[Wiltshire] Supporting Linux

[Dianne Reuby]

On Sun, 2009-04-12 at 15:05 +0000, John Larkworthy wrote:
> PC World 

If you're going to start using language like that I shall complain to
the list owner! :)

I agree with your partner - Linux is a solution to a problem that most
people don't know they have. Their PC starts to get old and slow, they
buy a new one, and pass the old one on to the children, or a relative.
That may change for a few months/years with the recession, and now is
our chance to spread the word.

It would be good to be able to offer the support you suggest, but I know
I don't really have the experience to offer that to a stranger - a
problem I can see arising is backup before partitioning/installing. Most
people who have limited PC experience probably won't have ever done a
backup, so we'd need to be sure we could offer that first. We'd need to
get some sort of written agreement to cover us I should think.

But it would be good to be able to hold regular things like the one you
have planned for the library, where people can come and try it out. And
then have some way of offering the support they need. Perhaps we need to
start by teaching them to use IRC, and so be able to speak to the
Wiltshire lug in real time, when they have a problem. Perhaps that would
mean setting up an extra channel with a rota of users so that they'd
know they can get help at certain times/days.

One reason many places don't offer Linux support is the variations in
distros, it makes training staff to work from a checklist or crib sheet
much more difficult.

Dave said:

> I'd like to think that anybody we help would then assist the Linux
> movement by passing on the good word to friends and helping them in
> turn.

I'm happy to tell people about Linux, but when I don't know what I'm
talking about I try to keep my mouth shut in case I make a bad situation
worse. And that's most of the time!

Perhaps we need to try to get more publicity for the lug, so people know
there are local users who may help.

Dianne