. sometimes the choice is windows…. it’s like smoking… people know it’s bad for them but they do it anyway…go figure!
In response to Matt Kukowski’s comment…when do you have to use the command line for anything in Ubuntu? pretty much nothing unless your using ssh, or installing or configuring a server. But then again if your doing any of those activities then you should expect to have to use a commandline. But my mother uses Ubuntu on her computer at home, and she NEVER has to use the command line for anything. She is probably the most computer illiterate person i know. And as far as she is concerned linux or any other operating system is fine, if she can just click an icon to get online or write a document. And thats how Ubuntu is. So your point is kind of moot. But then again, you’re comparing a kernel (Linux), to full fledged Operating Systems(Mac OS and Windows). Which is NOT A FAIR COMPARISON!
My first problem with “My first Experience with Linux” Posts is the title. Linux by itself is NOT an operating system. It is a component of an operating system. Ubuntu is an operating system, Mac OS is operating system, FreeBSD is an operating system, hell, one could even stretch it to say that Microsoft Windows is an operating system. Unless your a hardcore embedded developer, Linux, by itself, is NOT the operating system you are using.
I suggest the authors of these first-experience articles also explore the following themes:
“The first time I made love” (Conclusion: women are a nightmare, so do without)
“The first time I drove a car” (Conclusion: you’d better walk, it’s less dangerous)
“The first time I read a book” (Conclusion: it’s very difficult, you have to read, so better stick to writing articles on the Internet)
My feelings about first experience posts are ambiguous. On one hand, yes, they occasionally reveal a crucial usability flaw that has escaped the eyes of those accustomed to it. On the other hand, those sparks of brillaince are dim within the vast dark void of ignorance that surrounds them.
Almost every first experience post I’ve read, for example, criticizes Linux package installation. You have got to be kidding me. Linux package installation is one of the modern distribution’s greatest features, and whenever Windows users rail against it I find it hard to take them seriously.
What I do not understand about why linux is ‘hard’ or ‘easy’ is that it should ALL be about the GUI.
GUI
GUI
GUI
Mass users use the GUI. Let me say that again. GUI GUI GUI… ok three times.
If Linux has to resort to the command line, in any way shape or form, it has lost to Apple and Microsoft. When I say that I mean the DESKTOP Linux… server linux and anyone that loves the bash prompt ( I myself love bash and command lines ) can use the command line as we all know it is WAY WAY WAY more stable without all the GUI crap.
But, to a new user, GUI is EVERYTHING. If they can not click it in a check box, select drop down or radio button… than forgot about it.
One thing that Microsoft and Apple STRIVE to accomplish is that… if the user has to fall back on the command line in ANYWAYS, than that is concidered a BUG and a GUI option is promptly made to fix it.
If we want link to ‘win’ or to be able to be used by ANYONE, than the command prompt has to be reserved for the anvanced user.
GUI is EVERYTHING to the masses.
There are of course arguments about drivers and the lack of specs… but still… if the user has to use the command line in a DESKTOP something is wrong.
Follow this VERY SIMPLE philosophy, and you can end this conversation in a heart beat.
i like these “first experience with linux” posts.
For most the first impression is the most important one.
so these “novice reviews” not only are interesting to read, but have also shaped or are shaping many things in linux as we speak.
and of course we also have reviewers who just like to start flame wars for insignificant things
I think I know who you had in mind when you wrote this post. I won’t mention any names but it caused quite an uproar over at CW. Linux will always be twice as hard as it was for the first-time computer learning experience. When people are learning to use Linux, they are also unlearning Windows.
Matt Kukowski – http://www.linuxloop.com/news/2008/12/31/the-terminal-test-do-you-have-to-use-the-terminal-in-linux/