[amsat-bb] Re: gpredict

[don]

Hello John, and the other 'x aficionado's

What do you expect....that somehow an arcane set of dribblish semi 
instructions to install a new TOOL on a computer (your "command line")
or a "open the box, pull out the tool, plug it in, and start using 
it"...which scenario is the average artisan going to use?

Before you run off, foaming and ranting about Microsoft stop and 
consider this for a moment.

For a living, amongst other things, I work as an engineer, a welder, and 
a non destructive testing technician. There are well established 
standards in each of these disciplines, and I can go from one to another 
without difficulty. I dont' have to stop when I'm welding and wonder, 
experiment, and hope when I change from 7018 rods from one manufacturer 
to those from another. I know they will do the job.

When I use a 520K ohm resistor in a project I don't care if it is a 
linux or microsoft resistor as long as it fits the specs.

When I use a 70 degree probe for ultrasonic testing I don't care who 
made it so long as it meets the specs and works.

I have also written software (pdp 11 fortran) 6800 machine code 2650 
assembler z80 assembler 6502 (microsoft basic) amd 29xx bit slice 
processors (pl1, assembler and machine)and lately c++ and java for MS 
for my 'phone.Most of this was for me, but the amd stuff was for 
telephone exchange users, and I doubt if they cared what the os or 
program used was. Just as long the tool worked.

The PDP series ran unix, and I still have the original Bell System 
Journals here at home describing the philosophy and design behind the 
unix system. I tried over the last few days of re reading these journals 
to find any reference to the denigrating of any other systems or their 
users... Are linux users and prophets now straying far from the original 
tracks for unix?

Finally I use win xp and ubuntu for my amatuer work, and swap happily 
between them, but as a "tool user" for amateur radio win XP absolutely
aces linux for the ease of use and ease of installation of the programs 
I need.

Maybe you could explain to me why I could update my (paid license...to 
amsat na) version of satpc32 with a couple of mouse clicks, but took 
over 5 days to get predict updated, I don't want to know about sudo 
@33^& <<? just to get one ( maybe) required library that I already had 
as the really stupid, arcane message finally told me....

If you really, and quite possibly most linux pushers don't, want to make 
linux a "mainstream" operating system you really, really must make it an 
invisible process to install and use tools running on it.
MS have managed to do this so why can't the much vaunted open source 
guys managed yet?

Cheers and back to the Sats.

Don,
     Zl1THO