Hahaha... ease of installation 9 out of 10

[Clinton MacDonald]

Norberto:

On Thursday, October 30, 2003, at 02:56  PM, Norberto Quintanar wrote:
> Whoooo I'm still ROTFL...
>
> <http://www.osnews.com/printer.php?news_id=4884>

Also, "Credibility: 6.5/10 (stability, bugs, security)."

While I think you are being a *little* harsh in your sarcasm, I do want 
to note the following excerpt from Ms. Loli-Queru's review:

"... A more serious problem came later when my 19" monitor was set via 
the /etc/X11/XF86Config to do 1400x1050, while I had specifically asked 
it to do 1280x1024 during the X configuration in Anaconda. Editing the 
XF86Config file with a text editor fixed the problem. Overall, the 
installation is a nice experience and works well for the most part. I 
don't think that typical Mac users would have any problem with it."

In my experience, "[e]diting the XF86Config file with a text editor" 
would be a problem for almost any "typical Mac user" or Windows user 
(Ms. Loli-Queru must have fairly distant memories of the Linux learning 
curve -- "edit the XF86Config file," indeed!). However, I suspect the 
issue she encountered was a Linux/Anaconda issue more than it was a 
Yellow Dog issue.

But, why is it that every review I read of a Linux distribution begins 
and ends at "ease of installation"? "Oh, it was one of the easiest 
installations I have ever encountered," they write. "I only had to 
download and compile three video drivers, reconfigure the kernel, edit 
seven text files in unconventional locations, and reformat my drive 
twice. Really, any novice Wintel luser could have done it."

Don't these reviewers ever use actual applications? Note the presence 
or absence of key hardware drivers? Try to install a new program? 
Copy-and-paste text between two word processors? Mount a drive as a 
non-root user? Tell a laptop to go to sleep?

Pah.

Best wishes,
Clint
(who really likes Yellow Dog Linux as much as he has liked any Linux 
distribution)

-- 
Dr. Clinton C. MacDonald | <mailto:clint DOT macdonald AT sbcglobal DOT 
net>