Re: [OT] Gnat cross compiling FreeBSD to Win32 ?

["Marin David Condic" <dont.bother.mcondic.auntie.spam@[acm.org>]

An important thing to recall is that several years ago the Macintosh raised
the bar on ease of installation. Install a new device? Plug it in! Install
new software? Insert the disk! Granted, it wasn't always perfect and there
were prices to be paid, but it sure made it easy (usually) for the average
non-geek to handle.

Microsoft started getting things right with the emergence of NT and in its
subsequent incarnations. Software installations at least usually involve
inserting the disk and saying "yes" to all the install shield options. Is
Linux there? I'm not a Linux user, but I followed the prior posts and it
sure sounded like "Really, its all very simple. First you have to know the
secret handshake, then you've got to recite the proper incantation when the
full moon rises, then you've got to slaughter a goat and put it entrails on
the keyboard..... What could be more obvious???" It does *not* sound as
simple to me as "Insert the disk. Clik on "Yes" until the install shield
goes away." ("Simpler", might be "Insert the disk. Wait for it to pop out.",
but maybe we're not there yet...)

If you can install software on Linux as simply as this, then let me know.
But until you can, Linux is going to be hamstrung if it wants to become "Joe
Sixpack Consumer Linux".

MDC
--
Marin David Condic
Senior Software Engineer
Pace Micro Technology Americas    www.pacemicro.com
Enabling the digital revolution
e-Mail:    marin.condic@pacemicro.com


"Stephen Leake" <stephen.a.leake.1@gsfc.nasa.gov> wrote in message
news:uptzyu0sy.fsf@gsfc.nasa.gov...
>
> A bigger point is that I am _not_ a typical computer consumer. We
> should be comparing notes on how to install Myst, or the latest
> Quicken upgrade. (What? Those are not available for Linux? oh well,
> never mind :).
>