[Glastonbury] Sedgemoor IT Cluster

[tim hall]

Last Thursday 07 April 2005 15:44, info at wccl.co.uk was like:
> I can well understand why businesses want to stick with MS. They're scared
> of change or scared of problems with staff not coping with something
> different. I wish they'd be adventurous and learn the advantages of Linux
> but perhaps it will take a truly horrendous virus attack that beats all the
> AV software vendors for long enough to cause true, seriuosly expensive
> worldwide desktop havoc on a scale never yet seen, before Linux is
> seriously considered for the mainstream?

Hmm, people who are used to using Windows[0] need a lot of retraining to use 
Linux. This can involve massive loss of productivity and yes, people are also 
scared of change. People really haven't got the message that viruses only 
affect Windows in the vast majority of cases and _of_course_ Windows vendors 
try to make out that it's not due to inherent problems in their Operating 
System. A great number of people come to me (because they think I'm 'clever' 
with computers) with stories of how they got a virus so someone installed 
Norton, that didn't work so someone else installed AVG on top of it and now 
their computer has slowed down to a crawl and they don't know how to deal 
with it. So I smile and explain that I don't know how to deal with it either, 
that the Windows registry and API make me feel stupid and I find the whole 
thing defenestratingly annoying, so I junked the whole lot in favour of an OS 
that makes me feel intelligent. At which point they look confused and ask me 
what virus protection software I use, I tell them I don't and that my 
computer is online 24/7. AND STILL I find them sneaking back to Windows when 
I'm not there to handhold on the grounds that they 'just want to get some 
work done'. Ugh you can lead a horse to water.

My 10 year old son doesn't have a problem with Linux, admittedly, he gets 
almost constant handholding, but even so. It probably took me at least a year 
to get up to speed, however that involved installing and configuring Debian 
on my own, with nothing but the internet for guidance. LUGoG didn't exist 
then and I didn't know that Martin was already using Debian in town. There 
does seem to be a baseline of intelligence and ability to use Google (what MS 
would call a 'power-user') in order to find Linux rewarding, it's not really 
suited for people who just want a glorified media centre, you have to want to 
do proper computing, most people don't. 

I find it rather strange even seeing myself type these words, I'm not a 
particularly technical user. I write BASH and Python scripts because I'm lazy 
and it's easier than trying to figure out the Windows registry (and it's 
FUN). I write web pages in a text editor because wysiwyg editors make me feel 
stupid, like so much supposedly 'user-friendly' stuff. I use GNU/Linux 
because it works the way I always wished my computer would work when faced 
with uncooperative PCs and Macs. I think having icons you can edit with a 
text editor is easier, simpler, less work and gives me much more time for the 
thing I really care about - creativity. I came to GNU/Linux because I wanted 
free Music tools, the tools that Debian has provided me with have unleashed 
my writing, scripting and graphical skills completely beyond my expectations. 
I'm hoping I might be able to include business skills eventually, but I guess 
the impossible takes a little longer. ;-)

With the advent of Ubuntu, I think I may consider handing people the CD and 
telling them to use this TINA. My housemate, still on Windows, has 
reinstalled his system countless times, it still doesn't work properly. Since 
I've figured how to configure this Debian beast, I haven't had to do much in 
the way of troubleshooting, leaving me lots of time for work, creativity and 
learning new things. A lot of people simply don't have the time and 
inclination for the learning curve and would rather pay an 'expert' to sort 
it out for them.

Which kind of leaves me wondering how much I should be charging. ;-)

cheers,

tim hall
http://glastonburymusic.org.uk

[0] Oddly enough people who are not used to any particular OS only seem to 
need a normal amount of training. We are such creatures of habit.