[Wolves] Promoting Linux

[Matthew Revell]

> >So, my view is that Microsoft must be stopped. No, I'm not a raving Bill
> >Gates hater,

> <snip>

> thought we had another anti MS (sorry M$) type sneek in for a second.

Okay, if I'm honest, I _am_ a MS hater, just not a raving one :)


> They where the printing plates for a science fiction story being printed at 
> the printers he worked at.  The Church of the later day saints is based on a 
> work of science fiction which puts them one higher on the strange quirks of 
> religion than sceintology becuase that was only started by a writer of 
> sci-fi ;-)

Cool, you got any more info debunking JWism?

> oh and it's the spectrum in case you where wondering ;-)

That's the side I was on.

> >1) Plug and play, what's that?

> a myth, plug and play was generated by marketing men and just adds to the 
> confusion when users are really consumers and not true users.

I'd say that Linux, at the moment, doesn't work on a basis of things
"just working". A lot of the time, it's just not a simple to set
something new up under Linux as it is on Windows. The problem may be
getting less with each new release of a distro but I still think it's
enough of a problem for newer users.

As for whether someone's a user or a consumer: seems like a
confrontational distinction to make. The last thing we want is to
perpetuate the idea that Linux is for Geeks and that normal people -
consumers - need not apply. I'm saying that that's what you're
suggesting but subtlety of language can have a devistating effect.

> We can attract linux users to the LUG but have difficulty attracting the man 
> (or women) on the street to linux because of the FUD we adhere to.

That may well be to do with where the LUG is promoted. I found the LUG
after reading Linux news sites etc for several months and came across
www.lug.org.uk ... it then took me another few months to actually come
along to a meeting.

>  unfortunatly linux development is a clique 

Is the Linux community as a whole seen as a clique? Actually, I dunno if
we're seen at all. We're invisible to the majority of people.

> and unfunny in jokes abound.

God yes. Richard Stallman's love iterative project names has a lot of to
answer for. 

> 
> >3) GNOME, KDE, eh? I just wanna look at naked ladies.

> Don't we all, but choice is one of the biggest selling points we have lets 
> not forget that.

Oh yes, of course. I'd never want to lose that but it's still a
stumbling block for the average user. Most people have little idea of
what an OS is, without having to mentally separate the KDE from X from
the kernel :) An education point for new users, I reckon.

> >4) Hmm, so where's the uninstall option?
> 
> rm -R *
> 
> the above is an example of an in joke, see above.

Hey, if you'd really wanted to make it funny, you'd have written the
joke in Perl :-D

> I don't think linux is currently the right choice for everyone but I have no 
> doubts that in 5/10/15 (delete with hindsight) years linux (or a project 
> following linux) will provide a comprehensive solution. 

So, it's probably not worth our trying to attract the average user but
maybe the Windows power user who has some ideas of what computing is
about and is ready for something new.

Perhaps we could take a stall at one of the computer fairs and offer
Linux distros on CD and perhaps pre-installed Linux machines, along with
Linux propaganda :)


>  Until linux passes 
> the mom test with everybodies mom it is difficult to see how it can provide 
> a solution for everyone.


> The majority of windows users are running with 
> corrupt filesystems, running several unneeded tsr programs, have no 
> understanding of why their computer slows down every couple of months. 

So, it's education. We need to do this on several fronts - perhaps a
website explaining why Linux is good, Windows is bad. Something like
that. Okay, there's loadsa stuff on the web already but if we did our
own version, it could be fun for us and would do exactly what we felt
was needed.

> again you take me back to another time, I can get us an IVR plateform 
> (running linux ;-) and a premium rate line ;-)

Cool, and we can do sex chat when we're bored.