I am not a great tech support guy which is why I am being moved out of that role slowly
Essentially I fix problems with the software theyāre running or stuff they screw up on their system. We do not set up the servers for them and require the users to understand at least the basics on how to configure dns and their domains with their control panel.
Hitest may be good with linux but heās either missing the basics or needs to phrase things better because chmod has nothing to do with getting root access.
Well average user on what system? In my opinion an average user at least in this context would be someone with average skills on each operating system. So you need to define this a little more average in what context? average as in they can do more than check their email on windows? average as in they can install kazaa download their porn and run virus scans on windows? or average as in they have average skills across a few operating systems?
Average computer user is one who has never seen a command line, nor has any concept of what it is.Ā Average computer user thinks IE is the internet.Ā Average computer user doesnāt know the difference between Windows XP and Office XP.
If you donāt think thatās the āaverageā user, then you really shouldnāt be in tech support
For the āaverage userā Linux isnāt easy.Ā Not yet, anyway.Ā But it is getting easier.Ā 2 years ago Iād never have set up this thin client thing.Ā
You were splitting hairs with the chmod comment. This was stated in the broader context of installing jre as a regular userā¦not root, thus requiring you to use chmod to change permissions,. I didnāt install jre as root.
"# Note about root access: To install the JRE in a system-wide location such as /usr/local, you must login as the root user to gain the necessary permissions. If you do not have root access, install the JRE in your home directory or a subdirectory for which you have write permissions.
Change the permission of the file you downloaded to be executable. Type:
chmod a+x jre-1_5_0-linux-i586.bin"
What distros do you run if youāre such an expert as you claim?
You dont need to chmod to āget root permissionā as you say you need to chmod to get executeable permission completely different. As for your what distro question what distroās do you want to hear? fedora? redhat enterprise? gentoo? ubuntu? trustix? debian? all of the above with some freebsd in the mix. I am not saying you are dumb but either you dont know what you are talking about or phrased it in a shitty way. Have a nice day.
From my point of view at least it would be fair to say an average user that would be somewhat proficient in Windows.
99.999% of people out there use Windows of some variety and thats where most people start. So to me thats where your baseline has to start.
To me an average joe can setup an email client, open an office document of some type, connect their digital cam and get pics from it, maybe resize and crop it. Install a new printer/scanner, basic software installs.
Put that average joe in front of a Mac, a Linux box, and XP,Ā all of them already setup and installed and have them connect a digital cam, edit a photo, connect a printer and try to print that photo out. Then get them to email that photo out to a friend.
Then have them connect to the internet and download some type of software that has a version for all three platforms and get them to install it.
Now see which one gets the most complaints for usability standpoint for that avg joe.
My bet it would be Linux as Mig says.
You have to prove that Linux is easy to use like be able to plug my Powershot A400 into my XP box and presto, 30 seconds later Iām downloading photos. No drivers needed, which surprised me the first time I used it on this machine.
For Linux to be adopted more, it has to be that easy for the average joe.
Well-said.
I love Linux, but, try telling your co-worker that you needed to re-write your xorgconfig file so you could switch monitors on your Slackware box. Better yet why not have them switch a monitor in Winders and then have them try the same thing in a user-friendly Linux like Ubuntu. In windows it works, no problem, usually. It doesnāt work so well in Linux especially if the monitor has a different refresh rate, etc.
gotta reply to this average user thing: been running the local ISP for 10 years now. Thereās only 2,000 people in town, not all have internet. Most homes have several people and ONE e-mail account. Today I had to print up more sheets on how to configure Outlook Express for your e-mail, and Iāve kept a running tally.
Since the very first Outlook Express.
Its a POP3 server
named mail.same_fucking_domain_as_your_goddam_email.com
both of them
that needs you username (either one of: the part before the @ or the whole email address)
your password
and you either have to log on or you donāt to send
regardless of itās one of the historical intown ISPs, outof town ISPs, or Telus
thatās allā¦ thatās freaking all there is to it.
the 50 I printed today raised the count to 8200 sheets on āhow to setup your Outllookā
thatās your average user. I estimate requiring written instructions 9X to accomplish a simple taskā¦
God they think Iām and ubergeek and I canāt even figure out routing tables!
Yeah, Iāve had the same experience helping co-workers set-up their outlook and outlook express accounts. People freak when you say "just go in and type your POP3 and SMTP settings. They wonāt even do it if I tell them what to type.
Iām not an expert, just an average geek, a Linux hobbyist.
Yes, Iāll bet it would start to become tedious if you had to do tech support all day long. I like helping people and enjoy it when co-workers experience success using their units.
I was helped years ago by a very patient uber-nerd and he taught me that helping others is rewarding.
I think i have every tab / option memorized