Re: [SLE] The trouble converting from win to suse is the names

From: Anders Johansson (andjoh_at_rydsbo.net)
Date: 08/24/04

  • Next message: Richard: "Re: [SLE] Help with SuSE 9.1 installation" 
    To: suse-linux-e@suse.com
Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 14:27:28 +0200

    On Tuesday 24 August 2004 04:38, John Andersen wrote:
    > Stop trying to pick a fight.

    I wasn't, I was trying to make a point.

    > It doesn't matter what YOU think of the
    > name Excel, the fact of the matter is that 97% of ALL Desktop computer
    > users are familiar with that name, and know exactly what it means
    > just as they know what Word, Notepad, Wordpad, calc, winipcfg, regedit
    > etc are.

    That wasn't what I asked.

    First of all, I really question your statement that all windows users know
    what winipcfg or regedit is. Most regular (non-tech) users have very little
    in the way of a clue. The fact that 97% of users run windows is not the same
    as saying 97% of users know what the program names are, a lot of them just
    know which icon to click

    Secondly, as I said, this wasn't my question at all. I asked *how* have they
    learned it. You can't look at a name like "excel" and instantly know that
    it's a spread***. They learn over time, by asking questions like "what
    program do I use if I want to do <something>". They learn by reading articles
    in magazines, and they learn by searching software sites like shareware.com
    and similar. Perhaps they even try to run the program to see what it does.
    This is something they pick up over time, no first-time user will know it
    all.

    And the point I was trying to make is that the process is exactly identical in
    linux

    >
    > The OP's point is VERY Valid,

    I know it is, I even answered it, in my other mail in this thread

    > and there is nothing more frustrating
    > than sitting in linux trying to figure out what the program you want
    > is, and knowing only the windows name for it.

    but that's the wrong way to think. 99.99% of the time, what you want isn't "to
    run a program", it's "to do <something>". The idea shouldn't be to search for
    "a program that does what WinXXX does", it should be to search for "a program
    that will help me accomplish <something>". And the way you do that is
    absolutely identical to the way you do it in windows. You read magazines, you
    go to software sites like freshmeat, you ask friends who know 

    -- 
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