On Tue, 2007-03-27 at 23:59 +0100, Alan Pope wrote: > > Would we really want to provide Ubuntu unsupported - I'd feel there > > would be too many opportunities for mistakes and damage to > computers. > > Free software for Windows however - one step at a time... Of course > > this is not a big-store-only thing. > > > > Ubuntu isn't unsupported wherever you get it from > > There's loads of support options including but not limited to:- > > _Official_ > > Wiki - http://wiki.ubuntu.com/ > Help - http://help.ubuntu.com/ > IRC - https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InternetRelayChat > Answers - http://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu > Forums - http://ubuntuforums.org/ > > _Unofficial_ > > qunu - http://qunu.com/search/ubuntu > LUGs - http://lug.org.uk/lugs/all.php > > If "we" make the leaflet/insert/wallet that goes with the CD there is > nothing stopping us including links to and recommendations for those > resources.
There seems to be two models of support here: the one found primarily in the proprietary world and that found in the FLOSS one. Something more substantial than a leaflet/insert/wallet is needed, since such methods wouldn't be enough to make people aware of how FLOSS support works in the first place and how to get good sources of it, not least because most people just want to just dive in and learn as they go along. This means that learning materials would have to be more immediately attractive to a wider audience. For example, a good set of screencasts, arranged well, would stand a better chance than textual documentation. A supplementary CD, packed with instructive media, might be the way to do it (to also compensate for people without net connections). Personally, I wouldn't mind churning out a few CDs like this, but only in the context of a scheme where a number of us also offer to do installs in our local areas, with new users covering pre-determined (and fair) costs like travel and CDs. I could cover my area easily, and this seems a much more realistic and productive approach for most of us to the question of getting Linux more mainstream...so long as enough people offer to take part. I can squeeze in a few hours a week and I'm sure others could, too, especially those dreaming of one day blockading PC World! Doing CDs on their own is a bit of a waste of time. I think a lot of people have got more to offer than being button pushers, and they know it. But this is the United Kingdom and, much as I hate to say it, when it comes to community, we're often just not that good at it. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.kubuntu.org/UKTeam/
