Hi,

(From a Net-friend):

3 October 2002

Something I don’t think many non-computer buffs realise is that exploring other operating systems and applications is not as scary or as difficult as they seem to think it is.

If you can use a gui it is not usually difficult to move to another one. Most of the key strokes and operations you are used to are transportable between operating systems and applications. This has been the case for quite a while.

Many people listen to the media and marketing scare stories rather than having a considered go for themselves.

I still use windows for 85% of my PC based work. 10% linux and about 5% mac. The mac and linux proportions are growing though. I have almost totally ditched MS office and moved to open office (bugs and all) because it does most of what I want.

I can be easily characterised as a computer buff. However I do the same things with a pc that most people do…. ie write documents, read and respond to email, browse the web etc. It is not a matter of what is the correct operating system. It is a matter of attitude and eagerness to learn. Learning takes time… but it always pays off in the end.

I have seen many long time MS office users work inefficiently (ie don’t know how to cut and paste or how to switch between applications or how to integrate it with other office apps.) They have developed bad habits and have never worked in an enviroment that has encouraged learning good ones.

Willingness to learn and change is applicable to most areas of life. Using a PC is part of that learning.

[Name withheld]

PS… I can remember an astronomer friend of mine trying to convince me to learn to programme in FORTH. I nearly gagged on the reverse polish notation. But gee it came in handy when I had to learn to use an early HP calculator.