Linux as a popular Desktop Operating System?

[SilentAssasin64]

Knew I was missing something.  Thanks for pointing that out.  Been meaning to give Ubuntu Tweak a try. 

It just seems easier to not have to install anything, though.  Just open a terminal and type gconf-editor, find the right entry, and change it.  Takes me all of 7 seconds, if not less.

That's not the point, though.  The point is, as stated, the *need* for terminals in 'normal' desktop use is diminishing. 

[Cityscape]

Knew I was missing something.  Thanks for pointing that out.  Been meaning to give Ubuntu Tweak a try. 

It just seems easier to not have to install anything, though.  Just open a terminal and type gconf-editor, find the right entry, and change it.  Takes me all of 7 seconds, if not less.

That's not the point, though.  The point is, as stated, the *need* for terminals in 'normal' desktop use is diminishing. 

It depends on how comfortable the user is with the Terminal. There are some task for which I use the the Terminal and others the GUI. For example if I wanted to install 10 programs it would be a lot easier to do

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sudo apt-get install program1 program2 program3 program4 program5 program6 program7 program8 program9 program10 in Terminal. It would take a lot longer to do that task in Synaptic. There are definitely uses for the terminal.

Another example: I was helping someone with their Vista laptop. They had a folder on their computer that could not be deleted (Vista said they didn't have permission but he/she was an administrator)! On Ubuntu I would bring up terminal and run "gksudo nautilus", then I would just delete the file. Deleting it in Ubuntu is a lot easier.

[SilentAssasin64]

I've done that as well.  For instance, right now I'm going through my Trash, shredding all the files, then deleting them permanently.  I find it much easier to do a 'shred -vn3 * && rm *' than to go through and do it all in Nautilus. 

[2x3i5x]

Another example: I was helping someone with their Vista laptop. They had a folder on their computer that could not be deleted (Vista said they didn't have permission but he/she was an administrator)! On Ubuntu I would bring up terminal and run "gksudo nautilus", then I would just delete the file. Deleting it in Ubuntu is a lot easier.

Well, was the folder empty? Or perhaps you have the folder open or you have something contained in the folder still in use by the system? Most likely reasons for not having permission even though you are administrator.

[BC_Programmer]

|E

Another example: I was helping someone with their Vista laptop. They had a folder on their computer that could not be deleted (Vista said they didn't have permission but he/she was an administrator)! On Ubuntu I would bring up terminal and run "gksudo nautilus", then I would just delete the file. Deleting it in Ubuntu is a lot easier.

running Explorer as an administrator is 6 keystrokes.

[Cityscape]

Well, was the folder empty? Or perhaps you have the folder open or you have something contained in the folder still in use by the system? Most likely reasons for not having permission even though you are administrator.

no the folder had files in it. they weren't system files but the may have been for some program.

So yah that'd be why I had problems deleting.

[Cityscape]

running Explorer as an administrator is 6 keystrokes.

which strokes?

[BC_Programmer]

windows key, c,m,d, application key, a, enter.

Actually it's 7, I forgot the last enter. Although if somebody has UAC disabled it would only be 6.