I was of the opinion that anything that suggested the terminal was purely for speed reasons.
Average Windows guide. Click here, dismiss the warning, click here, click here, close the advert, click next, type in 1, accept, reboot.
Average Linux guide, go to Gnome Tweaks, third option, type in 1, no reboot required. Or open a terminal and paste the following command.
It’s precise, it’s concise, and it’s fast but it’s not required.
the are so many desktop environments
I completely disagree. There is Gnome with 70% of the market, KDE with 30%, and then various hacked together desktops with <1%. Guides should be set up for Gnome because you stick with defaults if you are that scared, maybe a reference for KDE, and if you chose something else then your already in copy/paste commands territory.
There was no part of me setting up SteamOS on my couch PC that required a terminal, which is what we are talking about here.
Regardless of the reason, the end result is still the same, which is that new users are left with the idea that terminal is essential for using Linux.
You can say that you set up a distro without using terminal all you want, but as long as new users don’t know how to do that, my point still stands. Frankly, the fact that you even thought to bring up that point feels like, to me, extra proof that experienced users are highly dismissive of the new user experience.
Exactly the advice no-one who is technically literate enough to try Linux will ever follow. “Just execute this random code you don’t understand. Trust me.”
So the problem is crappy guides?
I was of the opinion that anything that suggested the terminal was purely for speed reasons.
Average Windows guide. Click here, dismiss the warning, click here, click here, close the advert, click next, type in 1, accept, reboot.
Average Linux guide, go to Gnome Tweaks, third option, type in 1, no reboot required. Or open a terminal and paste the following command.
It’s precise, it’s concise, and it’s fast but it’s not required.
I completely disagree. There is Gnome with 70% of the market, KDE with 30%, and then various hacked together desktops with <1%. Guides should be set up for Gnome because you stick with defaults if you are that scared, maybe a reference for KDE, and if you chose something else then your already in copy/paste commands territory.
There was no part of me setting up SteamOS on my couch PC that required a terminal, which is what we are talking about here.
Regardless of the reason, the end result is still the same, which is that new users are left with the idea that terminal is essential for using Linux.
You can say that you set up a distro without using terminal all you want, but as long as new users don’t know how to do that, my point still stands. Frankly, the fact that you even thought to bring up that point feels like, to me, extra proof that experienced users are highly dismissive of the new user experience.
Exactly the advice no-one who is technically literate enough to try Linux will ever follow. “Just execute this random code you don’t understand. Trust me.”