Why I can't recommend Arch or Gentoo

[Tony Baechler]

On 9/21/2015 7:48 AM, Chris Brannon wrote:
> I make no bones about being an elitist snob, so take what I say with
> that in mind.  Neither Arch nor Gentoo is really aimed at winning
> converts from Windows, so this is an unfair criticism.  It's like
> criticizing gourmet cooking because it doesn't appeal to the palates of
> people raised on McDonalds hamburgers.
> Yes, there are distros that try to be more like Windows, but Linux still
> has a very low market share, and I don't see that changing on the
> desktop.

Yes, I agree about the low market share.  That, indirectly, is kind of the 
point of my post.  I can't very well recommend something for the masses 
that's difficult to use for those who only want a GUI.  Even though it might 
not seem like it, my goal here is to increse the popularity of Linux. 
Whenever possible, I reply to list posts suggesting Linux and/or open source 
alternatives.  What I said about them not having a talking GUI was not meant 
as a criticism.  The great thing about Linux is there are hundreds of 
distros.  There is a good chance that someone already invented one to 
scratch your particular itch.  The bad thing is there are hundreds of 
distros and it's very difficult for someone potentially interested to know 
which one to choose.  As I said in another post, I do suggest Arch to people 
who like the idea of doing everything yourself and building from source, but 
in my experience, this is a very, very small percentage of an already very 
small market.

Thanks for the link to the talk.  I have downloaded it and intend to listen 
to it.  I've been wanting to play with Android, but I don't have a cell 
phone or tablet and probably can't afford to buy one.  I've read about 
virtual machines with Android installed, but I don't know of any which come 
up talking.

>
> On the other hand, if you really want a Linux with a usable talking GUI,
> look at Android.  I love it.  Yes, it has lots of rough edges, but I'm
> definitely a fan.  And it is seeing mass adoption.
> The fact is, over time, the desktop will become less and less relevant.
> Here's a great talk from Rob Landley at the Embedded Linux Conference in
> 2013 where he discusses this in a bit more depth:
> http://the-brannons.com/elc2013-landley-toybox.ogg
> Maybe someday in the not too distant future, the thing you know as
> desktop Linux will pretty much be subsumed by Android.
>
> All the best,
> -- Chris
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-- 
--------------------
Tony Baechler, founder, Baechler Access Technology Services
Putting accessibility at the forefront of technology
mailto:bats at batsupport.com
Phone: 1-619-746-8310   Fax: 1-619-449-9898