Readings for 9/20

I had a difficult time getting through the technical jargon in some of these articles but could find some key points that may pertain to libraries.  For the most part, operating systems are constantly trying to tweak and improve and are evolving at incredible speeds (such as the Mac OS X having 6 versions in 10 years.)  This can be confusing or frustrating for your average person.  While most people can cope with change, they don't like to deviate from routines.  In a library setting, you will have users who are up-to-date with all the latest versions and some who only update when their current computer needs replacing or the version they copied onto their floppy disk will not run on the library computers.  While most patrons may only speak "Windows", you will also have Mac users and maybe even a Linux user needing help.  If a library is struggling to keep up-to-date with the one operating system installed on their public computers, how do they keep on top of all other systems? 

Mac OS X Article and Wiki
Oddly enough, I found the Singh explanation of Mac OS X easier to understand than the Wiki article despite the warning that it was full of technical jargon.  The Wiki article was insightful in showing just how often OSs are updating to make way for new evolutions in technology and programing.  It mentions, as other articles do as well, that newer versions do not work on "older" machines.  What is "old" for an operating system?  The Singh introduction does explain that backwards compatibility can contribute to "malice and malfunction" so it is understandable.  Unfortunately, I think it contributes to our "disposable culture" and giving our commodities ever shorter shelf lives.  The Singh introduction also has the best explanation as to why Windows is more popular as an OS than Linux or even Mac.  The average user wants to read the picture book version rather than take the time to read and comprehend the novel.  While users do want systems that they can tailor to their liking, they also want to keep it simple.  Canned spaghetti sauce may not taste like Momma's but it is a lot cheaper and easier to make and you can still add meat and peppers. 

Garrels Linux
Again, technical jargon confused me with this book but toward the end I think I was starting to understand things (scary!)  Linux is the DIY of operating systems in basic terms.  It sounds like it could be the most user-friendly if the user knows what he or she is doing.  These users are like a large group of beta-testers except more public(someone who tests a product for weaknesses): if the software is not to their liking, they change it so that the next user does not run into the same problem.   The article mentions that a pro of Linux is "free speech" which makes me wonder what copyright restrictions there are on Linux software. 

Thurott Windows
I'm slightly bias with this article because I like XP and do not like Vista.  Like the earlier article, it too mentions how new systems are not compatible with "very old" devices.  Again, what is "very old" in computer terms?  Compatibility is an issue that is brought up in this article and I think that is relevant to both users and libraries.  It takes time to get the kinks worked out, obviously, but there are situations where you need them to work now.  For example, at my library our print release program does not work with Vista thus the two computers that run Vista tend to be our biggest paper wasters because people either don't pick up their print jobs or end up printing multiple copies because they don't know why they are not getting the normal print release screen.  Subsequently, how can a library stay on top of individual pieces of technology when their other pieces of technology can't stay on top?