Installfests are a great idea. It gets Linux into the hands of users who might be intimidated otherwise. Once a Linuxbox is going it is much easier to manage than anything else as it takes very little maintenance. You have no AV software to setup and maintain,no anti-trojan, anti-malware, anti-hijacking software, no disk defragmentation, etc.
If only more people could get Linux factory installed then we might have a different story. Sadly, people get Windows and have problems. That is not to say that they would not have Linux problems, but that Windows has a whole set of problems that you don't get with Linux. An aside on this discussion is that Microsoft is developing its own package management system and patenting things like sudo. I am not sure what there plans are, but you can be sure that Linux is something that they have been looking at. Roy Using Kubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat, 64-bit Location: Canada On 20 October 2010 00:56, dbneeley <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Ray, > > Because of the level of enthusiasm of many Linux users, a newbie can often > get help with installation and whatnot from other individuals. Also, many > Linux user groups have "installfests" in which anyone can take their machine > and be guided through an installation. I know the one in Dallas does this > before every meeting, as one example. > > Today, more people are becoming accustomed to looking for help on the > Internet; some distributions have excellent community support where newbies > are welcome (the Ubuntu family is famous for this), while others still are > populated by "OS snobs" who are distinctly unfriendly to newcomers. To me, > that is a factor in which distributions to recommend to newcomers, in fact. > > Although many don't want to be bothered by reading anything, there is also > a large number of books dedicated to new users which can be extremely > helpful--even some which are downloadable in ebook format for free. > > The HeliOS project in Austin, Texas, gives computers to disadvantaged > kids--the machines are donated and often rebuilt by volunteers with that > project. These kids range from early elementary age (and younger siblings) > through high school--and few have any real issues using Linux. They seem to > pick it up very rapidly. Some even complain when they must use Windows as > being so difficult and non-intuitive! > > Obviously, there are those who will regard Windows as the path of least > resistance--and they put up with the endless rounds of updates and malware > difficulties as if that is a necessary and unavoidable part of computing. > Even when you try to tell them there is a better way, those folks are the > last to switch to anything new...even when, as you pointed out, the change > from one generation of Windows to another is at least as difficult as going > from Windows to Linux. > > Meanwhile, though, we continue to attract others who are finally ready for > a switch. In my view, if you have a friend, relative, or colleague who tries > Linux you should not abandon them from that point--but continue to help and > encourage as you can. > > David > > > --- In [email protected] <LINUX_Newbies%40yahoogroups.com>, > Ray Drouillard <ray-li...@...> wrote: > > > > This turned out to be one of the more informative threads. Thanks, > > everyone, for your insight. > > > > No matter how easy it is to pop in a live CD and go, a lot of people > > aren't going to do it simply because they have never and never intend to > > load a CD. They buy a Dell or Gateway, pull it out of the box, fumble > > with the cables, and go. In a year, their desktop is covered with junk > > from everything they pulled off of the web or installed. If they don't > > have malware, it's a miracle. > > > > It's possible to buy a car and never raise the hood. Fifty years ago, > > owning a car meant changing your own oil, and probably changing your > > points, plug, condenser, wires, and distributor. Now, you drive it off > > the lot and take it to an oil change place or back to the dealership > > every three months or 3000 miles. We're almost there with computers, > > but not quite -- except, perhaps, for the Mac. When we see more Linux > > machines pre-loaded straight out of the box, Linux will be used more. > > > > When Wal-Mart sold Linux boxes, I was going to get one. I never got > > around to it due to financial considerations. > > > > The main thing that kept me from Linux was that I didn't know how to use > > Unix, and I didn't want to chase all over the internet for drivers. I > > used to manually install drivers in MS DOS machines, but doing so in an > > unfamiliar system that wasn't up and running yet didn't sound like a > > good use of my time. > > > > While I wasn't looking, someone invented the live CD, and designed a > > number of desktop environments that were ready for the big time. When a > > friend suggested Linux Mint, I downloaded an ISO, burned it, and was > > soon running Elyssa. It took a little while to really get used to the > > GUI, but no more than switching up from Windows 98 (which I had been > > running for the last eight years or so) to Win 2K and Win XP. > > > > I had a few issues getting the most out of my video card when I upgraded > > to Mint 6, so I skipped it. Mint 7 Gloria worked fine. Mint 8 Helena > > didn't. I'm currently running Mint 9 Isadora on brand-new hardware. > > > > My point is that loading an OS, any OS, is a crap shoot. If some parts > > don't work (like the wireless controller or bluetooth,) most people > > can't do anything about it. Even an experienced Windows user isn't > > necessarily going to know where to find drivers or change configuration > > files. That's still an issue with me. Just where the &*^% is the > > Tomboy Notes data stored in Mint 9, anyhow? I moved the .Tomboy > > directory over from my old machine, and my new one doesn't see it. To > > me, it's an annoyance and an opportunity to learn. To an appliance > > operator (to borrow an old ham radio term,) it's a show stopper. > > > > In summary, if someone is used to buying a machine and running it out of > > the box, the fact that Linux is free doesn't mean anything because his > > new computer already has an OS. Who would swap the engine out of their > > car for a new one, even if the new one is free? A few, but by no means > > the majority. > > > > If you want to introduce an appliance operator to Linux, you need to > > either set the machine up for him, or point him to one of the machines > > that come with Linux pre-installed. > > > > > > Ray Drouillard > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from this list, please email [email protected] & you will be removed.Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINUX_Newbies/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINUX_Newbies/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
