Letters to the Editor

Papawoob,

Let me take this time to thank you personally for the magazine. I look forward to the articles, reviews and letters sent in by users. I've been using Linux pretty much since 2000 and started with Slackware 8.0, I think. I switched to PCLinuxOS 2007 a few months ago, and it is now my main machine running as a print and file server for my LAN. I also use it for a desktop. I've experimented with quite a few distros, and like others have found PCLinuxOS to be an excellent Linux system. I've installed PCLinuxOS on several friends/customers machines as a dual boot, all with great success, and even though many folks are not technically savvy, by and large, people seem to adapt just fine once they are shown what to do, as is true in many things.

I think Linux is great!! I originally was introduced to it back in 1993 when a friend (software engineer) was experimenting with Coherent and Minix, then came Slackware 3.0, I think. I didn't know what to make of them, I was into MS DOS pretty much, but when the bug hit me to find out what "Unix" was like, Linux was the perfect fit. To find out what "Unix" was like, was my whole focus and when I found that it was open enough to let me experiment and actually do things and learn, I said to myself, "WOW"!!

I hate that many of the "Linux" issues are now about being against Microsoft. Seems like some people are so totally absorbed in being "anti" that they lose site of the real focus on what "they" can "do" with Linux, the focus in the "Unix" philosophy and learning in general. Don't get me wrong, I don't care for monopolies and the IP/DRM issues, but those issues have to do with larger things than any one company's rule or policy. As my software engineer friend (now retired) put it "the world is application driven" .... and another phrase was "what do you want to do with it" (the computer, that is), he is a true engineer at heart, and in my opinion, engineers, as a whole, have a much better approach in understanding how things work than non engineers. Perhaps this betrays the true character of the subtleties of Linux adoption, that is, the fact that Unix was a system written "by" engineers "for" engineers. Of course I'm all for consumer adoption and Linux has come a long way in that regard.

I think one real issue is that people, in general, face the difference between a non engineer and an engineers world and are continually wrestling with "understanding" how things work. This has a much larger affect than just on the computer world. Each set of problems people and corporations deal with have their consequences .... with regard to the computer world, when things are made into turnkey machines for "consumers" you sacrifice the understanding of how it works. There is nothing wrong with that approach, but the consequences produce a dumbed down approach and a set of people who expect this, some folks don't want to understand how things work ... so goes the Microsoft product world as well as many consumables we all purchase. The benefit from such an approach is that you don't have to know much and even a 5 year old can work the system. But when the consumer/non-engineer steps out of this "turn key" approach (something a 5 year old is unable to do) and has to begin to "understand" how things work ... there lies the frustration. These are learning issues in general and I fault our public educational system for that. There are people who "want" to learn and others who don't. I think you can have a system for both, especially in the "Linux" development world.

With that I'll sign off now. I didn't mean for this to turn into a lengthy email but I did want to give you a few thoughts from yet another happy Linux user. Sure do appreciate you and the team at the magazine as well as Texstar and the gang for a great distribution.

Sincerely,
Tom Nielsen

Hello there and thank you for making the best version of Linux to date! PCLinuxOS is exactly what the doctor ordered for me.

The REAL purpose of this letter though is to ask you if a Playstation 3 version of PC Linux is going to be made. I have tried others such as Ubuntu 7.10 and Yellow Dog Linux and they do not work.

Thank You for your time and patience,

Adam ( Digikid ) McDougall

Just wanted to say thanks to Papawoob and the staff for another excellent issue. I look forward each month to the next publication.

Regards, JonC

Hi,

I'm a recent migrant to the Linux world and my first stoppage was Ubuntu, and then a bunch of other distros till I landed on the doorstep of PCLOS, and believe me, ever since I have not even thought about moving to any other distro.

Then I came across PCLOS' website and eventually your magazine's website. I was really thrilled to see the amount of material available for hardcore windows users like me. It made it so much easier to migrate to Linux. I decided to take this migration to the next level.

I am the manager of the IT division of my company which is in the Multimedia business. I have decided to migrate about 90% of the PCs in the corporation from Windows to PCLOS. I was wondering if there is an article that could help me in this migration process. Furthermore, I was wondering if you can advise me on how can we, as a corporation, support the PCLOS team in developing future versions and keep the flame burning. I'd be really grateful if you can hook me up with the concerned person(s)/team so that I can put my ideas in front of them.

Thanks and keep up the good work.

Regards,
Paramjeet S. Bhambra (PJ)
Manager - ICT Division
Royal Media Services Ltd.

Hello, Papawoob et al.,

I just wanted to take a few minutes to write and let you and everyone else who helps to produce the magazine know that I appreciate your work. The magazine is nicely put together, and as a new PCLOS user, it's content is a great help to me. My former primary distro was Xandros; one of the reasons I selected it was that it came with a printed user's manual (written by Xandros) and a commercially published book on it. (Rickford Grant's "Linux Made Easy," published by No Starch Press) was available as well. (Yes, I am an old fogey who likes printed material when learning something new).

When I first began using PCLOS, I was a bit concerned that I would lack the printed safety net I had with Xandros. PCLOS Magazine has helped fill that gap and fortunately, almost everything has "just worked" with minimal intervention on my part. Although PCLOS might not have the buzz or the financial backing that Ubuntu does, I think it's pretty amazing and am grateful that I decided to try it.

I am sure that you put much time and effort into creating the magazine. Even if you don't get much fan mail, I'm willing to bet that many PCLOS users find the magazine as useful as I do.

Thanks again for your hard work. With best wishes,

David Pardue

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