...misinformation is a better term. I have six people in my neighborhood who are now using Linux just fine and they didn't know much about Windows. So I proves to me that once the system is set up with all the basic programs a person can do just as well with Linux as Windows. Ubuntu, Mint and Mandriva are my favorites for first time users.
I just want to give managers and other employees at a Best Buy or Office Depot the opportunity to try Linux out first hand. Once they use it the fear factor is broken. It may not change any policies, but it will give them knowledge of another OS that they may like more than they thought. On Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 10:03 AM, Tim Wescott <t...@wescottdesign.com> wrote: > Check the definition of "lying" in the dictionary before you go. At least > according to their chart I don't think you could prove in court that what > they're doing is "lying" -- they're too clever for that. > > What they _are_ doing is choosing the chart such that Linux comes up > looking bad, and in some cases stretching the definition of "few". Let's > go over it point by point, and think of how _we_ might honestly answer > those questions. > > But keep in mind, too, that if you're really honest you aren't going to > recommend Linux to your church secretary unless you're willing to be > her/his constant IT companion. > > So let's look at those questions. > > "Familiar and easy to use": > > Are my mother and sisters familiar with any flavor of Linux? No. My > sister in law? My brother in law? My geeky brother? No. So no matter > how easy Ubuntu is to use (and with the exception of my mother and one of > my sisters the rest of the cited people would pick up on it in minutes), > Linux is not familiar, so it is therefore not familiar AND easy to use. > So they've told the truth (the @#*$#&^%). > > Even I find that Ubuntu -- in theory the easiest to use Linux flavor -- > requires IT expertise that is way above and beyond what your average > mechanic, church secretary, or office manager even comprehends, much less > is happy to do. Until everything -- _everything_ -- under the hood is > accessible equally well from a graphics app as from text, until those > graphics apps are self-explanatory or backed up by ample help files, and > until you almost never need them, this is going to be the case. > > "Most customers want": > > Given a choice, my wife and both sons use Windows (even Vista) in > preference to Ubuntu. Why? See my above comments. With Windows -- even > Vista -- they can get by on their own. With Ubuntu they're always calling > me. > > "Digital Home": > > Who the heck cares -- I don't even know what they mean. But Microsoft has > made it their goal to put the capital letters in Digital Home, so let them > cite it. Me, I want to do business on my computer. > > I'd be interested in knowing what the heck a "Digital Home" is, for that > matter. > > "Cameras/iPod/MP3 players": > > Well, I can access a camera that makes itself look like a disk drive, > ditto for iPod & other MP3 players. #1 son logs onto Linux to fix things > when his iPod gets hopelessly screwed up by Vista. But if you want plug > and play, if you want your Nikon camera to talk to the Nikon camera app > then I'm afraid your best hope is Windows. > > "Printers/Scanners" > > Define "few" and "many". Once again they're clever in lumping these > together. My printer worked right out of the box, but my scanner required > the kind of diddling that I could only do because I'm a software guy > and/or IT professional. I wouldn't expect _any_ of my siblings or in-laws > to be able to get it to work without concentrated help -- except for my > geeky brother and one geeky B in-law (ironically he's the one married to > the anti-computer sister). I have high confidence in randomly buying a > printer to run under Linux -- but not a scanner! > > "Services Integration" > > I'm not sure what the heck they mean by that, but they probably mean that > the web browser doesn't automatically go to MSN when you start the > computer. > > "W-WAN Support" > > I don't know. It's worked quite well for me, but I hear stories about > needing to select one's laptop if one wants the built-in WAN to work -- > that sounds like a compatibility issue to me. > > "Software Compatibility" > > OK Mr. Refuter -- just how many folks out there use Linux _exclusively_, > _without_ having a copy of windows stashed away somewhere for those one or > two applications that Just Don't Work on Linux? How many of us can truely > cut ourselves free from all the .doc formatted files we have to read, and > accountants who want our tax records in Peachtree format, and > microprocessors that can _only_ be debugged with software that just can't > live without being hosted on Windows? How does that fly with any claim of > Linux as being "Software Compatible". > > Go into Office Depot, inventory all of the software titles that they're > making $$ on, and put a check mark next to the ones that _really work_ on > Linux, or on Linux under Wine. What's the percentage? I'll bet you that > the number of check marks on your list will meet the definition of "few" > in just about any dictionary you can pick. > > Can you find software titles, for free, that _replace_ those titles that > Office Depot makes $$ on after someone buys a Windows machine? For the > most part, the answer is "why yes, I can". Is that the message you want > to leave the store manager with? > > I think that one needs to take the Microsoft list apart, and reassemble > it. If you want to be nasty, have a version that makes Microsoft look bad > and one that's objective. Hand out the 'bad' version first and say "Now > this is the quick summary", then hand out the 'good' version. > > But I think that at this stage of Linux's maturity one still needs to be a > bit of an IT expert to use it -- even when Ubuntu makes it easy. I know I > can't send my mother into Office Depot with a check and the instructions > "Only buy stuff that has a 'Linux Ready' sticker on it". Until I can, my > recommendation for Linux will be "as long as you know what an OS is, as > long as you know how to dink with your computer, and as long as you don't > mind maintaining not one, but _two_ OS's, then go for it". > > On Thu, September 10, 2009 8:44 am, David Kaplan wrote: > > Here's the latest Blog of Helios. > > http://www.linuxlock.blogspot.com/ > > > > Ken points out that Best Buy, Office Depot and others are lying to people > > about Linux so they only think to buy Windows 7. > > > > Maybe it's time to speak with some of these managers make them aware of > > their misinformation. I'll bring my laptop w/ Ubuntu on it and give them > a > > demo so they can see for themselves what Linux is, because most employees > > and managers are ignorant of Linux and it's time they did know the truth. > > > > Dave > > _______________________________________________ > > PLUG mailing list > > PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org > > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > > > > > -- > Tim Wescott > Control systems and communications consulting > http://www.wescottdesign.com > > Land line: 503.631.7815 > Cell: 503.349.8432 > > _______________________________________________ > PLUG mailing list > PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug > _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list PLUG@lists.pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
