This is a true story. I received the email a few days ago, copied below (edited for anonymity) from someone I met some months ago. It may be useful for analysis of the background, marketing actions, assessment of motivations and needs, etc.
==================================================== We had a chat about Ubuntu a couple of months ago at (location), at long last I have got round to installing Ubuntu on my old PC and I am amazed how fast the old girl now is! No doubt Ubuntu users already know that, at the moment in the old PC I have 2 250GB HDDs, so I left Windows XP on the c drive and have now installed Ubuntu on the D drive. Only downside at the moment I have to hit F11 to change the boot sequence but that is no big deal, it boots up nearly as fast as my new Windows 7, I need to do a speed check over the weekend. I will probably set the BIOS to boot straight from the D drive. I have got the sound and mouse working, initially the mouse was a square blob but it is okay now. Next job is to get the printer working, it has given me the incentive to look out for a second hand laptop so I can install Ubuntu on it. When is your next get together on Ubuntu, I will see if I can make it. So far very impressed, got some more playing around to do but so far so good. ==================================================== Background: Over a year ago I gave a talk on living without Microsoft to a computer club, in which I am also a member. The talk and demonstration went well, including when, after some time of talk and projector use and video (20 minutes of Eben Moglen), I turned the PC tower around to show that the machine did not have any hard drive connected (live CD of course). The audience were ordinary MS only users, and not at all technically qualified. One person asked if he could use his photoshop, and was horrified that he would waste his 'investment' (his word) in the program. He also asserted critically that Eben Moglem was obviously 'a rabid socialist' (his words). I could see that some more work might be needed to move him towards FOSS...... a few other club members expressed mild interest but were obviously not confident nor well motivated to act. Because the normal content of the club meetings are of no interest to me at all (Windows), I rarely attend, however I did email the members list when I began offering Ubuntu Hour meet ups: ================================ If anyone has an interest in learning more about the popular alternative to Windows called 'Ubuntu' then they may like to know that there is a Ubuntu 'Hour' meetup [at location, time, date]. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Hour This is intended to be a public event, albeit very low attendance expected at this stage. It is not restricted to [club] members. ================================ To my delight, one person attended, from the club. This meetup was in January 2010. The attender had previously tried gnu/linux some years ago without success and wanted to try again. He was impressed by what he saw on my eeepc - xandros, UNR and Ubuntu 8.04, multi boot etc. This is the person who has now, months later, actually used the CD he got from me at the January meetup. Conclusions: The timescale is notable. It is quite long. From an unsucessful trial of GNU/Linux some years ago, to a targeted advertised meetup, then 7 months pass until an actual installation. It is interesting the person said it was a 'couple of months ago'. The person had tried GNU/Linux years ago, so he was open to change and already partly motivated towards an alternative. Over those years, the public profile of GNU/Linux ('advertising', 'education') did successfully seed knowledge to this person. Although it is my practice to offer direct help to anyone wanting it, he obviously decided to do it himself, probably in isolation. I have noticed this trait in many semi technical Windows users. They are confident about doing stuff, Windows use can facilitate an actual over confidence so that say, for example when something (burning an ISO?) goes wrong, they shrink back, confidence undermined into familiar territory. They do NOT seem to want to attend LUG meetings nor (in my experience) use Ubuntuforums. Local meetups are useful, such as the Ubuntu Hour initiative, particularly as Ubuntu popularity increases (otherwise population density is so low that no one turns up) I note that he used a spare PC, (I do not know how old) not his usual PC. This is exactly what I did, years ago when I first installed GNU/Linux. I note he still needs and will appreciate, newcomer level support. Further comment I am in email contact with him, with supportive content, and still an offer of direct meeting, although the Ubuntu Hour itself is not available with me at present. Technically I find it mysterious about the booting conditions he reports, but I know nothing of exactly how he installed, or anything further. If the windows drive was in place during the install, for example. Or if the PC is connected to the internet even. I have never had to define a bios boot sequence as he suggests. But that is another story and off topic in this list. -- alan cocks Ubuntu user -- ubuntu-marketing mailing list ubuntu-marketing@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-marketing
