Promoting Linux

[buckeyered80]

I have been using Kubuntu 10.04 for a few months now and Mandriva/Kubuntu since about 2006. Once you get to know how to install and configure everything you need, truly, it can be BETTER than Windows. Yes, I made the bold statement. I am sure most of the veterans here agree with me. Now, I'd love to see Linux whoops MS's butt. Does that sound harsh? Oh well...so my question is: What can we all do to make this better and get more people using it and make the switch from Windows? Yes, it would be an almost impossible task to beat the great Goliath of the computing world. But, I believe all things are possible. What do you all think?

[Zhao]

Re: Promoting Linux

I'll just quote a post from distrowatch.com since it's better than anything else I could say xD

Take a look at the last paragraph.

Linux adoption

Climbing-the-wall asks: What's the biggest barrier to Linux adoption?

DistroWatch answers: I suppose the obvious, and not very helpful, answer is that Linux is held back from adoption by its lack of adoption. It's a circular problem. Linux needs more commercial applications, but commercial vendors won't port their software to Linux until it gains more market share. The Linux community needs more drivers from hardware vendors, but those hardware companies won't spend the money to make Linux drivers without a bigger market. The Linux community would benefit from more computers being sold with a Linux OS pre-installed, but that's not going to happen until more consumers request it. All these things which would greatly encourage people to cross over to the Penguin side require that Linux have more users. Preferably users willing to spend money to support their choice. It's getting better. Linux has made a lot of progress in the past ten years. Even in the last five years. But it still has a long road ahead of it.

From my personal experience, there are two things which keep coming up as preventing people from using Linux. The first is that their current operating system is good enough. It runs what they want, it works in a manner they're used to and they've already paid for it. There really isn't any need for them to switch. Sometimes I get these folks to try Linux and they use it and agree that, yes, it works great, but they already have a working operating system. Why switch? They're not interested in free software, they're interested in their computer continuing to work the way it has.

The other big barrier is applications. For average home users, Linux has most of the programs a person will want. It does e-mail and web browsing, rips and burns CDs, word processing and spreadsheets. But for gamers and office work, it's a completely different story. Linux has games, it has great games, but it doesn't have the big-name games. And, more to the point, it doesn't have exclusive big-name games, which might draw gamers over to the penguin. And a lot of software designed for the corporate office just doesn't work on Linux, or Linux with WINE.

Two years ago, I took about seventy-five applications which were used in the office where I worked and tried to install them on various modern Linux distributions with WINE. I also tried to find Linux alternatives which would fit the same role as the Windows apps used in the office. Less than a dozen of the seventy-five applications either worked properly in WINE or had comparable open source alternatives. Obviously, I couldn't go to the IT manager of that company and suggest a switch which would cause 85% of the company's software to stop working. Sometimes I see the same problem with users who work from home. They like how stable and fast Linux is, but it won't run That One Application they need for work.

Perhaps a more important question would be: How do I support Linux and help the community to grow? There are a lot of options there. For example, make it a point to buy hardware that is Linux compatible wherever possible. When buying new computers, make a point of asking the vendor if they sell Linux machines or computers without any OS pre-installed. If they don't, tell them you'll buy from another supplier for that reason. When I see a game I like, I'll write to the developers and ask if they sell a Linux port. On-line retailers or government organizations whose web sites don't support Firefox/Linux should get e-mails asking them to expand their support. When friends or family are looking to fix, upgrade or replace their computers, I'll ask them to try Linux to see if it fits their needs. Those are all things aimed at people outside of the Linux community, but things can be improved within the "Linuxsphere" too. It's important to take the time to report bugs, to write documentation, to donate funds to projects that produce useful software and to submit feature requests. In short, if you wish to see Linux expand its user base, it's important to be engaged, both inside the community and outside.

Source

[buckeyered80]

Re: Promoting Linux

Those are all very good reasons for the barrier. And I am sure most corporations are using MS on their PCs. If companies had more common sense, they would look into saving money. There are a lot of companies in debt right now. They are also spending thousands of dollars on MS's very, very expensive licensing. I know because I have worked in 2 environments that use Windows, and they are paying enormous amounts of money for licensing. If these companies would only break the mold and switch to Linux to save money and get out of debt, we could possibly see a big move. I am not holding my breath, but I would love to see it happen.

Now for the average Linux user, I think we can start with telling the basic computer users (those who use mostly Web browsing, YouTube, e-mails, etc.) that they should try Linux and maybe even set it up for them. There is no reason for those users to put up with having to take their computer into the shop every 6 months to get viruses and spyware cleaned off of their system. They will be much better off with Linux.

For those who are using business and other applications that won't run on Linux, they can stay with Windows. But anyway, we'll see how it all turns out. Thanks for the response.

[The Liquidator]

Re: Promoting Linux

One other thing to remember is that there are too many people with a vested interest in keeping the Windows bandwagon rolling. Go into your local computer store and you'll be sold a machine for starters, but then they'll sell you a years subscription for Norton, a "special deal" to upgrade the trial version of MS Office that's on the machine etc etc. Then they make money when you get a virus and take the machine back to have it removed (which won't be covered by the extended warranty they sold you). They make next to nothing on the hardware and so depend upon these add-ons to make their money. Someone who is sufficiently well-informed to seek out a linux machine won't want anything else, and so they won't be able to make all this extra money.

[buckeyered80]

Re: Promoting Linux

Yeah that's true too. There's a lot of other companies depending on those upgrades.

[Snowhog]

Re: Promoting Linux

If you have a laptop, take it to any wifi hotspot. Fire it up and just start using it. Have a really eye-catching desktop. Don't hide the screen from casual observation. You'll start getting people coming up to you and asking what version of Windows you are running. There's the opening you need.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Promoting Linux

.....Someone who is sufficiently well-informed to seek out a linux machine won't want anything else, and so they won't be able to make all this extra money.

This is especially true for all of those computer repair shops, most of which specialize in two of the "3 R's" of Windows maintenance (Reboot, Reconfigure, Reinstall) and in removing infections or totally reinstalling Windows when the infection is in the MBR and the hidden restoration drive.

I took a commercial CD to a local repair shop to have them polish it in hopes that it could be read on my laptop. There were three techies in the shop. I noticed that they ALL were running Linux on their workstations. I asked them about it and they said that they were Linux fans. "Why don't you sell PCs with Linux installed, or have boxed copies of Linux CDs on your shelves?", I asked. "Because there is no money it it. With Linux installed customers would never come back because they'd rarely have problems requiring our services. We couldn't sell AV products or subscriptions, we wouldn't have to clean off the Linux box or reinstall it, and we wouldn't sell many games".

I could see the last argument. To sum it up, they are going where the repair money is.

[askrieger]

Re: Promoting Linux

I suspect that the best thing that anyone can do to promote Linux is to ask for it! If you go to a computer store to get a new computer, ask them whether they can install Linux instead of the expensive OS. If you order your computer directly from a manufacturer, call them up and ask them if they supply Linux pre-installed, and, if so, whether they support it. Don't worry, you can still buy a computer with the high-priced OS and remove it yourself after telling them that you'd really prefer a machine with Linux installed. When you buy an accessory like an external drive, a modem, or a router, ask whether it supports Linux.

If enough people do this, retailers and manufacturers will notice and respond. Their responses may be half-hearted and unimpressive, but they will respond. Note that this may not be an entirely good thing. I personally had a horrible experience getting tech support for a defective Dell machine that had Ubuntu pre-installed, but I still asked HP, after I returned the Dell.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Promoting Linux

+1000 !!

[kjjjjshab]

Re: Promoting Linux

The way I promote linux in my home is threatening my wife with an OpenSolaris install if she complains one more time about some coupon not opening properly on a vague website! :P

But seriously, I promote with my purchases (I got an HP printer a while back, and if anyone ever asks why, my response goes to their linux support first, and features second).mI give money when I can, mostly to KDE so they can promote themselves.

I think that everyone here promotes linux more than they know, by just participating in this forum, the friendliest place on earth!

[buckeyered80]

Re: Promoting Linux

LOL, kj. Opensolaris is tough enough for the average user. I think asking the vendors to support Linux can be effective. If they get enough calls about it, they will have no choice but to eventually support it. Like recently, Netflix has been getting a bunch of calls to support a Linux plugin for their streaming movies. I think at this time they are only supporting MS and Mac. But they are getting quite a few calls about adding Linux support. I hope they do.

[ardvark71]

Re: Promoting Linux

The way I promote linux in my home is threatening my wife with an OpenSolaris install if she complains one more time about some coupon not opening properly on a vague website! :P

Hi...

Or you could verify the website's "authenticity" (for lack of a better word) and find a way to get the coupon to open and print properly, assuming the retailer will accept the coupon.

Regards...

[NeverwherE]

Re: Promoting Linux

I don't want to sound like I don't want linux to get better, or evolve and take windows down to its knees or anything, but personally, if linux gets really popular, then we will no longer be able to feel particularly safe running the linux os without antivirus software. More malware code will target linux, and viri, and worms and other garbage that plagues the windows os now. I think that linux is doing a very good job, and is very awesome, when it works. But I think that linux should be the king of the computing underground, and let windows take the beating in the mainstream. Like the case in some music out there, yeah, there are some really great mainstreams songs out there right? But I can tell you that there are some really awesome not so well known bands, that make some really great music, and they are not mainstream, and alot of bands don't want to be because of the BS you have to deal with being all popular and stuff. We don't want linux to become what windows has become. So when I promote linux, and I do, I do it quietly to those who are truly interested in trying it out. I don't want to sell it to everyone. We have to keep a windows fan base to let all the threats stay with that os. This is really just my opinion.

[Ole Juul]

Re: Promoting Linux

I'm with you in thinking that Linux is special. In many ways I'm not particularly looking forward to Linux ever being mainstream - although there would be some very good things about that. I won't get into that now because the list would be long and it would be an even longer discussion.

That said; I disagree with one thing you said:

if linux gets really popular, then we will no longer be able to feel particularly safe running the linux os without antivirus software. More malware code will target linux, and viri, and worms and other garbage that plagues the windows os now.

The safety of Linux is not by obscurity. That is just MS FUD. In fact with open source it quite the opposite. It is because of lack of it - and of course the permissions structure. A deluge of specifically targeted malware wouldn't change the effectiveness of the security we already have.

[kyonides]

Re: Promoting Linux

If there was no need to run antivirii on Linux so far, there won't be any need for it in the future since its security measures are not as vulnerable as the ones implemented (or not) on Windows.