ms apps with muncher

[Josh Walker]

By announcing my intentions I've seem to have struck a chord with some
people both here at work and on the mailing list (Not a bad chord, but
just enough to take notice) Allow me to explain my goals on project
muncher. It's a little more than "let's see how much we can make linux
look like windows"

I understand that Windows is fairly buggy software with an ickey
unmalleable interface and a kernel that looks like spaghetti going through
a sieve. I also know that Linux is probably one of the most slickest
kernels ever created. Modular, scalible, added to the fact it been linked
to a filesystem based of one of oldest and best around, topped off with
the ablility to configure darn near anything, why would you want anything
else?

The probelm is this. Most users don't care. Doing the math I've concluded
that the percent of users who don't give a hoot about anything that makes
linux a good OS is directly proportional to the percent of people using
something else.

I take the example of my mother as the typical windows user. She is a very
nice person, as all mothers are, but really doesn't care that I can skin
gkrellm.

"And that does what again?"

"Does it run Quicken?"

"Where's the paperclip?"

I think you kind of get the idea here.

People don't want things that are differnt, even though it's for the
better. Trust me, I have an ex-fiance and was forced to deal with that
same issue. The fact of the matter is if it looks like windows and walks
like windows, it's windows, at least as far as my mother is concerned. All
the behind the scenes linux stuff (which is far cooler as far as we are
concerned) will be an added bonus for both us and her.

I also like make waves. Apple is theating legal action for people who just
make Aqua *themes* Imagine annoucing to the world that you have a version
of "windows" that is not only didn't come from Gates, but one that is
totaly free. If MS even tried to litagate it'll make napster look like a
circius show. MS is already been decalerd a monopoly. Now they are trying
to crush a venture to make a compatible system in some garage somewhere.

Anyway enough ranting. I have an update. The PC I was using to create the
distro blew it's motherboard  so it's on hold until I can pin down another
cheap PC to use as a test bed. It's cheaper just to get a new a new PC
than replace the board. I'd love to work on the do-hickeys here at work
with glade, but I'm under contarct that any I devlop on the clock is owned
by the company.

-Joshua Walker

On Tue, 20 Feb 2001, FT Rathore wrote:

> Hi
> Is it just me or is it that you are trying hard to copy look of a badly
> written desktop. This way you are limiting yourself, think beyond POS
> windows desktop. Free your mind, come up with something better.
> FT
>