[plug] ComputerBank meeting Tues 24th 7:45pm

[Gary Allpike]

Bob,

Do you think that people that dont know how to use a mouse would know how
to install RedHat or even Windows ???

In MY opinion, Debian is *very* easy to install, answer a few questions,
hit enter a couple of times and it is done.  The biggest problem with
people installing Debian is that people dont take 2 minutes to read the
documentation.  How many people that say "Debian is hard to install" have
actually ever stopped and read the screen of instructions that appears
when you start dselect ?

However, given that the machines will be provided with the OS already
installed, I dont see that this is an issue.

The ongoing maintenance of debian is very much easier than any other
distribution in my experience. The apt-get method of downloading and
installing packages couldnt be any easier.  (Once again, since we will be
providing the machines pre-installed and configured this would also be
pre-configured.)

To install slackware would be complete insanity in my opinion.  It would
have to be the hardest to install, and the most difficult to maintain by a
very long way - on top of which, even the latest version is still very
much libc5 based - which is certainly going to cause problems with almost
everything now being compiled against glibc2.

The other issue of course is support.  Come into #linuxaus on
irc.linux.org.au and ask for assistance on RedHat - you're likely to draw
a stoney silence, whereas a debian related question is going to get you
numerous answers.  At the time of writing this email, the #debian channel
has 98 people in it, #redhat has 11 .....  Then there is also support from
savvy people such as myself, Christain and Matt.  I stand by my previous
statement (right, wrong or otherwise) that I wont get involved with 
installing RedHat or Slackware - yet I feel very sure that I could make a
very valuable contribution.


regards

Gary Allpike


On Thu, 19 Aug 1999 bob at contact.omen.com.au wrote:

> Thanks for the interest in ComputerBank guys :).
> 
> Ok, please keep in mind that the whole point of the exercise is to give
> people who may not have _any_ skills with computers a way in. To that end
> KISS is needed sometimes otherwise you'll just scare people away and
> that's not going to be helpful :). Debians unfriendly install could be a
> strike against it at this point in time for these people, perhaps once we
> have people up to "advanced" we can introduce hard options, but to be
> really usefull CB have to teach what's under the hood not just end user
> progs (while maintaining the KISS principle) so compromises have to be
> made.  If debian has any advantages for teaching CB would like to hear
> them and we're alway ready to be persuaded that "it's not that bad,
> really" but at the moment the consensus is that Slackware and RedHat fill
> the organisations needs. (We did discuss creating our own distro but
> thought that it may be a bit ambitious at the moment :).
> 
> Please feel free to present any arguments in favour of your favorite
> distro but please keep in mind that some of the recipients of these
> machines are going to have to be taught how to use a mouse!
> 
> -- 
> /-- Bob Ogden  bob at contact.omen.com.au --------------/
> /  -... --- -...   --- --. -.. . -.       Finger  for PGP key -----/
> 
> Does your system break in 134 days?
> 
> 
>