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Maybe we should qualify that.
But to qualify the kind of users would take some time. As the blog entry Where are the “average” computer users? by Jim of UbuntuKids.org says:
My post was mainly motivated by reading all the threads on the forums where people complain that Ubuntu isn’t ready for the average user. I think it is ready for the average user. I just could find any. I think the point is that Ubuntu is not ready for the average idiot (maybe) and that, sadly, accounts for the majority of the computer using population (see above graph).
So far, average users I encounter have been comfortable using Linux. What are their characteristics? Here they are:
- They know what a CD/DVD+/-RW drive is.
- They can use an Office suite well enough for their needs.
- They know how to turn a computer on and off.
- They know what they want to do on the computer.
- They are sometimes afraid to explore the features of their computers and the software installed.
- They ask for help when they need to.
I am not including any troubleshooting skills into the list of characteristics even though some of them do have that. To a certain degree, those average users I encountered didn’t give up immediately after finding out that their browser crashed or the could not hear music when they’re supposed to. They tried to figure out what they did when it happened. Though I also encountered users who really had no idea whatsoever. Tough, eh? And there are some users – they are too afraid to click anything at all. But once you show them something that they could do, they will be try to remember it and they will do their best. It’s not that they’re idiots — it’s more like they need to know where to begin. User interface, for one thing, could be quite confusing for some compared to others.
Maybe we think too lowly of users that we think they can’t handle it. For me, the only way to figure out the Linux desktop readiness is by making the users really get around to trying it out for themselves.
