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The Age of Aggressive Linux Advocacy Is Upon Us?
GonzoJohn writes "Jamie Harrison, founder of GBLUG in Glen Burnie, Maryland, has written an exclusive editorial for Linux Orbit about how he sees the state of Linux advocacy.
"Whether we want to admit it or not, Linux has entered a critical period in its development - a period that may, in fact, determine in fate forever.
Now that Linux is no longer a strange little niche Operating System, and has developed to the point where Microsoft actually feels threatened by its proliferation, the folks in Redmond are doing everything they can in the way of software design, legislation, regulation and control of the internet to snuff Linux out. The main reason that they have failed up to this point is that Linux has matured and grown in popularity, gaining public and private defenders in the consumer market and especially the corporate boardroom."
Read the editorial here" I don't think that I agree with all the points here - but it's an informative read if nothing else.
For all Linux's technical superiority to Windows, we as a community must not be seen as childishly attacking Microsoft. (A trivial example being spelling their name with a '$')
Most non-technical people perceive a community by their loudest members. If all the 'Linux' community can offer is "Mickey$oft SUXXX!" and "You're too stupid to write your own device drivers, you don't deserve a computer!" then Linux shall forever remain a niche Operating System.
I think it's been getting worse lately, witness any of Michael's screeds against MS, and then the me-too comments, and you get the feeling there's less Linux advocacy and more and more Microsoft bashing, whether it's deserved or not.
The idea that Microsoft is paranoid and fearing Linux might be true, but is totally overblown. Microsoft fears any competition, the most likely competitor is Apple more than Linux.
So maybe it's time the Linux advocates look in the mirror first and see what kind of advocate they'd like to be.
SIG:Slashdot: indymedia for nerds.
I seemed to feel a tone of 'manifest destiny' in the article. Is it just me who believes that philosophy is completely irrelevant to Linux?
We don't NEED to gain market share. We don't NEED to singlehandedly supplant Windows in order to be successful. In fact, if Linux does supplant Windows, it's just going to become the next widely-hated major OS of the time, until someone else comes along and supplants Linux. Doesn't sound like fun to me.
What goals does the Linux community have, other than supplanting Windows? Hrm.... creating an autonymously stable and useful operating system. Showing the Windows world what it's like to build an OS that interoperates with the majority of standards out there. Tons of others.... Why do we feel this conquistador-like goal to take over the OS world? It seems bullish and idiotic to me. There are much better things we can accomplish, cooperatively, when we're not wasting our time trying to dominate. If we keep this up for too long, Linux really will be the next Windows, in all the worst ways.
.... um, i lost you after "0110100001101001".
Linux is still inferior to Windows in functionality and ease of use. It's popularity is growing only because of Microsoft's continuing (and getting worse) bullying behavior and increasing onerous licensing practices.
We have to be realistic. Even if Linux usage on the desktop increases by 400% over the next several years, it isn't going to make any real difference. Why? Because Microsoft has the high ground. They make massive financial contributions to the right people - namely the campaign funding pots of the US government.
In 3 years time, Microsoft in conjunction with AMD and Intel are going to start setting up a hardware and internet infrastructure which Linux will not be able to run on. Want to install Linux on your new PC? Can't - the CPU won't let you because it doesn't support their properterial encryption. Want to run a DVD, a Direct X game, a TV tuner, a new 'security concious' hard drive or motherboard? Can't, for much the same reasons. Next it'll be email, then webpages, and so on.
Anti trust laws you say? Won't work. MS has more power over the US government than the oil barons. Think about that. There is also another dimension. There is a little thing called 'war on terrorism' on right now, and having every computer in the world capible of being easily monitored, controlled, observed and disabled by US inteligence agencies, because of the next version of Window's 'security', will greatly appeal to them... don't underestimate this factor.
If you want to stop Microsoft, extending the user numbers isn't going to help much. Microsoft can simply cut off the air supply. The only way to stop them now is to actually get politicians in power who aren't all incompetent or corrupt fatcats.
Actualy, first one you're right but as much as I love Linux advocacy, second one is wrong. If it weren't IE we would be paying for Netscape. Netscape had initial price that has gone down to 0 with version 3. IE was free.
Now it's other way around. People pay for bundling IE wth Windows and as such IE price tag is included with system price. Netscape has gone further by supporting Mozilla, so his price tag has gone below zero (not by usability, price only).
Signature Pro version 1.13.2-3 release 83.5 beta3try7 after-breakfast edition
How can Microsoft "kill" Linux.
They can't. Linux is not a company.
As long as there are developers developing
Linux and software for Linux, and as long as there are Linux users Linux will be alive and well.
Whoever wants to use Linux is and will be able to,
and there is nothing Microsoft can do about it.
Although it would be nice to see Linux on the
majority of PC's out there, it is not a requirement for Linux to survive.
Heffel
Expert Java EE Consulting
Linux will not die.
Perhaps so, but it may very well end up in the sad bastards Geek Ghetto, with all the people who bang on about the Amiga not dying...
"Information wants to be paid"
The reason Linux has succeeded is that it is free I don't think that that is the only reason, ofcourse it helps, but is not the only reason... The main strength for linux is it's robustness and the posiblility of do with it whatever you want and need, and there are always people out there willing to help you out, you can get really good tech support for linux out there on newsgroups or irc rooms, but is really hard to get good tech support for M$ products cause not even their people are good at helping. Entusiasm is our main weapon on leading the computer industry, and this doesn't apply just to linux but also to other OSS.
Apart from cutting code, the following activities need addressing:
;-)
- Testing (including usability testing).
- Writing documentation.
- Translating documentation and software.
- Drawing pretty pictures and icons for use in applications.
- Maintaining bug databases and feature requests.
- Sales.
- Sending encouraging noises and objects towards the people cutting the code
He is right that Linux is constantly under threat - from closed hardware vendors, from legislation, from FUD, from M$ establishing closed protocols etc. And he is right that bigger market share for Linux will tend to make it more of an unstoppable force.
But I'm not sure if TUX tee-shirts and "advocacy" for the sake of advocacy is going to do much. Linux advocates plod on, and continue to successfully. The distributions get better, the application support better. The whole team is advancing the cause of Linux from all fronts, ok yes advocacy included. It's the whole team which will bring Linux to the forefront, not just burning ourselves out on "advocacy".
I believe that Microsoft actually doesn't mind that Apple exists.
#1 Their OS only runs on propriatary hardware and the number of deployed systems is quite small compared to the number of Windows systems.
#2 Microsoft is able to make money from Apple users through application sales (Microsoft Office)
#3 Microsoft can point to Apple as being a worthy competitor thereby reducing the effect of Microsofts monopoly. (remember, Microsoft made a big contribution to Apple at a critical time not so long ago).
Basically, at this stage, Microsoft has nothing to fear from Apple. Once (if ever) Apple is able to take more than 10% or 20% of the market from Windows, watch out.
Microsoft fears Linux because they realize there is no easy way to make money from the Linux users other than porting (and maintaining various flavors for each version of Linux) Microsoft Office.
Linux runs on nearly every platform and is primarily used on cheap X86-based hardware rather than expensive propriatary systems.
Don't anthropomorphize computers, they don't like it.
This is essentially old news.
Linux needs to be more mature; let me qualify that- I do not own a Windows machine. Everything here runs something else. For me, the fact is that i cannot in good conscience set up a linux machine for a friend who wants a `general purpose' computer.
Okay, why is that? Because I can't just let them go with the latest Wiggles interactive CD kids game and expect it to work. Sure, wine is about... and it does work well for some things.. But not all. And that really doesn't cut it for Joe Sixpack.
Open standards are really our friends here. What if the Wiggles CD features *only* content that we freely support (I'm thinking of stuff that works in Mozilla) . That's fine. It works. Promote open standards.
Promoting linux isn't really what we want. Look beyond! Our problem is the .doc format (okay, okay.. there's a perl script somewhere that reads the format, and there's wvLatex, but seriously-- J.Q Sixpack doesn't care)
Open standards will additionally allow the *BSDs and anyone else and their dog do whatever they want.
Open Standards.. okay-- i've used the phrase a lot, and I'm sure somebody will have a problem with it... this is slashdot after all.... What I really want is somebody to be able to ask "Could I and a few of my friends make something that does all that? Is all the information available? Is it published? Or is there some trade secret involved which the manufacturer/author will not disclose?"
Hey.. visit my website... Clinton East
Linux for the average user is technically there, but the real battle is in the hearts and minds of the youth.
So I propose that we pool our cahs and hire a celecrity pop icon, like scantily-clad Brittan Spears or something to do a Linux PSA with a catchy dance rythm.
How sleepless is the egg, knowing that which throws the stone forsees the bone.
The biggest quality point he has is that the majority of computer users could care less which OS they are using, as long as they can point and click their programs into and out of existence, and easily install hardware that they purchase.
"Windows for Dummies" is one of the best selling dummies books for a good reason. Even windows doesn't always work the way people want it to.
If the Linux crowd wants to move the Linux OS into the mainstream, they are going to have to make it as easy and simple as possible. More so then windows perhaps. Add more help boxes, give a better manual then windows (There are companies in Japan with excellent manuals,) make it easy to install and remove software/hardware.
When these objectives are reached, I can guarantee you that more people will use Linux.
As well, provide an easy way for device drivers to be distributed for linux boxes. A big problem I have found with some of my friends that have switched to Linux is how difficult it is to find good drivers for some of their old peripherals.
~ kjrose
You want news and weather and bite-sized breakfast chit-chat material? Try yahoo.com. Or msnbc.com. The cool thing about having more than one website available on the Internet is that you can open them in separate browser windows, and (here's the neat part) read multiple sites at the same time.
Do you always insult people for their personal preferences, likes, dislikes, and habits, and at the same time expect them to agree with you and do what you want? Reality doesn't actually work that way, but I suppose you'll find that out soon enough.
Hokey statistics and ancient misconceptions are no match for a good thought in your head, kid!
Seriously, having stickers will make a few people laugh, but is it a real way to change things? I don't think so.
After hearing the news of Palladium, I begun to ponder on ways to dramatically increase the Linux base. The best way I have found so far is to approach educational institutions. My university, for example, has a huge people-to-computer ratio, and I suspect that the reason we don't have more computers is that the average users knows only Windows. Since windows machine are a pain to operate ($$$) and the license (more $$$) go into the university budget (more teachers or more machines?) and the fact that computers are inexpensive, they try to push off the responsability of fair education on the student side.
Ironically, there are rooms filled with x11 terminals to unix system, which are nearly empty. The users who want to get into the system have to personally request access, instead of this being standard, or going with a guest account.
So when I get back, I hope to push the student assosciation into making real noise about this lack of access problem. At the same time, approach the Linux base we have, and get them involved to teach the newbies that the switch is not nearly so painfull.
Universities are really worth our time: they have huge visibility, the people coming out of there are the future leaders of ours societies, and are a few thousand strong of smart individuals, capable of installing Linux and using it.
If there are any people reading this that are from the University of Montréal, write to me or something. It's time to push. As we say in french, Pousse, mais pousse égal.
Karma:This parrot is dead! (and so is the joke.)
So, you don't know how to program, or you only know how to program in languages that are unacceptable for Free Software (such as VB), but you want to contribute. No problem!
1. Pick a project that you care about in some way. You will almost certainly lose interest in contributing to software that you don't use regularly.
2. Subscribe to the mailing list. Keep up with how the project is progressing, and what things are holding it back. Lurk for a while. (If the project does not have a mailing list, contact the project lead and coordinate setting up an SF.net account and getting one going.)
Some examples of how a non-programmer can help:
- If you are and admin type you can help new users of the package. Helping new users is probably the number one thing a non-programmer can do for a project.
- You could bring existing documentation up to date (see why you needed to lurk?).
- You could convert existing docs to "better" formats.
- You could do some other non- or semi-technical work, such as bringing a web app's HTML output into compliance with a W3C recommendation.
4. Make your presence known. Volunteer in some concrete way. Don't say "I'd love to help" say "I have six new FAQ entries, where should I send them?"5. ???
6. Profit (just kidding).
Following these easy steps I (briefly) became the project lead of a package that was featured in this month's Sys Admin Magazine, without ever writing a single line of code.
-Peter
Sorry, some people don't read any documentation and demand help, and are quite rude about it.
"Real experts and Gurus" don't want to waste their time with someone who can't even put in the effort to read the documentation, and listen to instructions.
I consider myself somewhat experienced, I help with problems/finding solutions, and interactions that people have.
If the user can't even be bothered to read the HOWTO first, then why should I waste my time helping them?
However what annoys me most is some GUI features of linux. I'd really like to help improving that. Now the problem is that I doen't speak C++, and I don't want to spend years learning it.
Many gui-using projects have a bug database; don't be shy about entering usability bugs in the database. Your opinions do matter; you may well have more taste in interface design than many of the coders on the project, even if you aren't able to express your ideas in code. Of course, be sure you understand the issues well before posting, and state clearly what the usability bug is, not just how you think it should be fixed. I.e, "It requires 6 mouse clicks to turn off Javascript" (it really does, in Mozilla) not just "let me have an option to put a button on the toolbar to turn Javascript on and off".
Life's a bitch but somebody's gotta do it.