[GNU-linux-libre] 10 minutes, and uzbl browser became usable

[Jean Louis]

On Thu, Nov 10, 2016 at 11:49:35PM +0100, Zlatan Todoric wrote:

> > But please uzbl has address bar to enter the URL. It is just not up,
> > it is down. I am entering URLs in uzbl address bar all the times. And
> > what is really nice with uzbl, you can make your own address bar in
> > any way you like, enter it, and pipe it to the browser (users would
> > not know it if you wish so).
> 
> Cool, just recently Internet Explorer stopped being the most used browser
> (replaced by Google Chrome) and you're suggesting uzbl. User-friendly is not
> your stronger side? I mean, yea, lets take uzbl, explain to users that bar
> is down and that, they can make their own address bar in any way they like
> and pipe it to browser. I see hundreds of millions moving to uzbl as we
> speak.
> 
> I am really not sure are you just being sarcastic at this moment as I can't
> get this seriously.

As I promised yesterday, Laurence, a staff member, came today to work
on GNU computer, and I asked him to learn how to use a browser uzbl
from http://www.uzbl.org -- so he said let us see. He is really not a
computer professional. And I told him some basic commands, forward,
backward, open the URL, search by Google (gg), and similar, in order
to control the browser. I left him like that, he continued using it.

We determined, he required not more than 10 minutes, to remember the
commands. He continued using it, searching for whatever he was
interested. uzbl browser became usable within few minutes:

http://gnu.support/images/tz/2016/11/1536/IMG_20161111_164459363_HDR.jpg
http://gnu.support/images/tz/2016/11/1536/IMG_20161111_164524775_HDR.jpg

Later, I have opened up Guile programming language to him
https://www.gnu.org/software/guile/.  He never programmed before. And
he was ready to learn basics.

So he could learn how to define variables, what it means, and how to
define simple function. I left him on keyboard, he started typing
himself the expressions. We defined a, b, he continued defining c, and
making mathematical expressions.

Later he made function to convert USD currency to Tanzanian
shillings. And we could learn how to make (profit 10) function, to
calculate profits on 10 or any number of gold grams bought or sold,
and also expenses or prices of gold bought. He understood how much
faster and more accurate he could be by using programming. We have
spent maybe 20 minutes working on that. What if we spend 2 hours, or 2
days, 20 days, he is going to become way more creative. It would
empower him in life.

I can bet that a mechanic, would have much larger need to calculate
and use programming in the life: getting clear calculations of hours
of work, estimating prices for clients, calculating the fuel
consumption, estimating future car repairs depending of their
condition, and utilizations of various car engines.

Such programs are short, and easy to make.

When software is distributed to a mechanic, telling him indirectly,
that he is dumb, and he shall use click/pray to search Google and
watch videos, and nothing more, this is leading him nowhere.

When software is distributed in such manner, to give to mechanic
opportunities to understand, how programming can help him, even one
day of learning programming can give him tools, to empower his
business, thus the life, and to keep and gain new clients, especially
because of such small programming efforts. It requires teaching, good
documentation and programming languages. That is GNU enough for me.

Jean Louis