Supporting Ubuntu growth

[Dave M. Sullivan]

I agree with Chris... and I'm going to use a cliche as well: you can
bring a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

In other words, its more preferable to *show* someone Linux, and let
them make the decision for themselves, rather than force them to use
it. It's true, its quite a scary thing for people who aren't techies,
or who just use their computers for surfing, email, chatting, etc.

Sure, using Linux even for these things is beneficial, as you don't
have to put up with constant error messages, spyware, viruses, and the
like, but as similar as it is and as easy as it is, its still not
Windows, which means its still different, and it does require some
level of learning to understand it.

For example, I installed Ubuntu on my girlfriend's computer, and
offered her the following deal: try it for a week, and if you don't
like it, I'll remove it. By doing this, I've  allowed her to try it
out for herself and make her own decision. If she likes it better, she
can keep it. If she's too used to Windows, that's fine too. You can't
force someone to like something.

Thoughts on that?

Dave

On 8/1/06, Chris Thompson <cthompsonx at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hmm... You wrote:
> "Lately I've been asked to repair or update friends, neighbours etc
> computers, it isn't difficult but I'm not a tech. "
> A few thoughts..
>
> There are techies and then there are techies....I would have to say that
> anyone who subscribes to this community is, relative to the poulation at
> large, by definition a techie. The average computer user wouldn't know a
> Linux kernal from Colonel Klink.
>
> "So I'm taking the stance that they MUST switch to Ubuntu Linux, since the
> Windows problems have become a real pain."
>
> If you think supporting your Windows friends is a pain, watch what would
> happen if you installed Ubuntu....you will become 24 hour first line
> support, help desk, tutor, and designated scapegoat every time anything,
> however seemingly trivial,  goes wrong.
>
> In providing support, whether it be for Windows or Ubuntu or whatever, I
> would strongly recommend following the philosophy of   "give a man a fish
> and he will eat for a day, teach him to fish and he will eat for the rest of
> his life."
>
> Never just fix something under the covers.... provide guidance and only
> guidance. Never let your fingers touch their keyboard. Help them to become
> self sufficient.
>
> Same with guiding someone to linux or ubuntu - give them a Live CD, let them
> play and decide whether they want to use it. Remember, people always go
> through an ignorance - awareness - understanding - liking, andultimatelu\y a
> preference cycle for anything. For the average User, an OS decision is an
> emotional choice, not a rational one, the migration is scary.
>
> If you put a gun to their head - Ubuntu or no support - they might cave in.
> I guarantee they will resent you for it and blame you (quite unjustly) of
> course for everything and anything that ever happens to the computer. Given
> the perverse nature of inanimate objects (as we engineers like to say)
> things will go wrong.
>
> Unless of course, you want to be on call 24 hours a day providing help to
> people who resent you being the cause of all of their problems since the day
> they moved to linux.
>
> Remember, no good turn goes unpunished.
>
>
> On 7/31/06, Allen Graham <allenggraham at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
>
> Hi all: we've discussed at length  spreading the penetration of Ubuntu Linux
> at all levels in Canada. This article:
>
> http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2006/07/27/217270/Linux+patch+problems+Your+version+may+vary.htm
>
> strongly supports our efforts.  Specifically;" In this instance, Ubuntu and
> Fedora received the highest scores overall, reflecting their tendency to be
> among the first responders for many issues."
>
> Lately I've been asked to repair or update friends, neighbours etc
> computers, it isn't difficult but I'm not a tech. So I'm taking the stance
> that they MUST switch to Ubuntu Linux, since the Windows problems have
> become a real pain. Forced "Updates and Upgrades"
>
> Your comments ?
> Allen
> --
>
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-- 
Dave Sullivan <demsullivan at gmail.com>