[Sussex] Linux for simplicity

[Adam Smith]

Thanks for your input.

>Yes, it can work.

That's nice to hear :). 

>However, to run any business, you need to understand the customer need, and find something to fill it at a >price which 1) the customer will pay, 2) will make a profit for you. You need to understand things from your >customers' perspective, which involves thinking through exactly what it is you have to offer in terms that the >customer can relate to.

>"A simple to use, stable system that does what they want - no more, no less at a minimal cost (ie free)".

>My problem with this is that it isn't free. At least, not free in a way that the customer will understand. The >customer does not CARE how much a Windows licence costs. The customer CARES how much the whole >package will cost, including hardware, software, and installation.

Let me describe a normal scenario.  I have an elderly customer using his system for email, word processing and a bit of light surfing.  He's running a K6-2 300, 64mb of RAM, Windows 98.  For one reason or another his 98 install is out of action, and he asks me to put things right.  Rather than reinstall 98 which he hasn't a clue how to use anyway, I install Linux in one form or another.  Using a minimalist window manager (fluxbox is my favourite), he is given 3 options when he starts up his machine - Email, Web, Word.  As he's not root there's no way he can do anything to harm the system.  The system does exactly what he wants, no more, no less.  Unless he wanted to, there is no reason he would ever have to touch the inner workings of the operating system.

Normally when I'm called out to install Windows I spend an hour there at the most, and charge £20 flat fee (I'm not underselling myself, there's just a lot of competition round here).   For this to work I would have to be able to have the system up and running within the same length of time.  The cost of the licence is never an issue, as I'm rarely called out to install an OS different to the one they are currently using.

>If I were you, I would cost up some machines, and work out how much you would need to charge the >customer to give them the system you describe. Then compare that price to what the customer would pay >from, say, Dell. 

The idea of selling systems with Linux pre-installed was playing second-fiddle somewhat to the idea of replacing Windows with Linux on older machines.  I don't advertise machines for sale ever, and only ever sell to regular customers or friends of theirs.  I sell the machines without OS, and instead install their current OS for them.  I would charge no extra for supplying the machine pre-installed with Linux, the only thing I would get out of it is possibly more recommendations and less chance of people doing something untoward to their new system.  To compare with Dell is rather difficult as I sell PCs without monitors, keyboards, mice etc but for as little as £220.

The biggest problem to overcome is how to get Linux on there in the same time it would take to install Windows, which considering the range of hardware I have to work with, is going to be very very difficult.

Adam.
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