[PLUG] Clinic, Ubuntu Unity (RANT)
Keith Lofstrom
keithl at gate.kl-ic.com
Wed Oct 24 18:59:49 UTC 2012
On Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 11:01:32PM -0700, Benjamin Kerensa wrote:
> A whole clinic is required to show people how to install Gnome on Ubuntu?
> As for the Amazon Results a simple click in Privacy Settings turns them off
> or you can remove the package entirely with sudo apt-get remove
> unity-lens-shopping
Indeed, I spent about 5 minutes with one attendee showing her
how to add gnome (and generally use apt-get) and another 5
minutes showing another attendee how to turn off the amazon
shopping. Then they showed others - the clinic is where we
empower people.
We spend far more of our time on other issues, whatever shows
up. We don't have a fixed agenda, besides being helpful. My
monthly announcements have a theme, and this month the buzz
(besides the tweedle-dee tweedle-dum election) is about the
adware in 12.10. Some people don't like it AT ALL.
> For those who attended the Release Party I think they have a better idea of
> where the Unity Desktop Environment is going and how more results will
> evolve in 13.04 whether it be product results or being able to search
> Google Maps in the Dash or better yet integration with just about any site
> or service you use.
And indeed, that is the /problem/. Many people want to be
passive consumers of media. Very sad, most passive consumers
must learn to be active contributors over the next decade, or
starve in a hypercompetitive bottom-up-driven global economy.
Those of us who use our computers as general purpose creation
machines do not want to turn them into media vending machines,
driven top-down by the lords and masters of pay-walled content.
The clinics run half-and-half. We help just about anyone
who shows up (+/- attitude, we are doing this for fun).
The passive media consumers show up once, get their games
and youtubes and social media working, then go away. Ubuntu
Unity is indeed designed for them, and most people don't
need our help to get their media fix, the install and
operation is dead simple for those people. If that is
the current goal of Ubuntu, it is working.
OTOH, the creators don't want a vending machine, but they do
want a supported platform. They chose Ubuntu when it had a
different set of goals. The creators show up at the clinic
over and over again, and have much more engaging problems to
work on. Watching a person learn their way from newbie to
Linux guru and teacher of others is inspiring, and my main
motivation for participating in the clinic.
Keith
--
Keith Lofstrom keithl at keithl.com Voice (503)-520-1993
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