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Mark Jose wrote: > Yep, the new Edgy does have that "feature". I, along with many others have > commented about that to the (K)Ubuntu devs. Personally, I cannot see the > point of hiding root files - if you are confident enough to edit or delete > files in those folders as root or using sudo, then you should be aware of the > risks. And of course, those who are confident enough to edit the files will > work out how to bypass the hiding feature anyway. Pointless and confusing for > all in my view. I guess the developers thought it was worth a test to see if > the feature would be useful - I think it will be dropped in future releases > myself. > I think the logic that has been used (and I am *not* saying I agree with it myself) is: 'If you don't know how to find them, are you sure you should be able to?' or put another way 'If you don't know how to see them will you know what to do when you can?' As I say I don't necessarily agree with the logic. However since we are talking in this context about ex-Windows users, who I know from bitter experience will fiddle until something breaks, perhaps the developers are justified in this thinking. > Guess that is purely to appease the "free software only" fans. Like Debian > from which it is derived, Ubuntu makes the user actively choose if they wish > to use non-free software. Whilst it does make life a little awkward for the > newer user, I can live with it if needs be. > It also depends on the type of user - the 'office suite user' will be unlikely to need anything not in the standard repositories, and anyone who needs more will likely be an experienced computer user anyway, and probably at least heard of LUGs or know how to use a search engine without having their hand held. > I have a floppy drive, but never used it in Kubuntu - or any other distro for > years. They were a pain in the old days, so I guess things have not improved > a lot since then! > If floppy disks are such a pain, why do distros advocate the creation of a restore floppy disk on installation? I've recovered several dead systems, Windows *and* Linux from a total reinstall with a 30p piece of plastic. It's hardly a great hardship and can be a life-saver. > I could add some other generic comments - > > dhcp enabled by default on all distros - > Maybe that could be a selection in the initial Network setup? Left to DHCP by default but users such as you could change it with one click to your preference. > complex instructions- > For new users, man pages etc are simply useless. Not just man pages though - > many instructions in help pages etc also suffer from this. Even experienced > users can be baffled by some of the information out there, so how is the new > user is expected to follow it? > Totally agreed. Even with things like unpacking bz2 or gz fles I just cut and paste the correct command. I have no idea what the command means, all I know is what it does. Annoying for someone who has been using computers for 22 years, but I don't have the spare time to wade through manuals to find out what everything means. > The comments from a new user are often far more useful to > the developer of a gui for instance, than those from a more experienced user. > The new user does not have the previous experience so is more likely to spot > lack of intuitiveness for example. > Yes I would agree with that, and also the input from an experienced user who has had to deal with new users, such as an IT support tech. They will have the technical knowledge to explain the issue properly, but also be able to look at the issue with the eyes of a newbie. Kind regards, Julian -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html