• 4 Posts
  • 111 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 11th, 2023

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  • Yes. I put a basket on the back, which gets used all the time. Bike lock. My bag of rain gear or shopping bag. You can chuck in items, such as gloves, without needing to stop. I have an elastic, where one hook is bent closed, so it stays attached all the time. Which let’s me carry lots of shopping or awkward items.

    For heavier loads, such as beer crates, I attach my trailer. That beats a cargo bike as you don’t always want it attached. And its cheap and easy to pack away.

    Since getting the trailer, I no longer need to borrow a car. That is such a nice feeling of freedom and independence from high costs, parking problems, needing to plan ahead.


  • HDMI is important as you can control it with the TV remote control. On off too. Essential.

    I have a Sony soundbar with a separate, floor standing, Bass unit. If you have a good screen then good bass, I mean really good bass, gives it a cinematic feel. Play the THX Intro on YouTube and you’ll know what I mean. My neighbours love it too!





  • In this case I wouldn’t associate the poor usability with the designers, I think its down to big business not caring. Plus it costs more to make a UI good, and flexible for different user situations. They’ll also hire the cheapest designers. It’s all about saving money and more profit. Their main aim. And in the case of monopolies, people can’t go elsewhere. The problems all come down from the top.



  • In KDE Plasma, if you right click on the launch menu button, there is an option Show Alternatives. Here, you can immediately select and use one of the installed alternative start menus. On top of that, you can install further launcher menus, which will then appear in the Show Alternatives list. I installed Simple Menu (from Eike Hein) that has categories, favourites and search. And let’s you move the icons around. But its that easy to try out different launchers. I hope you find a good one.





  • Copy pasting strange commands people will not memorise does not solve it! To keep non IT people on Linux, they need to find out how their desktop GUI works, so they are in control and happy to stay. The aim is not to use the minimum possible time writing the tips. Thrusting an unfamiliar environment on people is sure to scare them away, and is bad usability.


  • ian@feddit.uktoLinux@lemmy.mlHow can we make Linux more appealing as "just works"?
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    1 month ago

    I searched but never ever found a website with Linux help specially for non IT people. This is seriously needed. Everywhere I’ve looked, gatekeepers with no clue about the GUI solutions, insist people use the command line for day to day user tasks. Sure things vary between desktop environments, but it’s important people learn about their desktop. It’s how they get comfortable, and stay. And not stuck reliant on strangers having to spoon feed them cryptic text commands each time. I’d be happy to help contribute. As I’ve found GUI ways to do nearly everything.



  • ian@feddit.uktoLinux@lemmy.mlIs Linux (dumb)user friendly yet?
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    1 month ago

    I setup and use Linux on my home PC for the last 12 years, as a non IT person. I don’t use the command line or any IT tools. It has to be user friendly. 99.9% of the time, me, and many others, enjoy a very good, modern experience. I’m happy with the Linux apps for home use. Installation, partitioning, app store and updates are all graphical. There might be the occasional glitch. Where you need online help. Ignore those who say the command line is the only way to solve it. They know nothing about GUI solutions. Nearly all issues are solvable. If you are unlucky, at worst, a reinstall is quick, and GUI based. Your learning can be confined to discovering the easy tools and GUI alternatives. I find Kubuntu good, because it allows me to solve things due to its flexibility.





  • ian@feddit.uktoLinux@lemmy.ml*Permanently Deleted*
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    2 months ago

    I’m a non IT user interested in usability. I left Windows 7, on my home PC, over 10 years ago, as Linux has a good selection of Desktop Environments to choose from. So I get to try different ways of working. Windows has loads of tweaks. But no serious alternative desktops. Work PC is Windows only sadly.