[sclug] Volunteer Summary - spreading linux

[Alan Cocks]

John Dickson wrote:
> On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 23:07:13 +0000, Alan Pearson <alandpearson at yahoo.com>
> wrote:

[...]

> John Dickson (supported on keyboards by Will Dickson)
> Topic: Porting organisations off Windows.
> 
> My thesis is that this is becoming a significant area of interest across
> the board, i.e. both commercially and in the public/voluntary/private
> sector as well. There will be a huge demand for people with Linux skills
> and experience, but moving organisations across what, for them, is a major
> systems upgrade, involves far more than simply replacing the operating
> system and changing (e.g.) MS Office for Open Office, and Internet
> Explorer for Firefox.
> 
> While I appreciate that, at present, the active members of this list are
> technically inclined, there have been others in the past who are active in
> the wider subject of spreading Linux into the organisational world, and
> I hope that discussion/demonstration based on our experiences would be of
> interest to the group as a whole.

I am keen to help spread the word.......

My particular take on it is my personal experience of a company internal 
battle between a choice of either the stable OS2, or windows 3.1. The 
'doze won (!) because of the sheer weight of user experience at home and 
its implications. Even though policy was to use OS2! So I am keen to 
help get linux out there, next door, down the street, in personal use. 
Corporate use will follow more easily. I agree about the increasing 
interest. Distros are similar in convenience to 'doze now, and there is 
less uncertainty with a running system It is likely to stay running!
--
Alan Cocks Berkshire UK