Discuss mailing list

[Andrew Norton <ktetch AT gmail.com>]

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On 2/19/2012 9:58 PM, Mike wrote:
> What about an appliance-like linux distro, whld something like that do
> the trick, sort of like those firewall appliance type distros?
> 
> I don't think it would be terribly difficult to role our own linux
> distro appliance thingy, eh?
> 
> But, would that be the ticket?

Hardly.
"easiest way to use OpenNIC... Install a whole new OS!

> 
> --Mike
> 
> On 02/19/2012 09:42 PM, Andrew Norton wrote:
>> I've been on this list for 14 months now, and I've seen a lot of stuff.
>> Mostly it's been "new T2's".
>>
>> What I have *NOT* seen, is anything for the real audience, the everyday
>> user.
>>
>> I'm a fairly techie guy (used to design robots for the nuclear industry,
>> currently work for a tech news site, and on a distributed computing
>> project that designs particle accelerators) and yet, I'm stuck with 
>> OpenNIC.
>>
>> What few guides and documents there are, are geared towards the 1000
>> (estimate only) that would like to run a T2. For someone like me, who
>> has VERY limited knowledge about this topic, there's almost nothing.
>> That's not good.
>>
>> Imagine a car. It may have the BEST engine in the world, but if it's in
>> the bodyshell, and with the controls of a Ford Model T, no-one will want
>> one. You will get a few enthusiasts, but the mass market will say 'looks
>> ugly, and too hard to use' and you will have effectively wasted most of
>> your time.
>>
>> It's the same problem linux had 15 years ago. It was designed for
>> specialists in that field by other people in that field. It wasn't until
>> the likes of Ubuntu, with its userfriendlyness that it started to become
>> a viable alternative.
>>
>> It's a VERY common failing with tech-groups. Everyone you see and talk
>> to has a good knowledge on the subject, so you forget about the everyday
>> person that knows nothing. Instead, because it's 'obvious', you ignore
>> userfriendlyness, to focus on more cool new tech stuff.
>> The number of groups I've been involved with over the years that has
>> done this will astound you.
>>
>> The best test is to, every now and then, step back and say "that woman a
>> few doors away, could she use this, if she really wanted to, without
>> leaving our site?"
>> If the answer is no, you've got a userfriendlyness problem.
>>
>> I brought this up in the IRC chan already, but I was advised to bung it
>> here as well, so here it is.
>>


- -- 
Andrew Norton
http://ktetch.co.uk
Tel: +1(352)6-KTETCH [+1-352-658-3824]
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