[OT] Get users educated, was: Re: Windows and DLLs

[Nils Philippsen <nils wombat dialup fht-esslingen de>]

On Fri, 2 Oct 1998, Jesse D. Sightler wrote:
[snip]
> 
> 
> Yes, but many people do not realize that this is what the somewhat confusing
> error messages from PRM -Uvh mean.
> 
> These people then often go on to do a RPM -Uvh --force --nodeps to make it
> work.  If you don't believe that people really do this, then let me remind
> you that not only have I done it, but several others on the mailing lists
> seem to have as well (based on other comments in other threads).

If someone doesn't think about what (s)he does -- let her/him suffer. It's
the easiest way people will learn to inform themselves about what they do.
Be informed or let it be. I don't want to suggest _not_ answering to such
people but bring correct answers (not --nodeps --force, but "you have to
fetch the package xyz-1.1-4.i386.rpm prior to installing this"). I by
myself use --force from time to time, but I know what I do and I don't
complain if it breaks. We really need to get the steadily growing userbase
of open source software to _think_ more (bad people'd say (me of course
not): ... than they did while using windows) about what they do, how they
do it, why they do it this way, and so on. Getting people educated with
this type of software is very important or I may prophecy the OSS
community in its whole real headache for the future. The point is not
"GUIs are moot, only morons use them", the point is "you have this app
(may even have a GUI), now inform yourself about its usage. Read the
documentation, do the tutorial that's on its homepage, ...".

Do you know why so many people can drive a car (I'm speaking for Europe,
can't tell for the US -- no offence intended)? Because they have to get a
driving licence _before_ doing it. They even pay money for it (mine cost
~3100 DM which is about 1900 US$ -- I really did learn a lot in the
course). And to "upgrade" from a Volkswagen to a truck they have to 
"upgrade" their licence, too (realize the similarity to operating systems:
Windows <-> car (nice color, air condition, automatic gear switching
(don't know the correct term), ...) , UNIX <-> truck (used to get work
done, "bad" looks (UI, anyone?), no automatic gear switching (at least
over here in Europe), ...)). What I want to say is that people have proper
knowledge of what they do in this field, why should it be different with
computers? If I use a {coffeemachine, chainsaw, lawnmower, vacuum cleaner}
for the first time I inform myself about how to use it (handbook, mum,
grandpa, boss, colleague, ...). Few people don't do this and it almost
always ends with a catastrophy.

With regard to the car/truck example I don't want to say that people
should abstain from using a truck (and it should be horrible to use, and
so on), if people improve easy use of a truck, more power to them -- but
people driving a truck should always have in mind that it is far heavier
than their car "at home". If I use UNIX's "rm" instead of DOS' "del" or
Windows Explorer trashcan I must have in mind that deleted files are gone
and I should not make mistakes with this command. The same for rpm: It
_is_ much more powerful than the Windows Install Wizard procedure, today
it _has_ this "archaic" user interface (may change, I think there are a
lot of frontends for rpm, people not comfortable with rpm should use
them), and using it implies a little more thinking/learning than using an
Install Wizard.

> 
> IOW, this aspect of "upgrading" is needlessly confusing and archaic, IMHO.

Use a frontend.

Regards, Nils

PS: Did anyone notice I didn't use RTFM in this message.. Oh bummer! :-)
-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nils Philippsen                  @college: nils@rhlx01.rz.fht-esslingen.de
Vogelsangstrasse 115             @home:    nils@wombat.dialup.fht-esslingen.de
D 70197 Stuttgart                phone:    +49-711-6599405
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe I should patent stupidity so every lawyer will owe me BIG !!
(mpare@cadvision.com)