After X number of years, I still get very frustrated/disillusioned
Posted 08-01-2010 at 12:23 PM by bigjohn
This is a prime example of what annoys the hell out of me with "things linux".....
Damn I must have been using it for something like 8 years now, and no, I'm not a techie, I'm not even an enthusiast per se.
I'm one of those weirdo's, just an ordinary user.
When it works, it's absolutely fantastic, but when it doesn't, it's a total PITA!
For instance, I've been lured to the darkside (part A) and now use Ubuntu 10.04 - even managed to learn to use Gnome instead of my original preference of KDE (probably because it's more "windows like" and feels more comfortable).
So all I want to do is set the screensaver to start automatically, on log in. Is there an easy way of doing that ? Is there hell.
Sure, I can find the System>preferences>screensaver facility, but that only switches the xscreensaver daemon on. It doesn't give you the option to start it at boot/automatically.....
I can even find the System>preferences>startup applications facility, but as per bleedin' usual while it might have the facility to add stuff to the start up list, there seems to be absolutely no guidance as to what might go in each of the dialogue input boxes.
You have to guess.....
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised should I, very few apps have decent guidance, it's been an issue for many years so why should anyone bother to correct that shortcoming ?
It seems to be all about the brilliant minds who develop applications etc, but haven't the faintest understanding of a users needs... they certainly don't seem to have the ability to explain how to achieve even the most basic of tasks in English, geek and nerdlish sure, but plain old english, the same one as spoken by some incredible percentage of the planets population (if not a first language, certainly a second - after all, it's only the "lingua franca" of world business).
This problem is even close to home with me. My brother is an IT professional, with many years of using Linux under his belt, he does IT security, mass storage and many many other things - but ask him a question and after 3 or 4 words he loses you in geekspeak!
Damn to have something as marvellous as this OS at hand, that could really be world changing (who's gonna pay for M$ stuff if you can get an easy to use, clearly explained, free version).
But it won't, because geeky types can't speak or explain about it in english, so the rest of us "normal types" haven't got a clue what they're on about.......
Ah well, disappointment, yet again........
Damn I must have been using it for something like 8 years now, and no, I'm not a techie, I'm not even an enthusiast per se.
I'm one of those weirdo's, just an ordinary user.
When it works, it's absolutely fantastic, but when it doesn't, it's a total PITA!
For instance, I've been lured to the darkside (part A) and now use Ubuntu 10.04 - even managed to learn to use Gnome instead of my original preference of KDE (probably because it's more "windows like" and feels more comfortable).
So all I want to do is set the screensaver to start automatically, on log in. Is there an easy way of doing that ? Is there hell.
Sure, I can find the System>preferences>screensaver facility, but that only switches the xscreensaver daemon on. It doesn't give you the option to start it at boot/automatically.....
I can even find the System>preferences>startup applications facility, but as per bleedin' usual while it might have the facility to add stuff to the start up list, there seems to be absolutely no guidance as to what might go in each of the dialogue input boxes.
You have to guess.....
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised should I, very few apps have decent guidance, it's been an issue for many years so why should anyone bother to correct that shortcoming ?
It seems to be all about the brilliant minds who develop applications etc, but haven't the faintest understanding of a users needs... they certainly don't seem to have the ability to explain how to achieve even the most basic of tasks in English, geek and nerdlish sure, but plain old english, the same one as spoken by some incredible percentage of the planets population (if not a first language, certainly a second - after all, it's only the "lingua franca" of world business).
This problem is even close to home with me. My brother is an IT professional, with many years of using Linux under his belt, he does IT security, mass storage and many many other things - but ask him a question and after 3 or 4 words he loses you in geekspeak!
Damn to have something as marvellous as this OS at hand, that could really be world changing (who's gonna pay for M$ stuff if you can get an easy to use, clearly explained, free version).
But it won't, because geeky types can't speak or explain about it in english, so the rest of us "normal types" haven't got a clue what they're on about.......
Ah well, disappointment, yet again........
