[SATLUG] Video Drivers

[tom weeks]

On Thursday 05 July 2007 15:04, Geoff wrote:
[...]
> Linux isn't for the technologically challenged.  Not yet, anyway.

Funny you say that.  It's running many in many DVD players, embedded kiosks 
and mobile phones than ever before.  And those are all devices 
that "technologically challenged" folks seem to be comfortable with.. ;)


> But, isn't that the point?  The simple fact that you had to, is -light
> years- ahead of -some- people, and therefore enough to turn someone who
> would otherwise be glad to be away from a M$ product, yet are
> technically intimidated by editing config files, or running update

That's why the GUIs on most distros do it all in the GUI now.  Automatically 
if you let it.


> THESE are the people that Linux developers need to cater to, -if- they
> want to achieve -any- of the market share that M$ so enjoys these days.


This was an argument 5 years ago.  But not now.

> Don't get me wrong - it's getting better all the time, but since 1991,
> it seems to be a long time in coming.

Very few Linux distros targeted the desktop before 2002.  Red Hat even said 
point blank that they were not interested in the desktop market at all up 
through 2003.
  
Now, Red Hat, Novell, Canonical and others are pushing it hard:
	http://news.com.com/2100-7344_3-6182673.html

If you want a nice Desktop Experience.. I would say that Ubuntu and Red Hat 
have done the most work at making it really nice to use.

If you haven't settled one one distro or another... check out Ubuntu.

> (as an aside, I just saw bits and pieces of 'Swordfish' the other night,
> and fired up bttorrent-curses, got the file, and watched in on my XP box
> (*.avi) and noted that they used Linux Torvolds name as the #1 hacker in
> the country... who eventually got shot - good movie!)

<shudder>...  Please don't use "Swordfish" and any reference to Linux in the 
same email.. ;)

Tweeks