RE: On Compatibility

[Christopher Nelson]

> 
> Your questions are silly, and out of touch with reality.  In 
> your pool of users you include users that don't edit huge 
> amounts of text, you include systems that don't include any 
> kind of text editing enviroment (most single-user systems), 
> and you ignore multi-user systems.  You also assume that it 
> must be installed by default.

I work in a building with over 200 people.  Not a single one of them
uses Emacs, and, in fact, they don't even know what it is.  In this
particular environment, which is a museum, btw, the single largest thing
that people here DO is to edit huge amounts of text.  Whether it's
curators producing books or interns working on their thesis or
accounting preparing financial reports, they ALL edit huge amounts of
text.  Some more than others, sure, but there's not a single person in
the building who could do much meaningful work if their word processor
went down.

People generally use computers for two things: text editing and surfing
the Internet.  There are specialties, of course, like graphics design,
CAD, etc.  But for most people, home or office, text editing and the
Internet (be it web surfing or e-mail) are it.  That's why every major
computer dealer bundles some Office suite with their computers.  That's
why MS produces Office.  It's a HUGE cash cow.  That's why the whole
OASIS OpenDoc thing is such a big deal too.

As far as multi-user systems, they generally operate as servers.  There
are a few places where people still use dumb terminals with a VT-100
intepreter for everything, but every office in every country I've done
work in uses PC's connected to file and print servers.

As far as "installed by default", if it's not, then the average user
won't use it.  I bought my mom a laptop from Dell, and there's nothing
on it that wasn't on it the day she got it from the factory - aside from
her data, of course.  That's been my experience with the vast majority
of users I manage.  I'm not saying it's true for everyone, but for the
vast majority of users it is.

I've got plenty of real-life examples of average computer users that I
deal with every single day.  It's an eye-opening experience.

-={C}=-