Ars Technica Confirms Total Lack of Knowledge as it pertains to “Human” Users

I love the Ars Technica website. I read it regularly and find a lot of good information there. Unfortunately today was not one of those days. While I am beating this dead horse, I might as well get one more swat in. Ars posted “5 years later, 5 ways that Ubuntu has made Linux more human” and I have a little beef.

First let me say that by and large Ubuntu has made Linux more human, more approachable and just plain less scary to the non-Linux initiated. But we have to understand the concept of scale here. Ubuntu has made Linux more approachable in the same way that a Phillips head screwdriver made screws more screwable. It’s definitely better, but not by much.

Let’s go through the 5 points, and see how Ars Technica sees users through the rose colored eyes of a Linux nerd.

1. The Ubuntu Code of Conduct

Let me try and make this point succinct. It’s one that I know Microsoft understands, and one that Apple almost ensures with an iron fist. Users Do Not Contribute. Users use, that’s why they are called Users. A simple breakdown of the word itself is all you need.

While we are talking about contribution, if Linux was going to have a contribution towards contribution (boy is that cyclical) then they would try to make a move towards some common fundamentals like a single window manager, a translation based model for hardware communication and maybe an IDE that allows for rapid application development into a single installable that will run on any distribution.

Linux is splintered. The Gnome/KDE divide needs to disappear to a common language. Linux needs some Direct-X type functionality if they ever want to get games. This code of conduct does nothing to help users, and it sounds about as useful to a developer as a lifetime warranty on a disposable pen.

2. Short, Time-based Release Cycles

Here is my tip for Ubuntu. Drop the “awesome” 6-month release cycles. I have yet to install a new version of Ubuntu and think anything other than “this looks just like the last one.” If you are making performance, stability or security fixes, install those with an update manager. If you are going to make me download and install or upgrade a new version, change something other than the wallpaper. Wow people, impress them. If you can’t do that in 6 months, then adopt a cadence that allows you to actually create a product worth the hassle of upgrading.

3. Easy Installation from a Single CD Image

Now I will admit that the Live CD idea is really cool. It’s actually saved my ass a few times when I had a Windows installation go tits up and I needed to save some data. That’s a great feature. That being said, Linux had easy install nailed before Ubuntu came along, off a single CD. Live CD is neat, but I am sure Fedora, SuSe and even the older Corel distributions would have quite a bit of gripe if you said Ubuntu made installing Linux easy.

4. Convenient Access to Useful Proprietary Components

How about you really get with this one. Instead of claiming victory for having another tool that the user has to find and use to install drivers for certain hardware, get over the Richard Stallman freetard crap and just have the system find the drivers and install them automatico. Why does the user care if the driver is FREE or not, if they don’t need their credit card to install it, install it for them and shut up.

5. Strong Focus on Improving Desktop Usability

Ok, this is where I have the largest gripe. I did a post a few months ago where I showed Ubuntu’s progress through the years. It’s really not very significant. If the Mac and Linux community call the progression between Vista and Windows 7 merely a service pack, then I’d have to blame Ubuntu for releasing bug fixes for the last few, either that or they are playing air hockey and phoning in the releases. “Change the wallpaper, these idiots won’t notice.”

Will they ever get it?

I don’t want to risk sounding like some asshole or worse (John C. Dvorak maybe?) but Linux is progressing at a snails pace. Given that they have nowhere near the users, liabilities or let’s face it, responsibilities of an OS X or Windows, you would think they could really be aggressive. It seems like Linux has a “Good Enough” strategy. Make it work, make it usable, and then hope people like it. This is a glitz and glam world. Why do you think we have the phrase “put lipstick on a pig?” It’s almost like the Linux community uses the reverse strategy, “put sweatpants and a hairnet on an average looking girl.”

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