Spring RTS Engine

Some time ago (1 year+?), i have heard about a project sponsored by Novell, the present owner of Suse, that was studying dificulties and behaviours of people using desktop computers.

They would put people in a comp with Linux and tell them to try and do some simple well defined tasks. While they were doing them, they were beeing recorded by a camera and had they're actions in the desktop recorded as well.

I must say that that is extremely funny. You can see the facial expressions people do, unneded movements of the mouse they do for no aparent reason, et cetera. It is really funny!

The site where you can download the videos of many people is here:
http://www.betterdesktop.org/wiki/index.php?title=Data
You can also check some of the conclusions they reached after the studies on that data.

For those who, like me, are very interested in knowing what those studies will result in, i have found, yesterday, the presentations of the new family of Suses, "Suse Enterprise". That is why i remembered of posting this.

In here, you have a presentation of "SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop" in 5 videos. Although that family of Suses is very oriented for the enterprises, it is still amazing to watch and see the breakthroughs they are making in the usability of computers.
http://www.novell.com/video/desktop/

I can't wait to get my hands on a Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop, myself.

Uh... I got through about half the first video on the Novell site before I quit. Useability or something. Noticed that basically it was just Windows XP. >_>

I'm no fan of Microsoft, but I'd like to see something that's actually new before I call it innovative.

Ok, so that was only the first video. But meh.

Well I quickly browsed trhough some other movies as well.
Indeed, as Caydr mentioned. They are presentating a Windows look (since windows 95) with an intergrates search function and the 'start' button is renamed: 'computer' (which does sounds better).
The openoffice movie was just plain silly. OO had always been able to read and write .doc files flawlessly (well, not always flawlessly). And they are presentating it as an entire new thing they developed. (correct me if I'm wrong).

I agree on Caydr: 'meh'.
If I want Linux, I don't want a windows look. I want X11!

People wrote: Meh, meh!

About that same thing, someone wrote some wise words:

...
It struck home for me when a company I worked for switched from Eudora to Netscape about 5 years ago. I had to help the engineer figure out how to use Netscape. He was intelligent, but not a computer person, so things that seemed very obvious to me, he didn't see. I thought the programs were almost alike.
...

I am a networks administrator (although unenployed) and i came to realise how little things make all the diference. I guess i see things diferently, more like that quote.

Also, you probably should have seen some videos of the funny people to see they're dificulties and how the OS was to see how changed it has become and fully realise all the «little» things.

But i am a geek...

windows is compatible. and free with every computer. and easy to use. why the hell would any one bother chaging? i know i'm way too lazy too

Min3mat wrote:windows is compatible. and free with every computer. and easy to use. why the hell would any one bother chaging? i know i'm way too lazy too

Yea, but magically you get 90├óÔÇÜ┬¼ back if you don't choose windows.
You see? HOW CAN THIS BE?
Cuz windows aint free.

Word.

Min3mat wrote:windows is compatible.

compatible with what?

Min3mat wrote:free with every computer.

you mean it comes free when you buy your PC. that depends on the retailer. Windows is not free at al.

Min3mat wrote:easy to use.

Compared with what? You find yourself having a lot of difficulties when you want something more then opeing spring.

Min3mat wrote:why the hell would any one bother chaging?

Becouse, you don't even got a clue what the other OS has to offer, since you never tried.

Min3mat wrote:i know i'm way too lazy too

Can't argue with that, it fits you

This post may be offending towards sertain readers. I just want to open min's eyes.

Min3mat wrote:windows is compatible. and free with every computer. and easy to use. why the hell would any one bother chaging? i know i'm way too lazy too

I had typed a large post explaining why but just move on to Vista.
It's easy and you don't have to think that way.

Linux is like Spring but then every component of your system has a community that releases updates.
So you have one system consisting of works made by hundreds of individual communities.
An example would be Firefox with all its extensions.
Or Spring with all its mods.

Min3mat wrote:windows is ... free with every computer. ...

Jeeeesus dude!?

Min3mat wrote:... and easy to use. ...

Yes and no! I have been harshly complaining about Windows and Microsoft much before i even knew Linux existed. As well as many people i know and many you probably know too.
But most people goten so used to it that any small diference is hard to overcome.

I know unix very well and even tried Linspire for a short while just to see if the moment has come to switch from Win to *X Os-driven systems.
Thing is: I couldn't find a very good email client with the same functionality as "The Bat" (very elaborate ruleset). Also some other wishes couldn't be fixed easily under Linspire or were just impossible.

So my conclusion at that moment (6 months back): switching would hurt and the moment to switch is not there yet. Windows still offers more, but I'm glad the gap gets smaller each month.

monk.

i have no problems with windows. it works. it very very rarely crashes (once ever 3-4 months max). it is compatible with everything. it is free with certain computers. i can't be arsed reformatting my HD installing another OS using it for a month or so then possibly reformatting again.

"free" and "came with your Pc" are two diffrent things.
[example] this Diskman came with two batteries included. So they are free. [/example] you paided for the diskman, and the batteries came with them, so you paid for them.

As for the rest. Yes, only ppl who arn't lazy use anything else when Windows. The human kind has not reached it's techinological level by lazy ppl.

Zenka wrote:"free" and "came with your Pc" are two diffrent things.
[example] this Diskman came with two batteries included. So they are free. [/example] you paided for the diskman, and the batteries came with them, so you paid for them.

As for the rest. Yes, only ppl who arn't lazy use anything else when Windows. The human kind has not reached it's techinological level by lazy ppl.

Linux is getting there, the setup is a hell of a lot easier than it used to be.

Min3mat wrote:... windows. ... is free with certain computers. ...

Jeeesus, i thought you had made a simple mistake in the first statement but you really have no idea...

PauloMorfeo wrote:

Min3mat wrote:... windows. ... is free with certain computers. ...

Jeeesus, i thought you had made a simple mistake in the first statement but you really have no idea...

It is for me. my uni has deal with microsoft. I own 1000s of dollars in proeject/server software etc for free.

The only reason people find Windows to be "easier" is that they don't have to put up with installing it. Anyone here ever build a computer and install Windows? It's a pain in the butt. Some versions of Linux are a pain in the butt too, others are about as easy as you can get.

For example, with the latest Kubuntu release, you put a CD in the cdrom drive, and turn the computer on. It boots up to a graphical desktop environment. You can play around with the OS for a while, and if all seems well, there's this nice little "install" icon right on the desktop. Walk throught the wizard, reboot, and you're running Kubuntu GNU/Linux.

Speaking of bulding a computer and installing windows, you'll find out in a hurry that Windows in definitely NOT free in any sense of the word.

longhair wrote:The only reason people find Windows to be "easier" is that they don't have to put up with installing it. Anyone here ever build a computer and install Windows? It's a pain in the butt. Some versions of Linux are a pain in the butt too, others are about as easy as you can get.

For example, with the latest Kubuntu release, you put a CD in the cdrom drive, and turn the computer on. It boots up to a graphical desktop environment. You can play around with the OS for a while, and if all seems well, there's this nice little "install" icon right on the desktop. Walk throught the wizard, reboot, and you're running Kubuntu GNU/Linux.

Speaking of bulding a computer and installing windows, you'll find out in a hurry that Windows in definitely NOT free in any sense of the word.

XP crapped up on my friend when he installed media center for his 360, another friend used a Gentoo Live CD to get most of his the stuff he need back up in under a few hours.