Re: [linux-audio-user] Compiling information - totally [OT]

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Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] Compiling information - totally [OT]
From: Rob (kudla_AT_pobox.com)
Date: Wed Sep 19 2001 - 01:28:10 EEST


At 06:17 PM 9/18/01 +0200, Jörn Nettingsmeier wrote:
>while that may be true, you're missing an integral part of the *FUN*
>of linux. :-D

I experienced that 'fun' about a hundred times from 1993-1995, thank you!

Actually, in all seriousness, I had to do it again a couple years ago for a
client's unhappy Caldera box and discovered it hadn't become any less time
consuming or annoying as I rolled on out of there at 1am. I figured my
Slack-running friends just kept doing it out of habit; I had no idea it was
supposed to be 'fun' but rather 'indicative Linux still needs work to be
usable by most people'.

Since my entire aim in computing the last few years has been converting
non-technical professional people into Linux users, I've learned to think
in their terms. Anyone intending to target such users (e.g. the majority
of working musicians) needs to consider this viewpoint as well, especially
since their environments tend to lack full-time sysadmins (hence their
usual reliance on Macs.)

Either that, or someone will have to write a "Compile Kernel Wizard" with a
happy little clown (er, or dragon) telling you what the difference between
CONFIG_M686 and CONFIG_MK7 is, that automatically builds it with a little
blue status bar, and that keeps a backup to which it automatically falls
back when it turns out Joe User picked the wrong options. Or.... we can
let the various distributors handle kernel configuration and packaging, try
to keep as much functionality in userland as we can, and let end users be
end users.

I don't think this is "totally [OT]" at all; this is a real issue of
particular importance to vertical markets where nearly all the users are
non-technical from a CS standpoint. The arts certainly fall into that
category, the inevitable exceptions aside.

Rob


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