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How to Encourage Use of OSS?
Marc Light asks: "I repair computers as a side line cause I want to keep up on what's going on in the world of computer technicians. When someone comes to me with a problem, if I have to reinstall I first try to convince them to install Ubuntu. For now I only have 25% of success, mostly because they usually use an app. or some hardware that would complicate their experience too much. When I install Windows, I also install Firefox, OpenOffice, VLC, Winamp (not open source but if they eventually switch to Linux, XMMS won't scare them), and CDex to drive them off Windows Media Player and DRM. I then take 15 to 30 minutes free of charge to explain to them the basics of their new software. For my part, I mostly got positive response. I'd say 80% of it is positive feedback. My questions to Slashdot readers: Do you think that computer technicians can make a difference in the adoption of OSS? And if they're for OSS, should they try to put some pressure on their users/clients?"
I really don't like the idea of trying to convert people.
The beautiful thing about OSS is that it's free. And you're not forced to use it (like Dell forces people to use Windows). Let's keep it that way.
Please only install this software on their machines if they give you permission. If their computer stops working soon after or they experience problems that they don't understand (file associations), they may just quietly blame it on those applications and tell that to all their friends and relatives.
My work here is dung.
Talk down to everyone that uses Windows.
Use phrases like, "I guess if you are willing to accept that level of insecurity" even if you don't know of any real security flaw in what you are describing.
Assume that every Windows user simply doesn't know better.
Laugh at someone's choice of programming language. Ignore the fact that they make better software than you do. Just harp on the fact that they use IIS while you use Apache.
In short, just be a pompous ass. Don't let the facts or manners get in your way. The converts will come running. Or walk away laughing. Either way: believe you win. The truth is really far too sad.
I'm all for converting as many people as possible, and I think there are some areas where you can make a real difference, like Firefox, because it will do what they want it to and they don't have to think about anything new or different. I've not even been able to get my girlfriend to agree to only have linux PCs in the house. She thinks she only know windows and that's all she wants. It's the same with my mum. I've shown them new things, triend to encourage... all for nought.
Some people just don't want to change - and they are the vast majority of people... These are also the same people who complain the second something doesn't work on linux and yet put up with endless crashes with windows (because windows never causes problems). I'm amazed that you have a 25% rate. Maybe you should be posting to use about how you have such a good level?
*''I can't believe it's not a hyperlink.''
Why not just do your job and fix their computer like they asked you to. Would you like your waiter to try and convince you to change your order because they don't think it's right to eat lamb?
"I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
You should suggest it, but don't try to convince them unless they ask for more information. Put together a sheet comparing the two operating systems and give them a live CD, but I would leave it at that. Besides, if they come back afterwards and say, I like this live CD, can you put it on the drive, you get more cashish.
Technicians can play a role in getting the word out on FOSS and you seem to be doing a good job with FF and OO. Just remember that you don't know how they use their computer and perhaps Linux just is not right for that user.
tinfoilmedia
If your installing all this other software for them, install something that is OSS and would do the same as VMWare and an image of Linux. Set it up so they can delete it VERY easy, doesn't take up TO much space and takes a simple double click to get a taste of this mystical creature.
Long ago I helped a guy rationalise his laptop; upgraded DOS, and Wordperfect (shows how long ago this was...). Then weeks later I get a call "I can't save my file! You've messed up my computer! It worked before!!! etc...". Turns out he was trying to use an illegal filename. So a problem he created that had nothing to do with what I had done, had become my problem. And this continued for months. It only takes a few people like that to sour you on the whole idea, and you revert to "Reformat and reinstall; call MS if it doesn't work". Beware those who nod and agree when you make suggestions, often they have no idea what is going on and will come back to you time and time again to ask the same question and drive you insane. Unless you're either a BOFH or Mahatma Gandhi, don't be a suggester.
If you really want to champion this movement, you have to recognize the problem before you can start to offer people solutions. You mention installing OSS apps that you seem to enjoy on everyone's machine.
While you may feel that this is doing them a world of good, what problem did you solve? Did they complain to you that they were sick of DRM? Did they complaining that they wish they hadn't bought MS Office and long for a free suite of editing and publishing tools? Was IE failing to fill its role in their lives?
For the average person, there are few problems with their computer experiences. If they have issues with security online or troubles coming up with the cash for MS Office, then you have definite problems that need solutions. And OSS is there for them, that's when it's your duty to step in and offer your services and free 15-30 minutes of time to explain how this new software works. Nobody wants to climb extra learning curves and, let's face it, commercial software products are usually years ahead of their OSS competitors.
A lot of open source applications are developed to satisfy a very specific problem. That is, they don't have a breadth of system requirements, just very very specific ones. They may come out fulfilling these few requirements far and above their competitors but they often lack the bells and whistles. For instance, I love CDex because it's simple and slimmed down with no DRM. Does this mean that my sister should also want to use it? No. She doesn't care or know what DRM is and my explanations bore her. Instead, she wants quick instant American gratification at the click of a button. iTunes gives this to her, CDex is ugly and foreign with no online tutorials or music store built into it.
So before you ask me how to encourage the use of OSS, you first need to tell me the problem that OSS needs to solve. I'm guessing for a lot of these people, there isn't one. Unfortunately, OSS is simply not for everyone.
If someone comes to you in distress with a problem, simply say, "you know, I use this app that
My work here is dung.
having the ability to boot linux or windows can be a plus. You can explain to them that should their windows system again get corrupted for any number of reasons, least of which is not online garbage, they can still use linux.
I once created a triple booting system with windows98, windowx XP and Knoppix. I had to disallow either windows partition from seeing each others but had a common partition for anything that any of teh systems needed to access like user files. Of course Knoppix had full acces to the whole system as that didn't cause potential conflicts. I didn't create this system for myself but for a friend who had been running Window ME and letting all his friends and kids access the internet. It took over 15 minutes for it to boot, had over 600 items of spyware on it, and a few viruses. In trying to fix it I watched it deteriorate to the point of non-functional.
Choice is a wonderful thing, but removing windows altogether can be a plus to, as it forces the user to get use to linux.
Personally I prefer Linux, Ubuntu as of current, for general computing and even programming with python.
My use of windows at home has been reduce a great deal and only use it when I need to use an application only available in windows.
But I'm finding more that is not available in a windows environment. Linuxcnc machine controller, even just for simulation, uses the real time kernel and is not available on windows.
OS I look to for the no to distant future include AROS, DragonFlyBSD and look over at the HURD and Minix3. Something has to give!!! As even Linux is not as user empowering as computing should be. And Windows is probably becomming the worst in terms of user empowering (The shell is a good indicator)
But maybe the waiter knows that you shouldn't eat the lamb because the meat had a green fungus covering it. The best thing the waiter can do in such a case is to recommend another dish, one that doesn't suffer from such problems. As much as you like and want lamb, it's probably better for yourself and everyone else if you order something else. After all, nobody else in the restaurant wants to see you puking up your guts after eating the bad meat.
It's much the case with Windows. We know it suffers from some very inherent flaws. Things have gotten better as of late, but that is only because of the pressure that Linux, BSD, Solaris and Mac OS X put on Microsoft to improve the security of Windows. As computer professionals, it's our duty to recommend alternate products that are safer for the user to use. They might really enjoy Windows, but it's better for everyone if they switch to a better operating system. After all, when their machines becomes compromised, it's their data that may get stolen. It's our mail servers that will have to handle all of the spam their systems send out. We might as well just help them out in the first place by recommending a better system, and save everyone a lot of trouble later on.
You forgot the question mark there, but it's clear you were making a statement rather than asking a question anyway. You might as well have said that it's everyone's job to do just what Bill Gates wants them to.
Um...no. If someone asked "could you fix my computer please?" a reasonable person wouldn't see that as an invitation to completely change the operating system for them. Imagine (car analogy coming up) taking your car to a mechanic, and instead of fixing the exhaust they've resprayed it, changed the engine and given you new seats. You'd be pissed.
What the user wants is a browser, email, text editor and spreadsheet that work.
And all users want that, because twitter says so.
What a lot of users want is MSN Messenger. The current most functional MSN client for Unix-alikes is aMSN (IMHO), and it's terrible. The fonts look out of place, it's a Tk program so it looks like shit and it doesn't support things like winks. They might want to use their webcam, which aMSN can do...if Linux supports it. They bought some songs off iTunes or Napster or something, they want to listen to...WHOOPS, they can't (no, saying how DRM is evil and the RIAA are fuckers isn't going to make someone any less pissed when you tell them they can't listen to their tunes). Oh, want to play some games? Well, if they work with Cedega (a big if) then sure. And those Works documents they had (lots of people use Works...)? Well, screw ever getting those back.
See? Linux isn't a panacea. YES, if you want basic web browsing and email, with maybe an ounce of word processing, Linux (or BSD for that matter) will do perfectly fine...but then, so will Windows really. Hell, for that, Windows 98 would suffice. Not much point in switching someone over just because you think Linux is better.
The software market more resembles a nightmare world where McDonald's took over the entire food supply with government help.
Government help? Jesus wept. Are the Jews or the Illuminati involved as well? How about the UN? Can't have a good conspiracy theory without those guys.
Second, I'd be more than happy if my waiter told me something like, "We got some beautiful fish today, you really should try it." Most of us like a helpful waiter.
Fair enough. Nothing wrong with a recommendation, so long as you're not saying "non-free software is evil, use Linux or you're going to hell to have your wallet raped by Bill Gates" (or it's equivalent in the silly lamb/waiter analogy).
How would you feel, if your mechanic "fixed" your car with a factory replacement fully knowing the part was defective by design?
"Defective by design". Yes, twitter. God you kill me sometimes.
By summer it was all gone...now shesmovedon. --
The best way to encourage the use of open source, is to use it yourself. Run it on your laptop. Run it on your desktop. Run it on your server. Run it on your PDA. Run it on your cell phone. Put penguin/distribution stickers on everything.
As more people - that others recognize for their technical ability - run a piece of software, the more it attracts attention. As other environments have problems, but your SELinux/ExecShield protected machine keeps chugging, people will notice. When they ask tell them, but don't try to sell them. Say "Linux" not Fedora, Ubuntu, Mandriva, SuSE, etc. Use a common term, so they can begin to associate the environment with the benefits in their own minds.
When other people are watching, don't use the command line. Yes it's easier to do some things that way, even on Mac OSX or WindowsXP. But when you use the command line, that's the association that people make with Linux.
Linux is already much bigger (installed base) than people recognize. It runs under the radar. No registration, no cost, no audit trail of downloads or copies. To help manufacturers understand that, everytime you purchase a product ask the vendor a question and mention Linux. Does it work with Linux? Are there Linux drivers? Is it Linux compatible? Even if the vendor is providing a product for another OS. Are the files this program creates compatible with "program X" on Linux? Can I move this USB device between "OS X" and Linux? Is the compact flash/USB/Firewire in this camera/camcorder/PDA/phone/etc. Linux friendly?
It doesn't take much to change the world; you just have to do something to let the world know you're there.
Can You Say Linux? I Knew That You Could.
I also do a lot of on-site computer service, and although I've often dropped a suggestion that someone might benefit by making their next computer purchase a Mac, I don't attempt to change over their existing OS while I'm there to fix something.
I have no doubt you could construct an environment in open-source that initially pleases at least 1 out of 4 of your clients who need help. (Many people don't know enough about their computers to really understand what "Windows" is in the first place. I find a lot of confusion out there, especially with the OS and apps coming pre-loaded so often. People think Microsoft Office is part of Windows, etc.)
My concern would be long-term hassle and confusion. What if a family member brings over a shiny new piece of software the following XMas (maybe some Family Tree software for Windows, or a Print Shop Deluxe type package, or ??), and they discover their PC can't even run it anymore? Guess who will be blamed? Yep - that damn technician who wiped out my whole hard drive and set me up this other stuff that was supposed to be so much "better"!
In addition to the many short-term benefits you can demonstrate to the users, explain to them the benefits of freedom such as how free software can help protect their privacy, how exercising freedom is important in preserving it, how freedom has inspired cooperation and, in turn, such a great amount of progress in the quantity and quality of free software in such a short time and with few resources compared to the billions from the likes of Microsoft, etc.
Explain to them that there may be inconveniences from time to time just as you find with proprietary software, but that in the case of free software, inconvenience is a price of freedom, just as other freedoms have prices. We all need to be reminded of such prices so as not to take freedom for granted. If they understand these things, they will face unfamiliar situations with more patience and determination, and, in turn, become more self-sufficient.
Remember that helping them in this way is not a one-way street. You will improve your own skills and reputation, and their greater understanding will invigorate free software in the long run.
``So assuming you do get them to switch to Ubuntu - do you honestly think they'll have a more trouble free future with their PC than they would with a repaired windows machine''
Possibly. I think Ubuntu requires less maintenance and technical know-how to keep running than Windows does.
``I mean it makes great sense to do this is I repaired machines for money - in 6 months time you just know they're going to turn up with a webcam or a printer they've bought and can't get to work.''
Many printers and webcams will work with Ubuntu as soon as you plug them in. I don't know if the same is true on Windows these days, but I know it used to be that you had to install the driver before Windows would even tell you what kind of device it needed a driver for.
Please correct me if I got my facts wrong.