Linux Demo Day Advocacy Event

Thanks to Deepak Saxena for forewarning us about the Feb. 17 Linux Demo Day Event. He writes "On February 17th, Microsoft will be releasing Windows 2000, the next version of their enterprise/business OS. I propose that the Linux community take this opportunity to inform as many people as possible about Linux by having demonstration/education events. To help in doing so, I have organized a group of Linux vendors who are willing to help LUGs and individuals by providing freebies that can be handed out. For more info on how to participate, go to www.linuxdemo.org "

Comments

A few comments...

[dsaxena]

I'm the organizer of the event, and most of the people participating so far are waiting anywhere from a few days to week or two after Win2K releases and than putting together some sort of event at a local store/library. This will let MS have the spotlight, let people get caught up in the hype of Win2K, and than go learn about Linux

As for media coverage and the issue of stupid people, I am specifically asking people to behave in a proper manner. We don't want people running around making fools of themselves trying to advocate Linux. We don't want people who do nothing but say "Microsoft bad. Linux good." It's up to each LUG to try to inform their membership that this is meant to be a well organized, well presented event. Hopefully some idiot won't fsck it up.

The goal is to educate people that there is an alternative. I don't want Linux to be shoved down everyone's throats, but just to let people be aware that there is something other than what the big media machine tells you there is. I don't want Microsoft to die, but I do think there are a lot of small/medium size companies that will just get caught up in the Win2K hype and spend gobs of money to get it up and and running without ever knowing what alternatives exist. Maybe some of these people know that Linux exists, but how many of them do you think have given it a test drive on their own? Probably not many. I'm not trying to go into Intel or some other large company and talk them out of using NT. It's the small companies, with limited funds, that really need to learn about Linux. The idea of an OS upgrade will already be in their mind due to the Win2K release hype, so why not take the opportunity to show them some alternatives.

--
Deepak Saxena

Three pieces of advice for this...

[jd]

...Pre-empt, pre-empt, pre-empt.

There is ABSOLUTELY no point in having a Linux Demo Day that starts at the same time as Windows 2000 is officially rolled out. That's not where the press will be.

Yes, you absolutely want the event to go -through- the roll-out, but you really want to start the day before with a massive campaign to the press.

That way, come the release of Windows 2000, eyes are on Linux, -not- Bill Gates or whoever Microsoft decides should make the press announcement.

The newspapers and TV stations only have so much space/time to allocate to computer news, so the more you can shift the focus to Linux, the less time (and therefore mindshare) Windows 2000 will get.

Just keep in mind, Microsoft has the advantage of numbers. But numbers really don't count for much in a well-planned ambush, and don't count at all if you can be sure that you can strike first.