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On Sun, 2011-05-01 at 00:30 +0100, Keith Abraham wrote: > [rant] apropos the DTP/Scribus thread > > I am a member of quite a lot of Linux forums and the recent influx of > Windows users reveals a uncomfortable fact. Windows users coming to > Linux seem incapable of thinking beyond what is in front of their noses. > I've lost count of the number of times I've seen a bald statement > something like "I put the disk in and it don't work" and expecting > someone to tell them how to rectify the situation. Often the solution is > right in front of them and all that's required is for them to simply > stop and think for a moment. Experimenting seems to be completely beyond > them as is the ability to provide even the meagre information required > to solve their problem. Even worse it's amazing to discover their > inability to conduct an effective Google search. What ever do they > navigate the Internet? I am completely with you on this. I am a web developer and I have pretty much seen it all. Things like "What's this foreign text on this design? That's not my text!" (referring to the 'lorem ipsum' placeholder text) - and, "Why doesn't my website fit perfectly vertical on the screen?" whilst they are using a netbook. Oh, I won't go on.. but here's another good one. "Where's the iPhone app for my website?" (I'll leave that one to your imagination). Windows users have been pretty much brainwashed, most people have grown up with it. Most people in their 20's and 30's now learnt it in school with no alternative option.. so that's all they know and that's it - nothing else matters. My biggest fear is that some linux distro's start becoming more like Windows to accommodate this (mint). In my opinion, it also renders some rather big issues within society in that people are actually becoming more arrogant and lazy - and are not prepared to learn anything new, even if its a better long term solution. > > OK moving to another platform ain't easy but if they can't be bothered > to try things and attempt to understand the new platform then what do > they think they are doing? Yeah that's my argument. I am happy to help anyone who wants help, but I am not persisting with people who get argumentative about it. > > To me what lies behind their attitude is the arrogance that lies behind > "the world owes me a living". i.e. If I want something and it doesn't > appear immediately then the world is at fault. It seems the dictum > acquired by countless generations that "nothing worth having is easily > acquired" is almost completely forgotten. That's because things are getting easier to acquire at a price. This may be down to social conditioning by things like the press and TV etc... which does the economy the world of good, because most people will pay someone else to sort their problems out. Here is a prime example, some businesses we deal with say 'refer to your accountant'. When I say 'What accountant?' they are totally bewildered. I do my own taxes and accounts because I've learnt how to - why should I pay someone else to do it? Just because I cant be bothered or something? > > It's increasing becoming the norm that nobody will work at anything. > From the easy fame ethos behind shows like "Britain's got Talent", the > philosophy that everything you do must be "fun", the unthinking every > day acceptance of oppression and loss of freedom to unrecognised > brainwashing statements like "Mars is the planet that fascinates us all". Haha just what I was saying above :) > > Slowly the finer things in life are forgotten and our world is filling > with the shallowness of mediocrity. Libraries empty of great literature, > instead filled with books pitched at the "fill in the time on the > plane" reader. A world devoid of music which doesn't have a repetitive > beat and limited dynamic range. A mind numbing media provided by the > half educated for sponges and where news reports are more fantasy than > reality. (e.g a sound bite and one journalist interviewing another > journalist is not news.) :D > > Without trying to understand things then our vision will never be more > than it is now and each one of us no more than it's static reflection. A > future without horizons to strive for is no future at all but a stagnant > never ending now and to my mind is as good a definition of decadence as > anything an anthropologist/philosopher could provide. > [/rant] If you have the same problem as me and start hating everyone (even getting stuck behind slow walking people in a complete daze looking at every advertisement in sight in shopping centres which REALLY annoys me). If you have any idea how you can manage and repress this frustration let me know! I haven't found one yet! > > Apologies to all. It's late, I'm sat here on my own with little to do, > so it seemed to me to be as good a time as any to have a rant.;-) > > > Keith > -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq