How hard is Linux? Check out betterdesktop.org

betterdesktop.org ^ | 2005-10-11

[antiRepublicrat]

but why do you rank Linux below Windows? Why is Apple above them? I've never used a Mac, so I don't kow anything about them.

It's all about the amount of effort put into HCI -- Human Computer Interaction.

Due to its nature, there was never a good central concerted effort to get a cohesive interface and general "way of doing things" in Linux for the average user. It's not quite out of its geek stage yet. And their best stuff just attempts to copy Windows.

Microsoft has spent the years basically just trying to copy Apple, and blown it for the most part due to the different metaphors, and thinking they can do it a bit differently and have it still work right.

With both Linux and Windows, usability guidelines for third-party developers aren't that good.

With the Mac, Apple has from day one worked on usability. They don't always get it perfect, but there is a general cohesiveness, with the computer trying to help rather than confuse you. They also have had for a long time very good and detailed guidelines for developers, down to what should go on dialog buttons (descriptive action language instead of yes and no) and how they should be placed, to the pixel.

As with Windows' Ctrl-Alt-Delete, the Mac's biggest former UI boo-boo (dragging a disk to the trash to eject) was only meant as an internal shortcut for developers. However, they've even solved that, as now the trash icon turns into an eject icon when you move a disk's icon.

Their biggest continuing (although getting better) boo-boo was copying the Windows Taskbar as the Dock in order to woo Windows users -- although they did implement it a lot better.

[Tuxedo]

Does Mepis have a version for x86-64, like an Athlon64?

[ShadowAce]

Thanks for the reply. However, it seems you are concentrating more on "ease-of-learning" rather than "ease-of-use" here. I agree that most Windows and Macs are probably easier to learn than Linux--mainly because that is what most people are used to.

However, once you have learned the software, then how would you rank them? In other words, compare an expert-level Linux user to an expert-level Windows or Mac user. Which software would then be easier to use?

Given the choices available in the *nix world(s), I would say that Linux would be easier to use.

[antiRepublicrat]

However, it seems you are concentrating more on "ease-of-learning" rather than "ease-of-use" here.

As far as GUI is concerned, I'm talking ease of use too. For example, individual menu bars on each window, that's bad news from an HCI standpoint.

Which software would then be easier to use?

Let's just use the menu bar as a starting point. The HCI concepts of motor memory and infinite height mean you will always be able to get to your menu items faster on a Mac.

Another example: the interface guidelines for buttons on dialogs helps keep the experts from clicking dialogs without reading the tiny text in it. On Windows you see "yes, no, cancel" and you often click too fast, clicking for what you think the dialog says. You may only look at the button. On a Mac you'd be more likely to get "Save, Don't Save, Cancel" with the dangerous button ("don't save") put out by itself. That and other visual cues help save us from ourselves.

[amigatec]

You need to add more sources to Mandrake to fix the dependency issues, this is where you go.


http://www.urpmi-addmedia.org/index2.php

[softwarecreator]

You need to add more sources to Mandrake to fix the dependency issues, this is where you go.

The link is now bookmarked and the next time I go on my Linux PC, I will check it out.

Thanks.

[LearnsFromMistakes]

bookmark ping. I know the thread is old, but I now have an unused PC and maybe can get to the Linux install I have been planning to do for a couple of years...