Re: I'm sorry you ARE required to know your way around basic maintenance
The thing is though, getting a Linux machine to play nicely with a wide range of peripherals and software is not the same as putting petrol in your car. Putting the right kind of fuel in your car is more like knowing how to plug in a mouse.
And no, you are not required to know how to change a wheel or a bulb. Cars in the UK do not have to carry a spare wheel and bulbs on most modern cars are a pain in the rear to change. My headlights require the removal of the wheel and wheel lining, not something you can realistically do without a car lift. Most modern cars do not carry a spare wheel, only a can of tyre weld, which should never be used anyway as it ruins fixable tyres and just goes all over your leg when the hole is to big to fix. You do need to know when there a bulb is blown or a tyre is illegal, but anyone can do that.
The fact that people don't know these things leads me to think they know nothing about basic car maintenance. Most people don't want to mess about getting a printer to work or knowing what to do when your computer suddenly decides to stop seeing your router. They just want to switch it on and do what they need to do. Apple understand this. Microsoft kind of try to, but also have business needs in mind. Linux still seem to be in the phase where cars were with groups of geeks standing around snorting "Of course people know how to clean and fix a carb. Otherwise they shouldn't have a car!".
Biting the hand that feeds IT
