Newbies' guide [was: Re: [plug] Newbys guide]

[James Devenish]

In message <41FC70F5.6020105 at tpg.com.au>
on Sun, Jan 30, 2005 at 01:30:29PM +0800, Kev wrote:
> Windows users (and I've never been one of those either) want to able
> to download an application, install it and play with it.  It's really
> that simple.

True. And yet, remarkably, this conflicts with providing a stable,
reliable and secure operating system. I guess this bears some
explanation! Two of the reasons you often can't just "download
a [UNIX] application...and play with it" are:

 - software dependencies
 - cheap, diverse PC equipment

Both of these problems lead to the bloat and instability of Windows
that people want to avoid. Oh dear! They are also a "culprit" in the
diversification of the Linux distributions. Oh dear!

If you grab a Windows or Mac application, what you will find is that
it is large and includes all sorts of things "bundled" with it. With
"traditional UNIX", these components are not "bundled" with the
applications but must be installed as part of the operating system
environment. In an ideal world, the advantages of this include:

 - Security: your Linux vendor can update its components and all
   the dependent third-party applications become secured. If the
   applications had been using bundled components, your security
   would remain compromised.
 - Stability: your Linux applications won't conflict with each other
   because they know how to share components compatibly. once you get
   it working, it'll keep working.
 - Compactness and re-use of settings: since your Linux applications
   share a single copy of a component, you don't have to download the
   same component repeatedly. Also, if you set a "preference" (e.g. A4
   paper -- although that's not a particularly good example), this will
   be "understood" by all applications that share the component: you
   don't have to teach each application separately.

I realise that none of this help you, but I thought I should explain
that there are some global paradoxes to be overcome -- it is not about
geeks being unfriendly and unsympathetic. It takes the human race a long
time to find ways of designing tools that work properly when treated
like a toys. Many industries' response is to make a limited product and
have you return it to the service centre, call out a technician, or pay
to gain qualifications through formal training/licensing.