[sf-lug] Consistency

[JW]

On Jul 30, 2008, Paul Ward wrote

 >
 > I think the problem is there's no consistency for people used
 > to the Windows or OS X experience. In theory, Windows is
 > Windows and OS X is OS X, but Ubuntu is not Fedora. Its great
 > that the underpinnings of Linux are extremely consistent with
 > *nix systems, but most people don't see that. The big reason
 > why I bought a Mac in 2002 was because OS X 10.2 on a
 > powerbook was just that much of a better experience than I was
 > having with either Linux or Windows on a series of PC laptops,
 > plus it had the unix-y stuff that I had come to love!
 >
 > What I'm trying to say is that for people who want to try
 > linux, but are in between the levels of propellerhead and
 > techtard, a lot of that low-level consistency has to make its
 > way to the high level GUIs. It does require some cooperation
 > between distros, but things like rpms not working on non-Red
 > Hat distros can really burn someone (that's just an example).
 >
 >

Thank you Paul. You really understood my original post.  Please 
keep in mind that we propellerheads-in-training are not 
necessarily guided by some mysterious aesthetic when deciding 
which distribution to use.  More likely the criteria will be very 
obvious and quantifiable - the time to productivity ratio.  The 
point I was trying to make was that inconsistent or re-invented 
interfaces, which are probably the most fun for the developer, 
are the least productive for the user (and you got that, thanks).

-- Jim W.