On Sunday 28 July 2013 08:01:25 Matthew Garrett wrote:
On Sun, Jul 28, 2013 at 09:56:16AM +0300, Oron Peled wrote:
> 1. By the same logic we can ship just a browser, why bother building
> LibreOffice if many use just google-docs?
Because not everyone uses Google Docs, and so any solution needs to
account for those who don't as well.
And I thought those few "power-users" would install it by themselves ;-)
Or, to make the example more to your taste -- if, as many claimed here,
most people use Gmail can't we forgo installing MUA's by default?
Hmmm.... new feature for F21?
> 2. People can still use gmail and other online services like
twitter
> via desktop applications (in my case kmail and choqok respectively).
But most don't, and therefore an error reporting scheme that depends on
users running a local mail client is inappropriate.
You don't suggest any alternative, so let me suggest an easy one
(which btw I use on all my desktops for the last 20 years):
* Something important is sent to local MTA.
* User get mail notification on their desktop.
* User click on the notification.
* MUA opens.
* User reads mail.
All of this is plain configuration on any MUA/desktop-system.
Just make these *DEFAULTS* and the "problem" is solved:
* Alias root to installing user in /etc/aliases
* Configure installed MUA's to include local spool mailbox by default.
* Configure your desktop to notify about new mails.
> Last side note: helping non-expert people get used to quality
local
> applications which have convenient defaults, is part of the push
> for "Freedom" -- if both your data and your applications are locked
> in vertical clouds, you aren't left with too much freedom.
There are benefits in running local applications, especially when it
comes to freedom. However, we are unable to force our users to run local
applications.
Don't force them -- expose the better value proposition:
* Read mail accounts from different providers via single interface.
* Get mail notifications, regardless of mail origin.
* Subscribe to different IM systems via single IM application
Correct default configuration of MTA+MUA is great way to hook people into
these benefits -- especially those "newbies" (veterans already know this
and configure this for themselves).
--
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oron(a)actcom.co.il
http://users.actcom.co.il/~oron
Life is a sexually transmitted, 100% lethal disease.