The future of linux

[warlord at MIT.EDU (Derek Atkins)]

Derek Martin <dmartin at ne.arris-i.com> writes:

> On 31 Jan 2000, Derek Atkins wrote:
> 
> > Derek,
> > 
> >  * Currently she uses AOL..  There is no AOL client for Linux.
> 
> My prejudices get in the way here too... no one should use AOL :)
> However, this is not a shortcoming of linux, it is a shortcoming of AOL.
> Then again, the type of people who currently use Linux tend not to use
> AOL, so they have no reason to write a client -- ouruboros?  Never can
> remember how to spell that... :)  Snake eating its own tail.

This is definitely a prejudice.  I don't know how much of the AOL
content my mom actually wants or uses.  However, the simplicity is
about what she can handle.  The problem is that you are prejudiced,
and there are LOTS of people out there who can barely handle windows,
let alone anything even more complicated (like Linux).  My mom has
trouble going to Start->Shutdown to turn off the machine.  Until a few
years ago, she could barely even find the ON switch (I had to tell her
a few times that '1' meant on and '0' meant off).

> >  * She uses QuickBooks. There is no alternative for Linux
> 
> You've definitely got me here.  There isn't a good replacement.  There is
> an alternative, GNUCash, but it's not ready for prime time.  Getting there
> though.

Indeed.  I'm actually involved in the GnuCash project.  It'll be close
to a Quicken replacement relatively soon.  However, quickbooks is a
long-time off.

> >  * I think she may have some other third-party software which isn't
> > available for Linux.
> 
> Probably, but can it be replaced by something that is available for Linux?
> And again, this is a short-comming of the software vendor, not of linux
> per se.  They are coming around, albeit slowly.  How do you fix that?
> Write the vendor, I guess.  Though software vendors have been slower than
> hardware vendors to come around.  But you can't fix that problem with
> code, except for coding a replacement... 

Honestly, I don't know.  I don't know what software she uses.  But
she's basically running a small business off of it.  Payroll.  Taxes.
Stuff like that.  I don't know if there are Linux replacements.  I
doubt it.

Sure, I can write the vendors.  But that doesn't help my mom
_now_.  You were asking what Linux needs.  Well, that's what
it needs.  When it gets there, I can feel better switching her
over.

-derek

-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
       URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/      PP-ASEL      N1NWH
       warlord at MIT.EDU                        PGP key available
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