Are you smart enough to LINUX

Linux may never gain widespread success, that we, the Linux fans want it to, because it's just too complex for the average computer user. Sure, we now have KDE, GNOME, XFCE, and other fancy graphical user interfaces that attempt to mimic Windows and the Mac OS but underneath the shimmering polish, it's Unix and that scares people. I'm not so sure that this is a bad thing.

When I first compared PCs and Macs around 1988, I decided that Mac users would be more efficient at Microsoft Word or drawing pictures than a PC user but the PC user would know far more about computers. This was because the Mac OS protected its user from the underlying workings of the computer whereas the PC did not.

Nowadays, the PC is becoming the "dumbed-down" operating system of the masses and the Mac OS is more for tinkerers. The Mac OS, since the introduction of version 10 (X), is now a blend of FreeBSD (A free, open source operating system like Linux) and Mach64 (NeXT) architecture. Basically the Mac OS is more like Linux than its former self.

I assumed, in those thrilling days of yesteryear, that Mac users weren't as smart as PC users. Basically, if you're dumb (and have a lot of money), you use a Mac. These days I think that PC (Windows) users are the less skilled of the three user types. Each new version of Windows that emerges is smarter than the previous one, the new applications are released without some of the more sophisticated features they once brandished, and our gadgets (with the exception of cell phones) are built with a minimalist design.

This is all to our own detriment.

Think about it. If software companies continue to make smarter operating systems, we'll in turn, get dumber because there will less for us to do and tinker with, fix, and enhance. In essence, our skills will atrophy from lack of use. Then, the software companies, one in particular, will have us where they want us: At their mercy.

I don't want to be in that position. I want my technical skills to remain sharp by working with an operating system that's close to the hardware. I like to configure, enhance, tinker, tweak, and build something that's better than what's handed to me.

The question doesn't mean, "Do you have the required intelligence to use Linux" but rather "Are you smart enough to make the decision to use Linux and keep that technical edge?"