Well, I don't agree with you, but That's what you get for posting such a hard statement.
With a review like yours, from the 'regular user'-point of view, I have always the same remark: Would your mother (not to be offensive, but you used the same comparison in the review) be able to install windows or ubuntu or any other distro?
If you take stand for those people, than you have to agree that they always have someone around to do the installation for them, someone who reads up on stuff (manuals, howto's, google etc). I am someone like that: for several years I have done it using windows (since win95 I do everything myself) and now since 1.5 years I do the same with linux (Archlinux and Debian).
And as a consequence, I RTFM and I'm not ashamed for it, nor would I use it against a distro for pointing out how bad it is.
If you are a regular user, than you at the very least have someone to assist you in installing the OS. Installing codecs and everything-but-the-kitchensink-applications is part of the installation. The regular user should only care about setting up an emailclient, adding bookmarks and changing the wallpaper - everything else should work.
Have you ever tried playing an Xvid-encoded movie on a vanilla Windows XP? No? You have to go out and find a codec pack on the internet that is not infected with malware. You have to *know* which codecs or -packs you need and where to get them without getting infected.
My point is: your point of view is not good to review the installation procedure of an operating system. If you really want to stand tall for the regular user, then ask a dev of foresight (or any distro you will be reviewing) to install it on machine of yours (through ssh that should work I guess) and ask him/her if everything is set up correctly before you start reviewing the usability without having to read manuals.
Submitted by zenlord (not verified) on Fri, 03/21/2008 - 10:44.
Well, I don't agree with you, but That's what you get for posting such a hard statement.
With a review like yours, from the 'regular user'-point of view, I have always the same remark: Would your mother (not to be offensive, but you used the same comparison in the review) be able to install windows or ubuntu or any other distro?
If you take stand for those people, than you have to agree that they always have someone around to do the installation for them, someone who reads up on stuff (manuals, howto's, google etc). I am someone like that: for several years I have done it using windows (since win95 I do everything myself) and now since 1.5 years I do the same with linux (Archlinux and Debian).
And as a consequence, I RTFM and I'm not ashamed for it, nor would I use it against a distro for pointing out how bad it is.
If you are a regular user, than you at the very least have someone to assist you in installing the OS. Installing codecs and everything-but-the-kitchensink-applications is part of the installation. The regular user should only care about setting up an emailclient, adding bookmarks and changing the wallpaper - everything else should work.
Have you ever tried playing an Xvid-encoded movie on a vanilla Windows XP? No? You have to go out and find a codec pack on the internet that is not infected with malware. You have to *know* which codecs or -packs you need and where to get them without getting infected.
My point is: your point of view is not good to review the installation procedure of an operating system. If you really want to stand tall for the regular user, then ask a dev of foresight (or any distro you will be reviewing) to install it on machine of yours (through ssh that should work I guess) and ask him/her if everything is set up correctly before you start reviewing the usability without having to read manuals.
Submitted by zenlord (not verified) on Fri, 03/21/2008 - 10:44.