Project Independence

Project coordinator
jfm2@club-internet.fr

Web Weaver
elflord@pegasus.rutgers.edu

Mailing list subscriptions
majordomo@seul.org
(put subscribe independence-l in the body)

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Project Independence: Making Linux easy to use.

Why this project?

The limits of Linux spreading will be set by its easiness of use: it will be used by the people skilled enough to "survive" in it. Either Linux become easy too use or it will remain confined in a small programmers ghetto. We don't accept that.

What are we doing?

Making a distribution implementing some fresh ideas
Building a repository of user-friendly applications both for helping people in locating them (with the added benefit we have repackaged to be as plug and play as possible). and for helping these applications to gain the upper hand over the traditional and user hostile ones.
Writing advocacy texts for easy Linux and for dispelling some myths who do much for Linux reputation of a difficult system. This way we hope to influence both developpers, and other distributions in being more concerned about user friendliness and in users who have to self-teach.
We are planning to start a "We want drivers" lobbying campaign. The fact Linux has few drivers and that sometimes they are difficult to find is a major obstacle to user friendliness. As long as drivers are written by users that will mean we will get drivers many months after the hardware is released. We must get from manufacturers they write Linux drivers. Manufacturers write drivers basing on one criteria: market share. But because Linux has no powerful sponsor and because Linux users are used to this situation they accept the fact Mac users are getting drivers and Linux users not. We play no more at this. We are now as numerous as Mac people so now it is time to tell manufacturers we are market share too.

This project will not save world all by itself.

Many issues such as manufacturers providing drivers, ISPs providing connection kits or existence of user friendly application software are beyond reach of the distribution developper. It will be the growing number of Linux users who will push hardware manufacturers to write drivers, it will be number of Linux users who will push software companies to write software for Linux and it will be the presence of Linux users who are not computer experts who will push developers to write user friendly software. What we can do by ourselves is only make Linux a bit easier thus making its spreading and change in sociology a bit faster.

Project Independence: Making Linux easy to use.

Why this project?

What are we doing?

This project will not save world all by itself.

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