How Do You Advocate Linux in 5 Minutes?

xtracto writes "I just returned from buying certain Linux magazine. While looking at the 'Computing' stand in the library, and right after I grabbed a copy of the Linux magazine, a guy asked me if I used Linux. After that, the man told me he had tried to use Linux, but he had found it difficult. I told him the first things that came to my mind: that it depended on the distribution (he tried Kubuntu). I recommended him to look for a Linux User Group near his hometown (he told me he didn't live near a city). What would you tell these kinds of people? Not so long ago, and to my surprise, a relative who is completely computer illiterate started talking about Linux, but the general thought is that 'it is harder than Windows'. How do you advocate Linux to people who are more comfortable using Windows?"

Comments

Quickest idea

[nizo]

Maybe a way to brand people on the arm, something catchy like "www.ubuntu.com" with a little penguin logo.

Re:Quickest idea

[dch24]

LiveCD's.

Just the other day, I had a friend ask me, "Why is my computer rebooting?" (Xp BSOD with only a 64K dump. Goes by pretty fast.) Once I explained it was "just normal Windows," they asked me, "How can I get Linux?"

I explained it like this: "You can just download and burn a CD. Pop in the CD, reboot, magical linux." I didn't take the time to explain the different distros. But LiveCD's are that good.

Re:Quickest idea

[ditoa]

Sorry but a BSOD is not "just normal Windows". There is something wrong either with this system or his hardware. If it is hardware then Linux (or any OS you run on the system) may also fail to work because of it. If it is Windows itself there is most likely a simple fix. Most likely is a buggy driver.

Windows is not perfect however stating it is "normal" for a complete system crash is not true these days.

Now back to your post I agree with you, Live CDs are great. I have given around 50-60 to people in the past 2 years or so. Almost everyone thinks it is impressive you can run it without needing to install it (those you don't do not understand what an operating system is). Sadly I do not think any of them stuck with Linux. The reasons are common (hardware support, applications, complexity). I have never tried to force anyone to use Linux. Use what you like IMHO. I try and support Linux as much as I can but it is very difficult when everything in Windows 'Just Works(tm)'.

A lot of people see computers as a tool to do something, like a drill or a BBQ. A drill makes holes, a BBQ cooks food, a computer surfs the internet and does word processing. They don't have to build the drill from small parts to drill a hole, they don't have to rub two sticks together to get fire for the BBQ and so they don't want to have to work on their computer to get it to surf the internet.

Re:Quickest idea

[drsmithy]

Just the other day, I had a friend ask me, "Why is my computer rebooting?" (Xp BSOD with only a 64K dump. Goes by pretty fast.) Once I explained it was "just normal Windows," they asked me, "How can I get Linux?"

Note to potential Linux advocates: lying in order to push your agenda is _not_ a good way to "advocate Linux".

Re:Quickest idea

[BaltikaTroika]

I think you used too many words in your haiku.

Re:Quickest idea

[Hucko]

it is very difficult when everything in Windows 'Just Works(tm)'.

Where has this fallacy come from? I have rarely seen any install of windows where everything just works. For years I have assisted family and friends with various shop bought computers and they had problems with printers, video cards, sound cards, mice, and of course Windows based diseases. A couple of years ago I installed Mandrake to try reduce the number of viri occuring, and they had a problem with a printer. I was formally requested to re-install Windows 98 because "it just works."

I can't understand how people come under the impression Windows works when for years they have struggled with hardware problems despite having official drivers available

Re:Quickest idea

[wc_paladin]

First, everyone hates it when you use "M$". It's not cool or trendy, it's just annoying.

As for which Ubuntu to choose, try Xubuntu. I find that XFCE is much faster than KDE, and looks nicer than Gnome. But what it all comes down to is a personal preference. Just try the livecd's for each one before you decide. (you can also install the other desktop environments later if you get tired of whichever you choose)

Re:Quickest idea

[aetherworld]

Where kiddies with glaringly unexceptional IQ's come to pretend their kooky little rant matters.

There, fixed that for ya.

Re:Quickest idea

[matthewcraig]

Didn't the penguin on the printer box indicate the manufacturer supported the product in Linux environments? I wonder why you turned to your "friend who is an old Linux hand" instead of calling the toll-free number in the printer manual. The whole reason you buy a hardware device is because it is supported in your computing environment.

Linux users who do not purchase supported hardware solutions are strange, but your purchasing hardware support and not using that service is even stranger.

You don't?

[casualsax3]

Linux is still not for everyone, and people need to come to terms with that. We need to stop trying to convert the masses - it's still too early. Build a truly better operating system and you won't have to spend so much time trying to sell people on a free product. Wait until "it just works" otherwise we're going to continue to turn people off.

Re:You don't?

[crossmr]

Actually no. History is littered with times when something superior did not gain mass adoption and instead an inferior product did. There could be many individual reasons, but the big one is marketing. It doesn't matter what you make and how goddamn awesome it is, if you can't get it out there, its not going to gain popularity. While Linux is almost ready, and some would argue the only hold back at this point is getting software companies (like game developers) on board wholesale, where's the marketing? It costs money, and of course someone would have to be in charge of something like. Love or hate Microsoft then can market something to the unwashed masses. Same with Apple. The Ipod isn't the and wasn't the best damn mp3 player out there. I remember when it first came out a company (I think gateway, its been a few years now) had a superior and cheaper mp3 player. It had everything the Ipod had, support for more file types and an FM tuner and it came in at like $100 cheaper. Now you likely couldn't even find mention of it.

"Build it and they will come" is a great line for movies, not so much in real life.

Re:You don't?

[rbochan]

Linux is still not for everyone...

You've hit the nail right there. I'm as big a Linux advocate as any other /.'er, but I'll reiterate what I posted here a while back:
It's entirely situational. The key is no-pressure. It's their machine, and they shouldn't be forced into using something they're not comfortable with.

Re:You don't?

[Carlio]

Why should a computer 'just work'? A car doesn't 'just work' - you need months of training to use one and aren't expected to be your own mechanic. A computer is far more complex than a car. Why is it reasonable to expect it to do more but more simply?

Re:You don't?

[trisweb]

And just like most Linux advocates, you just don't get it.

The iPod was not about its features, or its interface, or its design, or its marketing, it was ALL of those things understood and executed simultaneously by a company and a person who Just Got It.

It really makes me laugh when people say "This product has everything this one had and is $100 cheaper, why wasn't it more successful?" The fact is, it wasn't, that's the hard truth, and it's your job to figure out why. I'll give you a hint: it's not one thing, or two things, or even five things. You have to understand your product and your users on a much higher level than features and price.

So then think, gee, Linux is free and Windows and MacOS are hundreds of dollars, and they all offer exactly the same features... and take a hint. There's something wrong with Linux, and it's not just one thing. It's the whole philosophy that software is just its features and nothing more. Once you Get It, then you can talk about Marketing It.

Here's a start: Linux needs to tuck the command line under the carpet. Blasphemy! [Runs and hides]

But seriously, if you disagree with that, then Linux will never see widespread adoption, and your mentality is the reason.

Re:You don't?

[Sancho]

Too early? That excuse is only going to hold water for a little while longer. Distributions like Ubuntu already make installation and most use so absurdly simple that children[1] literally can do it. The next version of Ubuntu is expected to include things like accelerated graphics drivers (not open source) and other little spiffies that are currently 'hard' to get working. The last great barrier is wifi (both configuration and support), but that's coming along, too.

The problem is inertia. It doesn't matter much that Linux is ready for the desktop. What matters is that Windows has owned the desktop for over a decade. People are familiar with it, and no matter how irrational, when confronted with something /different/ but no /harder/, people cry that they can't do it.

I don't know what about Kubuntu was too hard for the gentleman in the Asker's story, but I'd be willing to bet that the problem was that it was unfamiliar. He probably didn't immediately know how to do the tasks that he normally does. Maybe his e-mail client wasn't already set up and his ISP couldn't help him, or maybe he couldn't find Internet Explorer and didn't know that Firefox was the alternative. But the fact is that he wasn't willing to try, and it's likely that he wasn't willing to try because he had his comfortable Windows desktop waiting for him back in his comfort zone. I'm not trying to say that there's something wrong with this man, but this (admittedly speculative) case is representative of the problem.

No, Linux is ready for the desktop. It's about as ready as it's going to get. It is no harder to use than Windows. It's the inertia issue advocates need to overcome, now, and that will be a harder battle.

Re:You don't?

[trisweb]

iRiver, most likely. It was the H320, 30Gb, FM tuner, Color scren, mp3/wma/ogg support. You might be able to find one still, I love mine, and it runs RockBox, which is awesome.

Re:You don't?

[Sancho]

[1] Inevitably, when someone puts a footnote tag (what is the actual term for that, anyway?) in a post, they will forget to include the actual footnote.

The expression "so easy a child could do it" is really misleading. Children are typically better capable of learning and figuring things out than most adults I know. Perhaps the expression should be, "So easy a retiree could do it." But that would probably be considered degrading.

Re:You don't?

[trisweb]

The difference is that when Linux doesn't work, it's really difficult to make it work, and it involves a command line, which scares everyone except us. ;-)

When windows doesn't work, you're still in Windows. When it really doesn't work, you just have to re-install Windows. That's actually less scary than a command line for 95% of computer users.

Re:You don't?

[trisweb]

So they're calling it "Linux" now huh?

Re:You don't?

[Creepy Crawler]

"So easy a caveman could do it"

Re:You don't?

[Bluesman]

Amen.

But I'd go further and say that the problem with Linux acutally is just one thing.

It's not the dominant operating system.

That one fact alone means a whole lot to the average person. They want something they can get help with from people they know, the want something they can replace easily, they want the dominant operating system. Just like most people want the dominant movie format, and will wait to get it.

90% market dominance isn't just a result of good marketing, it's the primary "feature" of windows. Nothing else will be able to offer that feature by definition.

What's going to have to happen is for Microsoft to either adopt Linux/open source (I tend to think this is actually likely in the long term future) or Linux is going to have to be so vastly superior to Windows for the average person so as to make the 90% market share "feature" irrelevant.

It's not going to happen through advocacy.

That said, my money's on virtualization. We'll probably all be running multiple OS's simultaneously before Windows loses 5% marketshare.

Re:You don't?

[jgrahn]

And this is coming from an ex amiga user. If anyone was made to whine about the best technology losing it would be me, but I've come to accept reality :)

You know, it's been ten years since I moved from my Amiga to Linux, but those two sentences still piss me off.

I'd like the Slashdot audience to know that the (traitor) parent poster is in no way representative for us ex-Amiga users. We still foam at the mouth.

Re:You don't?

[mgiuca]

The next version of Ubuntu is expected to include things like accelerated graphics drivers (not open source) and other little spiffies that are currently 'hard' to get working. The last great barrier is wifi (both configuration and support), but that's coming along, too.

I disagree. I love Linux, I love (k)Ubuntu, and I use it as much as possible. But I can't honestly claim it's ready for everyday use (and pushing it on people at the moment will probably just drive them away).

Now I'm very passionate about Open Source and so on, so I live with the deficiencies or learn how to console around them. But the average user won't have so much patience. This is things like the fact that if my network or Internet is down when I boot up, I have to "sudo ifdown eth0; sudo ifup eth0" in order to get it online. Like how Firefox won't open PDFs in-browser and I have to download and use KPDF. Like how I have no way to play Quicktime or WMV videos. I know Ubuntu can do all of these things if you fiddle around and tweak, but again your average user won't stand for it.

I read the Fiesty roadmap.. it looks like they're planning to improve default support for some of these things in the next version, but not all. Also I was quite looking forward to showing off the "wow" factor (to use the Vista terminology) of having a composite desktop environment installed by default, but it looks like it's been deferred.

So not yet, I don't think... one day soon.

Oral sex

[Anonymous Coward]

Best way to advocate for anything, really. "Try Linux and I'll give you oral sex!" works wonders. I haven't had anyone refuse to try Linux yet.

Re:Oral sex

[GejTOO]

Yet another blatant evidence that Linux is way behind the competition when it comes to marketing. Seriously, how do you expect to beat the catchy "Use Windows and you'll get fucked"?

G.

Re:Oral sex

[NightRain]

A mod point, a mod point, my kingdom for a mod point

Don't tell... listen

[gbulmash]

The best way to advocate Linux is to ask some questions. What doesn't the guy like about Windows that's making him even consider Linux? What kinds of things does he do in Windows and what apps does he use? Why does he think Linux is harder than Windows?

When you know that, you know the selling points of Linux that you can spool out in 5 minutes. The biggest difficulty in evangelizing anything is when you talk at people instead of with them. If you ask questions, he'll provide you with all the talking points that will be most effective.

But it's worth mentioning... It all depends on the person's needs. Sometimes Windows will be the person's best option for a comfortable operating environment, because they have peripherals and software that Linux just doesn't have a good solution for supporting or replacing. If the guy's not ready for Linux or it's not ready for him, be honest. That way, when the situation changes, he's going to trust your advice and be ready to switch because of it.

- Greg

Simple

[JoshJ]

Tell them there's a free operating system that's better than Windows, that it's available for free, you can try it out on a cd before you install it "for real"- for free- and that it's extremely resistant to viruses and comes with a dizzying array of programs you can install- for free!
Then GIVE THEM an Ubuntu livedisc or install Debian/Fedora/Mandriva/whatever for them. No, don't tell them "go download it", that's not going to work.

Alternatively, you can send them to goodbye-microsoft.com by way of their "propaganda": http://goodbye-microsoft.com/propaganda.odt

Re:Simple

[DerekLyons]

Tell them there's a free operating system that's better than Windows, that it's available for free, you can try it out on a cd before you install it "for real"- for free- and that it's extremely resistant to viruses and comes with a dizzying array of programs you can install- for free!

Then tell them the rest of the story.... The 'free' software can cost you many hours of tracking down answers in obscure forums (and dealing with the scorn of the denizens thereof) in order to get basic functions (sound, video) to work. If there is a Windows program you absolutely must have - there may or may not be a Linux equivalent (back to Google and forum scorn to find it). You may or may not be able to import the data from Windows to Linux. You can spend hours (back to Google and forum scorn) trying to get a Windows program running under WINE - and still not have it work.
 
In the past nine odd years (I.E. since installing Windows 98), I've spent a grand total of about five hours sorting out configuration and driver problems. (Ten minutes when I installed Pirates!, five each for locating and installing the new drivers. Twenty minutes sorting out a USB problem with vendor tech support. The balance was trying to get help with an Open Source program which kept failing - and the best I got was 'when it breaks, reinstall it'.)
 
Properly installed and maintained (and the latter takes very little work if you practice safe hex) Windows installations Just Work. Free software? Well, it might work, it might not.

Better reason

[linvir]

Linux is like a religion for people who really ought to be putting their intelligence to better use than a religion. Stop wasting time thinking of ways to get your neighbours to accept Linux as their personal saviour from malware, and start teaching yourself C++ and get to work improving things.

Re:Better reason

[Curtman]

Stop wasting time thinking of ways to get your neighbours to accept Linux as their personal saviour from malware, and start teaching yourself C++ and get to work improving things.

The problem with that approach I think, is that by the time you become a competent C++ programmer, you no longer have the ability to see things the same way a "newbie" does. I want tonnes and tonnes of options in my applications. Newbies are afraid of those options, and don't know what half of them mean. I've come to a point where I really don't care if the masses convert or not. I prefer that they did, and I would recommend that they do, but I know from experience that preaching only leads to a LOT of phone calls from people with the stupidest questions (to me). I will never push Linux on anyone again.

Re:Better reason

[paeanblack]

The problem with that approach I think, is that by the time you become a competent C++ programmer, you no longer have the ability to see things the same way a "newbie" does. I want tonnes and tonnes of options in my applications.

Being a competent programmer has almost no overlap with being a good user-interface designer. The problem is not "programmers can't think like newbies", it's "programmers think they can do UI because UI is just another part of the program." They can't.

Until the DE and app devs start realizing "oh shit, I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing with the interface, and I need to involve someone who does.", Linux won't ever crack the desktop market. XP and OSX are a decade ahead.

PS: Before you reply with "I'm a good programmer and a good UI designer", let me guess: you probably think you are a good driver too. These are just areas where people are notoriously inaccurate with self-assessment. Get a qualified second opinion.

Re:Better reason

[belmolis]

Right, if you want to retain the newbie's perspective you need to learn PHP instead of C++. :)

Re:Better reason

[networkBoy]

I concur.
I'm a reasonable coder (enough to support the horrible abomination of a legacy app we use*). The UI is a CLI, no GUI at all. All in all there are about 100 commands with a half dozen permutations for most of them. When it came time for "improvements" I sat down with my primary users (all of 5 people locally, about 7 more spread around the world) and asked them what they most wanted. The answer? stability and repeatability. No feature enhancements, no GUI. It boils down to: We know the app the way it is like the back of our hand. DON'T FSCK WITH IT.

That said, I hate to say how dense my users can be about the stability issues. Every product family that comes out requires finessing of the code, sometimes to the point of re-writes of the low level bit routines. Each derivative within a product family usually requires at least a half dozen tweaks to deal with timing issues or errata that have crept into the design. All this hacking is transparent to my userbase, much to my frustration at times. "what do you mean I can use X tape on Y product? They're the same size arrays!" Then when reversed:
me: try using tape Y on product X, it's a superset of X functions. You will get array A,B,C OK but D will be gibberish.
them: X doesn't have register D it won't work!
me (mumble): what part of superset... comprehension... monkey... absolutely simian...

Alright, maybe not that bad, but still. Back to the point of the UI. Make it what your _user_ wants, not what the developer thinks is cool. That is the key to getting people to use your product.

-nB

* initially written and compiled in win95 under borland C 3.0. Transitioned to C++ under M$ VS6. Hardware only works on Win98SE or lower (maybe on winME but that's worse than ADA calling COBOL on CP/M), on equipment EOL'd over 5 years ago!

No OS is the right fit for everyone

[amaupin]

(Insert big "DUH" sound here.)

If someone is more comfortable with Windows after trying one of the most user-friendly distributions out there (Kubuntu) then maybe Linux isn't for them. Time to stop evangelizing.

Someone advocated Windows for a web server I was setting up, but I tried it and decided to go with FreeBSD instead. Windows as a server wasn't for me.

Keep your mouth shut.

[Anonymous Coward]

Linux doesn't need any more advocacy, because you are most probably annoying. Use it to solve your problems, and tell others plainly what you did when they ask. Otherwise, shut it.

Face it

[kosmosik]

Linux is not customer ready OS right now (like for grandpa or smth.). If it would it would be mainstream right now. But it isn't. The fact that it is not customer OS does not degrades its value. Linux (and other alternative free-as-in-speech unix OSes) has great value once you learn how to harvest it and make Linux to work for you.

So with that in mind Linux is an OS for professionals and hobbyists/hackers.

For professionals right now it is I think mandatory to know Linux in *some* way. Even just in way to see that Windows works better for you. But it is essential to know Linux in way that lets you make clear decision of what to use. But anyway nobody ever got fired for buying MS - or was he? ;)

For hobbyists Linux is a Must Have - if you are into computing and you like it you must try Linux since it may make nice things for you in some way or another. It does not mean that you need to dump Windows and go Linux exclusively - but it means that Linux has great potential and it is worth to use.

Linux advocacy has nothing to do with ease of use compared to Windows or whatever. If Windows is easier to use for you than go on - use it.

interface interface interface

[beaverfever]

I know zilch about Linux and its various versions, but I'm curious about it. I'm sure there are many dedicated programmers working on Linux, but how many true interface designers are involved? The programmers contribute to the reliability and efficiency of the software underpinnings, but it is the interface which makes software easy or challenging to use.

Re:interface interface interface

[Blakey Rat]

Very few. And those who put in bug reports about usability issues are usually either ignored or shouted down, especially if they don't include a patch to fix it. I'm sure this will get marked as Flamebait, but I've tried submitting usability bugs several times to different projects with no results.

Only programmers are respected in the open source world. If you can point out a usability problem like "Gnome apps don't alphabetize files in the Open dialog right" but you can't write code to fix it, you're sunk.

Oh, and I didn't make that up. Gnome apps *don't* alphabetize files right. You'd think that in the year 2007 being able to alphabetize a list of files is a solved problem, but not in the Linux world.

Re:The answer is right here

[techno-vampire]

Dunno if you can pull it off in 15 minutes...

It all depends on what you want to do. Do you want to sell them on Linux or are you willing to settle for getting them interested in it and start them thinking about switching? If the latter is enough, fifteen minutes should be more than enough.

Don't worry, grandma...

[rob1980]

Checking your dependencies and recompiling your kernel is just like emptying the deleted items folder in Outlook Express. Honest!

Re:Don't worry, grandma...

[jZnat]

Yay! Let's all make baseless assumptions like it's 1995 all over again!

I'm sure there are tons of Linux users now who don't even know what dependency hell was like (or DLL hell for that matter) because that problem doesn't exist anymore. Find something else to troll about.

Just tell them to try it!

[melikamp]

Here's what I would tell such a person: get some help. Find a geeky friend or a co-worker who is willing to set it up for you in dual boot with your Windows system. The distribution choice, by the way, is largely irrelevant. If the system is fully set up (all the drivers are working and the Windows partition is visible) then Slackware is as easy to use as Kubuntu. I would still recommend a Debian-based system though, since its package management can handle a direct hit by a total noob.

Educating is mostly pointless, since these people are not asking to get educated. They just want to try it out, so let's just give them a fully working toy to play with. Educating comes naturally after some use. You will start getting questions like "why cannot my Windows see my Linux partition?" Well, gosh, because Windows is designed to be incompatible? Plenty, plenty of educational opportunities will be available later, for both technical and political topics. But for starters, just give the man a working OS!

Why?

[DogDude]

Why would you want to advocate it? What does it matter to you what that guy uses? If he asks you how to use it, and you know how, sure it'd be nice to help him, but really, why should you care of Linux is used by 1,000,000 or 100 people? If it works for you, good for you. Whether or not other people use it has no impact on your use of it.

Re:Why?

[pbaer]

Why? Because since it's open source the more people that use it, the better it gets. Even if they don't actively code for it there's still bug reports. But more importantly, as marketshare increases companies are more likely to code for it.

Before you start thinking of any funny ideas...

[Sexy Commando]

See this first.

Re:Easy

[DogDude]

Let it sell itself to the right customer.

Unfortunately, right now, those customers are people who only need to check their email and check out EBay, and those people with teams of administrators to set up complex servers.

Re:Easy

[josephdrivein]

Let it sell itself to the right customer.

I think that not everyone is ready to use linux. Let's face it: linux is not for everyone. You need to be smart. When most of people I know ask me about linux, I sedolm recommended to try it out because I know they can't even handle Windows XP. It's sad but it's true.

It's REAL Simple...

[UnknownSoldier]

Send them to...
Linux Genuine Advantage

--
Windows: Why its file system still blows?.doc
Unix: README_JUST_AS_STUPID.DOC
Unix: readme_just_as_stupid.doc

LiveCDs

[whoever57]

You are absolutely correct. Just last week, I was exchanging emails with someone who wanted to try Linux but could not find a suitable machine. I pointed him to the fact that the Ubuntu CDs can be run without installing. A short time later, he was enthusing to me about how well it worked (even his wireless card!)

Re:LiveCDs

[b4upoo]

Usually the live CD phase doesn't last too long as people want certain software that suits their own needs. Linux is not harder than Windows. But a Windows user usually will have a really hard time switching over. It's easier for a newbie that has never run Windows. For those that are making the switch the key is to cold turkey all use of Windows. This way the person will have to get the syntax or procedure right on Linux which they will not tend to do if they can boot into Windows to get around the stumbling point.
                    As for the live CDs Puppy and DSL are simply amazing. They are also one heck of a security tool as no computer is likely to ever get infested while running from a live CD.

Re:LiveCDs

[Fred_A]

Usually the live CD phase doesn't last too long as people want certain software that suits their own needs.

The thing is that just handing out a CD (I carry a few of the freely available professionally printed Ubuntu CDs for that purpose) *without* following on afterwards doesn't do much to help.

The Linux logic is way too different from that of Windows and new users first have to forget their Microsoft ways. And they will only do so if they are *very* motivated or if you show them how to do stuff. Those users obviously aren't tech savvy or else they probably wouldn't have much trouble with Windows or would have switched to something else on their own.

So if you give a CD to someone, follow up on it, offer assistance, if the person finds it intriguing, point him/her to a LUG or invest some of your time.

Or you might as well be handing out coasters.

Re:LiveCDs

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey maybe if we sent everybody in the America a free bootable Linux distro!

We could do it every month!

We could call it America On Linux!

Oh! Sorry AOL...........

Don't advocate

[FonkiE]

I don't advocate Linux. I'm using it exclusively, but making advertisements is stupid. Show them Linux in 5 minutes. Show why you use it. Show where it's faster/simpler. And let the person try it for another 5 minutes.

It must feel right. It's not about specs or words.

Tell them the 'Three Finger Rule'

[Qbertino]

Gaming, special predifined requirements for software? -> Windows, some new preconfigured box - Dell, Shuttle, whatever(stay away from hardware building!)

Cheap, Laptop, Internet, Email, Wordprocessing, stadard productivity apps small 10-minute games? -> Linux (Ubuntu), have your local geek check for a printer that fits, join the mailinglist and get a n00b book on ubuntu. (Same applies here: Stay away from hardware building)

Desk, hassle free, Email, Internet, Wordprocessing, small games, neat games, design + nice OSS goodies? -> Mac OS X (Mac Mini / iMac)

Not that the above is the current state and can chance slightly every half year or so. (for instance if iBooks get cheaper than equivalent PC laptops again) or hushtech PCs become affordable.

The bottom line is unless the people have to really look out for costs right now a Mac is the best they can do. Only with super cheap laptops will they do better with Linux, as the iBook advantage has worn of lately.
Windows nowadays is only usefull for a newcomer if they're into gaming or special apps that require Windows. Example: a friend of mine is engineer and needs stuff that only runs on Windows. And in any of these cases you'll have to shed out some money to get a real advantage.
The legend that hardware is easyer to set up with Windows is exactly that: a legend. True to some extent two years ago, but not anymore. Of course the hardware in question should be able to run under Linux. But if so, it's not any more difficult to set it up with Ubuntu than it is with Windows. On the contrary.

Note that the above is the current state of things. The omnipresence of Windows distorts that quite some bit. People who have no business runnig a Windows computer buy one because 'their friend at work' uses one. And with PC hardware closing in on something like 15 concurrent different CPU sockets and the accompaning bunch of RAM types and the likes PCs aren't getting easyer to handle. Windows or not.

The barrier that prevents standard, non-gaming users from using Linux is nothing but a psychological one nowadays. At some time soon Linux/OSS will reach critical mass (probably when MS has pissed off enough customers) and then this will be a non-issue aswell. To me it's a tad ironic that now that I'm a full-time Mac OS X user (fedd up with hardware fiddling and kernelmod linking) that has real work that needs finishing, desktop Linux is finally close to going mainstream.

Loaner!

[Technician]

After that, the man told me he had tried to use Linux, but he had found it difficult. I told him the first things that came to my mind: that it depended on the distribution (he tried Kubuntu).

I reply that I have had too many problems with Windows and have moved on. I give examples.

I had a photocopyer set up using a scanner and printer. I needed to edit a photo, which launched the 30 day trial software for the photo editor bundled with the machine. Now anytime I want to photocopy something, it launches the photo editor on top of the photocopier software when the scanner is used. I ask if he could fix it for me? It's too difficult for me to fix and is still broken after 6 months.

Both operating systems have things that need to be understood in order to maintain the system. I personaly find Linux easer to fix than fixing what's wrong in the Windows Registry which killed the photocopier. Uninstalling the photo editor did not fix the problem. Now Windows offers to search for the missing exe file when I attempt to photocopy something. I now photocopy on the Linux machine instead. I did not have to install any software or drivers to make it work.

At least in Linux, the programs are operational instead of trialware.

When I have visitors and they want to check their online mail, or want to check something online, I log them into a Ubuntu machine and show them the icon for Firefox. When they are done, I ask how they liked using Linux.

If a Windows user is getting a machine fixed, I offer to lend them a replacement while their machine is being fixed. I provide a machine and give them a password for one of the generic accounts. Seldom do I spend over 5 minutes in user support.
Here, log in like this, here is the menu, here is Firefox, here is Evolution, here is Open Office, here is your home directory, here is the shutdown button for logoff or shutdown. No there is not a C:\.

A properly configured loaner is good. A live CD most times will be a problme because it takes longer than 5 minutes to explain why it doesn't play MP3's and flash sites don't work. After they have used a properly configured loaner, be prepared to help a new user learn the basics from filesystem, printer, email, and network setup. After they understand it isn't Windows, then they will be ready for a live/install CD.

Re:Easy

[Aneurysm]

Hmmm, I disagree with this. My job is teaching adult education. I teach IT at my local college for adults and we cater for anyone who is 16+. The average age of my students however is 56 and I have students as old as 88.

It's fine to say "They just need someone else to do it for them." because I agree with you, it's true. However it's not practical. I have a large number of students who don't have anyone to look after their computers for them. In fact the major reason for the older people gettings computers is to keep in touch with family who live a long way away or abroad. The worst thing is they often have "a mate from the pub who knows computers". This person is nearly always a complete idiot and has no knowledge of computers but does however know how to reinstall Windows. This is what they beliee qualifies them as an expert.

Now imagine putting Linux in front of these people with no direct support. apt-get? emerge? rpm? How is that easier that sticking in a disc, having it run and clicking next 3 times. These are people who can barely use a mouse, will they know how to search for the correct software? They would rather (and are better off) going to a store and asking for the software, and being sold something that will match their needs AND is eay to install.

I have had more than a handful of students say they have lost several years of digital photos of their grandchildren because a friend formatted their computer and reinstalled Windows. When quizzed about the actual problem it's nearly always a very simple one. In one case it was the keyboard not putting the correct characters on screen (I am in the UK and the keyboard was set to a US layout).

My Mom is running Ubuntu now...

[j0se_p0inter0]

Recently my parents wanted a computer to internet and MS Office on, and asked me for help. I gave them an old machine of mine...P3 800 with a Geforce 2 and 512MB RAM. I was getting ready to put XP on it when I realized I can't find my XP CD. After looking everywhere with no luck, I decided to conduct an experiment. I installed Ubuntu 6.10, Flash, Wine, Office, and VLC.

Initial impressions: My dad didn't care, he only goes to motorcycle forums and youtube, therefore the only thing he noticed is the icon for Firefox is in a different place. But my mom was like "This isn't Windows! I need to learn Windows! I need to learn Office!". I calmed her down and explained that she can do exactly what she needs with this setup, just the things she wants to click are in different places. After pointing out where Firefox was, how to save stuff to her home folder, how to find her USB memory stick, and what to click to open MSword, she was on her way. One day she said "This is fine but when I tell people at work I don't have Windows they keep saying I have a Mac and I'm pretty sure this isn't a Mac". I told her "Just say you run Linux, and see what their reaction is". I talked to her a few days later and she said their jaws dropped, and they were asking her a bunch of questions. I said "Congratulations mom, you are now l33t". A few months have passed since then and she still tells me how suprised she is that she doesn't use Windows, and everyone else does, yet she can still do what she needs to do. I even talked her through installing some stuff with apt-get over the phone. Incredible.

So yeah, in certain cases, I hereby certify Linux as "So easy your parents can use it". I never thought I would say that. I suppose in some way I may be doing more harm than good by stunting her Windows aptitude, but for what she does, it doesn't really matter. She just has to remember the icons she clicks and where she saves stuff are in different places.

Matter of perspective

[tempest69]

The Problem is that if I get a new computer, it doesnt "just work" even as someone with a reasonably computer saavy background. As such I am used to the garbage that needs to be done to make a machine work..

So With a new machine I might try and open up a pdf off the internet But then I get the message that Adobe isnt installed. But I know that Acorobat is a piece of Garbage, so I download Foxit to view PDF's.. But Microsoft has made it bloody impossible to view a pdf mwith an alternative viewer through IE, so I still download Acrobat anyway, and set foxit to be the readed for offline documents. Because acrobat takes 15 seconds to open a big pdf, and is responds like a slug.

Then I want to click on some quicktime peice of junk.. so it forces me to download the latest version of quicktime. Quicktime likes to have some quickloaded hanging out in memory that seems to chew clock cycles at random.. And while I would like to turn it off, VLC doesnt do a nice job of playing in-webpage-window movies.

Then there are those pages that dont show an address bar, the f-11 doesnt seem to work and so then you cant easily find some jacked popup without going through the bizarre path of ctrl-n, f-11 and then you can see and copy the address bar. Which is a total joke, because a popup should never have that level of control over a window.

The kicker is that I can get into a brand new car and have it work as well as I want it to work in 5 minutes. With a computer it takes it days to get it to a point where its comfortable.

Storm

Linux IS for everybody - with enough effort.

[jd]

The problem is that finding the pieces can be extremely difficult. There is nothing that a user can want that can't be done using the right set of kernel patches, the right set of libraries, the right set of applications. But putting these together is almost impossible unless you are one of the very very few who actually knows where things are and what to look for.

(I'm amazed by the number of hard-core Linux programmers I've met who have never even heard of Freshmeat. They've simply never heard of anyone offering a listing of what software was out there - and Freshmeat barely scratches the surface in a lot of areas. They use the tools they know of, imagining those to be the only ones to exist.)

Want a GUI but don't want X? Fine, no problem. Some aren't maintained all that well, but that's not the point. The point is not what could be better, the point is what exists in the first place. Code improvements will happen, if critical mass is reached on the userbase, but critical mass is impossible to achieve if nobody ever hears about these efforts. Don't blame Linux for "only" having one archaic GUI, when it actually has closer to twenty, if anyone made the effort to look. (Those are actual GUIs, not libraries or desktops for X. X isn't needed for, or used by, any of them.)

Want to run binaries for another Intel-based OS under Linux? I only know of five ways to do that at the moment. That's less developed. Not Linux' fault if the distros either don't provide them or don't make them simple to use. Not Linux' fault if users don't know about them, or only know about one or two. So neither the distros nor the users have any business blaming Linux for their own faults and failures.

Want hard real-time multimedia? Now we're down to about four broad solutions, with two options (microsecond precision or nanosecond precision), so that's eight ways to achieve this. Not bad. How many does the typical hardcore Linux gamer or musician install? None? Then my sympathies lie more with the LKML folk. They have achieved near-miracles and it must bother them some to be told that stuff that's been out there for two or three years "doesn't exist".

So am I doing anything different? Yes. I'm fighting the ignorance as best as I can, although my efforts are necessarily limited. It's hard work and I get a great deal of flammage for doing nothing more than letting people know that solutions do exist. My impact has probably been insignificant, compared to that of most Linux advocates, as I'm less concerned with paving over the gigantic holes of obliviousness than I am with filling in the ruts of obscurity. However, how is anyone to know that the ruts needn't be there, if nobody takes the time to show the alternative?

All that I ask is that when anybody - whoever that is, whenever that is - takes the time to show you why Linux doesn't have the limitations it is ascribed as having, please just take the time to have some faith that the system you use, and perhaps like, may actually be better than you once thought. Doesn't it feel better to know that what you perceive as a limitation of a given setup is neither your imagination nor unfixable, and that indeed a fix likely already exists. All you have to do is apply it. Then, the limitation ceases to exist.

Just a small warning

[polemistes]

Whenever hardware comes with a Linux driver, it is a very bad sign. It usually means that the drivers are closed source binary files that has to be installed. It takes a lot of effort to make such drivers work well in an up to date Linux system. And the only only ones that can make updates are the hardware producers. I once bought a USB ISDN adapter. It claimed to include Linux drivers. And it actually did. But only for Linux kernel version 2.4.18. It has never been updated. Free Open Source drivers in Linux are generally included, and you don't have to install anything. It just works. Today and tomorrow and probably in ten years too. This is why a lot of people think Free and Open Source software is an important issue. It is a development model and a way of thinking that can make the world a lot simpler and more efficient, both for the end users, hardware and software producers. The flawed closed source development model is founded on the idea that you need to have total control over your customers if you want to be successful and make a lot of money. I hope and believe that this path will lead to a lot of dissatisfied customers and poverty.

Re:Just a small warning

[anagama]

I want to second this and to be clear, the advice is: avoid proprietary drivers -- they suck

I too learned this the hard way after I bought a Lexmark Optra S 1625 laser printer for my office some years back. I thought "cool -- it has linux driver". Little did I know. That bastard has sucked more time out of me than I'd care to remember with it's POS proprietary driver. In contrast, my HP Laserjet 4L worked instantly and flawlessly with the OS driver, as does my Brother HL-1440 which I use at home. It's a good idea to look at the Linux Printer Compatabability List before buying a printer to use with a linux system and ignore any device with a proprietary driver no matter what the review says. Yes, this reduces the number of printers you can choose from, but if you stick to devices with an OS driver, it makes the printer setup little more than a point and click exercise.

Don't oversell it

[Schraegstrichpunkt]

The biggest mistake I think people make is overstating what Linux can do. That just sets people up to be disappointed.

Linux is not the best at everything, and it's not necessarily for everyone. Linux is not a gaming platform, though it does have plenty of fun games (frozen-bubble, anyone?). Linux may be hard to install, and you sometimes have to be choosy when selecting hardware for a Linux, but it gets easier with time, and for me, it was worth it.

Everyone already knows that Linux is great for Linux fanatics. The main points you want to get across are as follows:

1. Linux is a respectable tool that some people use to get stuff done.
2. Linux is changing rapidly, so if it's not for you today, try it again in a year or two.

Your primary goal is to inspire curiosity.

what the average person wants

[falconwolf]

That one fact alone means a whole lot to the average person. They want something they can get help with from people they know, the want something they can replace easily, they want the dominant operating system. Just like most people want the dominant movie format, and will wait to get it.

I don't think the average person wants the dominant OS, what they want to to get a computer with an OS already installed, most never install an OS. And because Windows is preinstalled in most PCs people buy a PC with Windows. If more OEMs offered PCs with Linux preinstalled, yes there are some as I bought one a few months ago, then more people would buy them and use Linux. Unfortunately there's also the public perception that Linux is for nerds and most who have heard of Linux don't believe it can be used to do the same things as Windows PCs can. I frequently hear the same thing stated about Macs, that it's not something that can used productively, or in another area, there's no games for Macs. I'm puzzled about this, if Macs can't be used for productive work and there's no games for them then what are they for? I know Macs can be just as productive as Windows PCs and while there aren't as many there are games for Macs.

Get 4 people to together to discuss OSes and you'll get 6 different opinions.

Falcon

Re:Easy, Furthermore

[TyrWanJo]

One of the problems that I run into with linux is that although it is widely availible, the apps one can use on it are limited. Granted one can emu windows or mac oses, however, this take a bit of patience and a bit of savvy that the average user doesn't have, and pobably, in all honesty, doesn't wish to ever possess. The sentiment that i have heard from many people is, "Why use linux when I can run MSWord on mac or pc without hassles? I could use open office, but i know the ms and mac suites, and, for the most part, they are far less finicky." Finding software for linux can be troubling, and most people want to go to an electronics store and pick up whatever it is they feel they need - the likelyhood of finding something compatible with a linux distro is fairly slim for the most part. Until linux becomes more mainstream, i think the point is somewhat moot - the person who says linux is too hard for him or her, or has been in the past, might do well to partition a hard drive and run two osses, but he or she is probably correct in his or her initial observation. Simply owing to the fact that oses tend to be so proprietary, the world simply isnt quite ready for a linux heavy computer community - that isn't to say it wont be, but i think some major work has to be done, and some of the bickering about distros needs to end, before this utopian os society is realized. Linux is good stuff, but as with all the best stuff, it simply isn't practicable for the uninitiated. Anyone can sing Mary had a Little Lamb with some ammount of proficiency, but only those with traning and years of practice can hope to surmount Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, and only the very best can sing the arias and solos therein.

Re:Runs and hides

[ncc74656]

How do you tell the difference between "Letter to mom" and "LETTER to Mom" when you speak it.

You scream the first word in one of them. :-)

Re:Easy

[houghi]

Everyone is ready for Linux. It just does not come pre-installed, like Windows does.

The Network Effect

[Colin Smith]

Whether or not other people use it has no impact on your use of it. Simply not the case. There are certain products which gain value with the number of people using them. The telephone, skype, email, qwerty keyboards, roads, ebay, paypal etc etc. You get the idea. Well Operating Systems benefit from the network effect, as do Office suites.

The more people who use an operating system, the more applications which become available for it, the more support becomes available for it.

Re:Runs and hides

[koreaman]

What about "leter to mom"?

and then there's the flavor

[Mateo_LeFou]

I like GP's BBQ analogy.

I use a charcoal BBQ and if you know anything about grilling, you know that petroleum products (starter fluid) screw up the food. What this means is that I more-or-less resort to rubbing two sticks together; specifically, I light a bunch of wads of newspaper and sit them under this charcoal-starter apparatus until the coals light.

Yum.

You prolly see where I'm going with this. Gas grills "just work". Most are self-lighting. They make it *very easy to ... ...to

to SCREW UP your food!

To the guy with the gas grill, who's already got his USDA Standard Grade sirloins a-sizzlin' it looks like something is *wrong with my grill as I fuss with it. Little does he know.

Re:But the camera I've got from Wal-Mart says...

[swillden]

My Dad: "thanks! - now is that the same with the printer? I just plug it in and then it will go? So I don't need to put in a disc for that?"

Me: "Usually."

I guess alas, amongst other things, that linux distros have to be as good as if not better than windows to be accepted.

You're missing the point. Linux *is* as good -- and in most ways better -- than Windows. The issues you're talking about (and if you keep pushing, you will obviously find some that don't work well) have nothing to do with the quality of Linux, they have to do with the network effect that Windows enjoys. There are two aspects to it. First, whatever printer/camera/scanner/etc. you buy will have Windows drivers, something that is usually but not necessarily true for Linux (esp. scanners). Second, your Dad is already trained on Windows and knows that you should put the disk that comes with the hardware in the drive. The Linux way is better but it's different which, to many, makes it "unacceptable".