Using Computer Stores to Spread Open Source?

DigitalRaptor asks: "I live in a small city with about 4 or 5 computer stores, most of whom I know personally. None of these stores offer Open Source software on the computers they sell (Firefox, Thunderbird, OpenOffice, etc), and none of them have anything in place to educate their customers about spyware and viruses. I'd like to approach them with all of the relevant information in a presentable format. I think this would be a great way to spread OSS and to help the average consumer at the same time. Is there a project out there for this purpose that local advocates could use to approach computer stores in their town?"

Comments

Killing the revenue stream...

[Anonymous Coward]

They make money cleaning spyware and viruses off computers. Why would they educate their users about them?

Re:Killing the revenue stream...

[BlogPope]

A computer shop however has different motivations.

They are motivated by a need to profit, not because they are greedy corporations, but because they need to pay the rent, by the sales and service staff a fair wage, etc. These things require an income stream.

However, there is nothing inherent in open source that prevents making aprofit from it. They can't charge for the code, but as I recall they can charge a reasonable fee for the media its distributed on. They can give classes on its use. They can charge for support.

All of which requires outside the box thinking and skilled personnel on the part of the shop, so don't expect them to be buying it in a big way; but you could plant a seed.

Why?

[NineNine]

Why would the stores listen to you or care? Honestly, Slashdotters (admittedly, like most people) have no clue what it takes to run a successful business. Independent computer stores have been hit very hard by the fact that geeks have no loyalty, and shop mainly at big box stores, and generic online merchants (tiger direct, etc). The *only* way that the few remaining independent computer stores, which are already probably struggling, will even begin to listen is if you have a way for them to improve their bottom line. Bottom line.

Ideals about "Freedom" don't really matter to people if you can't pay rent. You'd do well to remember that before you started preaching to them about how they should run their business.

Re:Why?

[schnarff]

geeks have no loyalty, and shop mainly at big box stores, and generic online merchants (tiger direct, etc).

There's a good reason for this: independent computer stores, for the most part, offer no added value, while charging a ton more than the aforementioned. Don't get me wrong, I like the little guys, and I got out of my way to buy from them whenever I find a good independent shop. The problem I have is that there's less and less places like the one I frequented in Centreville, VA (now defunct) where they did honest service and got good parts when things died, and more and more places like my now-local one in Arlington, VA where they don't even carry Ethernet cords and know less about hardware than your average A+ certified luser. Create some value for me, and I'll shop with the little guy every time.

I've wanted to do this too

[LoTonah]

I work in a computer store, but the position of management (and it's been similar at a lot of stores I've visited or worked for) is that they don't want to push/give OpenOffice because they don't make money on it. In the retail market, it seems like value-added services don't matter anymore...if there isn't a profit to be made, it won't be touched.

Same goes with programs like AVG, Spybot, etc...we use the utilities in the service department as part of our spyware/virus cleaning services, but that's as far as it goes.

Trust me, I'd love to load our systems with Firefox, Thunderbird, OpenOffice, etc., but the retail culture here doesn't allow it!

Re:make it tangible

[NineNine]

And how exactly are stores supposed to make money from this? This whole article is ridiculous. Indepdent computer stores are already pinching pennies to compete with the big box stores, and the online merchants. Why would a store replace one of their last remaining revenue streams with a non-revenue stream? Computer stores aren't going to stay alive selling beige boxes with $10 markus. It ain't gonna happen, and I think that most know, which is my no store (that will be in business in the near future) would consider touching Free Software.

Re:make it tangible

[NitsujTPU]

If you charge consumers the price of packaging, then that is what they will feel it is worth.

Toss in a manual or something, make the box a little heavier, charge the printing cost, and you get a bit of free advertisement as well (and heck, you know that people might buy the box just to get the manual).

Now, toss in a bit on top for the Mozilla project, the FSF, the Apache Foundation, or whoever is selling the software, and you have something that is eye catching and benefits us all.

It's funny how people reject a cheap or free product as crap, but you know that they do.

Users

[shawkin]

Most people coming into a retail store are not ubergeeks. To a basic user, packaging sells stuff. Once they buy something, it has to be easy to use and install.

To expand Linux into this market, everything needs to pass the grandmother test. If she doesn't read a manual, san she install it and make it work with less than 15 minutes of phone support?

As experienced users, we often forget that most people have much better things to do with their time than learn how to make a user hostile computer work.