[Gllug] Ubuntu Linux desktop tests in the Voluntary Community Sector

[Ryan Cartwright]

This kind of ties in with the recent lobbying thread but there has
recently been a trial on Ubuntu among 10 Voluntary Sector Organisations.
Being in the voluntary sector myself (and involved with an OSS/VCS
advocacy group )  I found this quit interesting.

The results/additional docs can be found here

http://foss.ciac.org.uk/article43.html

and it seems most users were quite impressed.

>From the linked page..

"10 desktop computers using Ubuntu Linux were distributed to VCOs[1] in
the East of England Region for testing and evaluation.
...
A range of suitable FOSS programs were included:

Open Office,Evolution,Firefox,Scribus,Project Planner,GnuCash

The organisations involved were invited to an initial session where they
were introduced to FOSS and Ubuntu Linux. They then all received a
personal training session at their own premises.

After three months the organisations were invited to submit an interim
assessment of their use of the computers.

At the end of the project they were asked to fill in a questionnaire.
...
Feedback from actual users was generally very positive regarding use of
the software.
...
Resistance to more general use of the software was however much stronger
at managerial and decision making level"
...
[There was] strong resistance from some contracted technical support
staff who saw it as a threat to their entrenched monopoly position of
using Microsoft software. "

It seems that - as was stated in the lobbying thread - the hearts and
minds we need to win over are the managerial/consultancy ones. The users
it appears are quite happy to switch. Not exactly news I suppose but
it's nice to see a trial that comes out with an honest (read - not
sponsored by M$) view of Linux/OSS as an alternative to
Windows/proprietary apps.

cheers
Ryan Cartwright
http://www.cafamily.org.uk/oss
[1] Voluntary Community Organisation - read charity/non-profit
making/non-government
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