IMHO, wanting to twiddle and code stuff doesn't make you a nerd, or even abnormal.
hmmm.... I disagree I think, at least at home. If you mean adjusting your desktop wallpaper and having themes for XMMS/KDE/Sawfish/etc. then I agree. If you mean fiddling with config files, for days and days and days (not to mention recompiling kernels etc) just to get one peripheral working, then I disagree.
In respects to business/research use, no it is not abnormal at all. Other than my left of left wing politics, my frustrations with administering Lotus Notes/SQL Server/NT, led me to Linux. "But WHY can't I change it??????"
Any fool can program, and most do.
You're trolling, right? The only way I can make sense of this statement, is that you find programming easy, and that you only hang out with programmers. Outside of ALUG I only know 2 people who program, both of which are professional programmers. I know at least 100 people who use computers... (not to mention the 300 users I have on my network)
The idea is making the -option- of Free Software available to as many of the 'want out of box solution' crowd, while making it clear that you don't really need to be a 'nerd' to work with a Free system.
I was never disputing that. Most of this tweaking wouldn't be needed if you could buy a pooter with a GNU/Linux installation pre-installed and preconfigured for your hardware.
What I am disputing is the assumption that everyone will find GNU/Linux easy to use, install and maintain. I am only now confident after what, 7 months of using it. I install debian, and realise I'm gonna have to spend more free time learning *that*, cos everything is sufficiently different from my last distro. (If the weather gets better then that's just not going to happen!)
And anyway, being a'nerd' is "cool" these days. ;)
wbh W.B.Hill@uea.ac.uk wrote:
On Fri, 26 Apr 2002, Ricardo Campos wrote:
And anyway, being a'nerd' is "cool" these days. ;)
WHAT??????? Time to take up morris dancing...
I'm sure Hamish will blat your knees if you ask nicely.
Hey, it's nearly May Day. King's Morris procession through the town.
On Fri, 26 Apr 2002, Ricardo Campos wrote:
hmmm.... I disagree I think, at least at home. If you mean adjusting your desktop wallpaper and having themes for XMMS/KDE/Sawfish/etc. then I agree. If you mean fiddling with config files, for days and days and days (not to mention recompiling kernels etc) just to get one peripheral working, then I disagree.
I know plenty of musicians/artists who spend weeks trying to configure debian systems for DSP/Graphics, and even though they suck at it, they succeed (for the most part)
Any fool can program, and most do.
You're trolling, right? The only way I can make sense of this statement, is that you find programming easy, and that you only hang out with programmers. Outside of ALUG I only know 2 people who program, both of which are professional programmers. I know at least 100 people who use computers... (not to mention the 300 users I have on my network)
I think you're ignoring the -huge- amount of liberal arts undergraduates who do Lisp, Scheme, etc., plus a few hundred people on mailing lists I subscribe to who are artists and program in C, Python, Scheme, Tcl/Tk, and more. Even after that, programming has adepts even at a child's level (see Star Logo). My point was that, saying you're abnormal or a nerd because you program only sounds like you're an amateur programmer...which BTW, welcome to the club.
I was never disputing that. Most of this tweaking wouldn't be needed if you could buy a pooter with a GNU/Linux installation pre-installed and preconfigured for your hardware.
Indeed. Which is why more people are needed to join the GNU developer's community. But, point taken.
What I am disputing is the assumption that everyone will find GNU/Linux easy to use, install and maintain. I am only now confident after what, 7 months of using it. I install debian, and realise I'm gonna have to spend more free time learning *that*, cos everything is sufficiently different from my last distro. (If the weather gets better then that's just not going to happen!)
- No one is making that assumption. -Stay with Debian, and you 'learning' problems are over.
And anyway, being a'nerd' is "cool" these days. ;)
[running to wc] [fetching bucket] [hoarking]
david casal --0+ --- d.casal@uea.ac.uk --9+ --- www.ariada.uea.ac.uk/~dcasal --)+
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david casal -
MJ Ray -
Ricardo Campos -
wbh