Dumber people can run Linux (Inquirer) [LWN.net]

Dumber people can run Linux (Inquirer)

Posted Oct 17, 2005 13:03 UTC (Mon) by smitty_one_each (subscriber, #28989)
In reply to: Dumber people can run Linux (Inquirer) by hensema
Parent article: Dumber people can run Linux (Inquirer)

Don't confuse the technical discussion with questions of usability.
Ubuntu, apparently, has figured out how to market itself.
Whether or not Ubuntu really is any easier is less important than its success in convincing the market of this 'truth'.
-Chris

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Business model is important too

Posted Oct 17, 2005 13:16 UTC (Mon) by man_ls (subscriber, #15091) [Link]

The focus of a distribution is also important. I had real trouble keeping my old Mandrake 9.1 up to date, as sources were changing all the time; I am sure that if I had subscribed to Mandrake Club it would have worked flawlessly. This does not happen with Debian which is a voluntary effort; updates are usually painless.

Similarly for corporate users, Mandriva, Red Hat or Novell surely work well for them. Ubuntu is focused on common users; and it does not require you to pay or subscribe anywhere for things to work as they should. That alone is a big advantage for regular users.

Focus on PEOPLE!

Posted Oct 17, 2005 15:24 UTC (Mon) by AnswerGuy (subscriber, #1256) [Link]

Ubuntu is not just marketing hype. The difference is their focus on humanity . It helps quite a bit that they have a clue. But, technically, lots of people in the Linux community have had a clue. Having someone really build on all the clue and make human factors their priority is exactly what's making Ubuntu such a forced for the community.

JimD

Focus on PEOPLE!

Posted Oct 17, 2005 15:55 UTC (Mon) by cventers (subscriber, #31465) [Link]

Absolutely. Name another Linux distribution that lets you (and encourages
you to) order stacks of free professionally mastered CDs for absolutely
no charge whatsoever.