You Know What Part

"Let us think the unthinkable, Let us do the undoable, Let us prepare to grapple with ineffable itself, And see if we may not eff it after all." Douglas Adams

The Linux Car Dealership

Someone (warped23) posting on this story on Slashdot left a killer comment. The poster will probably get modded down since this thread has turned into a “my distro is better than your distro” and fact-checking free-for-all, but it sums up nicely what Linux maniacs are unwilling to acknowledge: Linux, to the average user, in inaccessible.

Hi folks, you say you want a new Linux car? Step right into our training room where we will go through our special course “How to buy and configure your new Linux car 101”, and we will have you out and ready to actually select and buy your new car in just a matter of hours! What? You think you want to purchase that Dodge Caravan at the dealer down the street? Hell no! You don’t want that!! Why, don’t you realize that our Linux vans can be configured with no less than 23 different kinds of seats? We will even give you a map to show you the way to the 23 different aftermarket Linux car parts shops that sell them! OK, enough talk of other inferior cars! Come on in, take a seat, get comfortable. Let’s go through the overview of what we will cover in the course..let’s see..frames..yep, we will go through the 12 different kinds of frames and what associated parts and components you can actually buy in install on each. Engines.. great module .. we go over the 9 different engines you can buy, and also the many differrent carberator, cooling, and air conditioning systems available for each engine option, just terrific stuff.. what? yes, questions? Oh, you say you’ve really no mechanic experience? Well, don’t worry! We provide a full set of Snap-On tools (of course, you could also choose Craftsman or one of our other 3 brands) and even let you borrow a car lift to make installation a breeze! Does that answer your question? Great! Now on to the next module, Suspension and Tire options…we’d better hurry if we are going to make it to the interior seating module by the end of day…can I get you folks some coffee?…hey! Where are you going?!? Come back! Don’t buy that Dodge, they only have 3 models..come on, they don’t give you the 38 differrent kinds of headlights that you can put into OUR babys! THEY EVEN FORCE YOU TO TAKE DELIVERY WITH THE STEREO SYSTEM ALREADY INSTALLED!! HEY, COME BACK!!!……

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Linux will never be a major player on the desktop until someone can bend the will of a lot of people to create a simple, easy to understand, user-friendly version of Linux that even my brother can learn to install and use.

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