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-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Rob Beard wrote: > Quoting Neil Winchurst <barnaby@xxxxxxxxxx>: > >> Recently I started a thread about spreading the Linux gospel, which >> provoked a lot of interest. I have been thinking about all that and my >> suggested reasons for the slow uptake and lack of interest there seems >> to be about Linux etc. Plus, of course, all the comments. >> >> I have now realised that there is probably one major reason for the >> problems we have in getting more people to try it. It is simply this, so >> many people have never heard of it. >> >> I am still taking any opportunity to talk about Linux and too many times >> the other person just doesn't know that such a thing exists. When I try >> to explain they are often very interested and say things like 'I wish I >> had known about that before'. Too many think that computers equals >> Windows, full stop. >> >> Thoughts anyone? >> >> Neil > > I'm not sure what this has got to do with 'What is Open Source?'. > > I think part of the problem is marketing. Microsoft are a big > organisation who have been around for years, over the years they have > gained more and more market share either through buying up other > software (such as DOS), allegedly copying other products (Windows), > modifying Windows to not work with competitiors products (DR DOS with > Windows [2], WordPerfect [3]) or generally through a large amount of > business customers choosing IBM Compatible PCs and then that filtering > through to home users who were upgrading from previous machines or maybe > buying their first computer. > > I dare say many people (anyone not in the IT, construction, research, > medical or scientific industries at least) have heard of Sun, SGI, Cray > etc. > > Luckily more and more people are starting to learn about Free and Open > Source software, for instance applications such as Firefox and > OpenOffice. It probably isn't much interest to them unless they are > technically minded that many of the worlds web servers run Apache and > MySQL, they're probably more interested in what is running on them (just > recently, Facebook became an Apache Software Foundation sponsor for > $40,000 [5], technically peanuts compared to what Facebook probably earn > from advertising). > > Things are getting better, Linux desktops are getting easier to use and > it gets more coverage in the mainstream computer magazines, so as people > try it they start to tell other people about it (hopefully good things), > but for some people, they don't care what their computer runs, as long > as they can do what they want (browse the web, check their e-mail etc). > > Rob > > [1] http://www.willyhoops.com/microsoft_vs_apple_history.htm LOL @ Domain. > [2] > http://www.theregister.co.uk/1999/11/05/how_ms_played_the_incompatibility/ > [3] http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1274 > [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft > [5] > http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2010/01/facebook-becomes-apache-software-foundation-sponsor.ars > Well here in Paignton we are making progress on this as the lug has regular meetings, as soon as the lighthouse is up and running with a Ubuntu LTSP network, then that will give ubuntu some much needed exposure. Hopefully from that we can direct people to suppliers of PC's without Windows. Perhaps we can organise a Bar Camp in or ubuntu hour in Paignton I will see what I can do when i have some time, (unless someone else can do it, HINT, in a different area). there are also several posters on my website www.zleap.net under portfolio including one for the upcoming 10.04 release, again perhaps these can be put up by lug members. Paul - -- Paul Sutton www.zleap.net Ubuntu 9.10 is out : Visit www.ubuntu.com for details DCGLUG MEETINGS - Details on www.dcglug.org.uk/drupal6, - please click on Group meetings link on right hand side Aged 11 - 19 then dfey may be for you, please goto http://www.dfey.org for more details -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.9 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iEYEARECAAYFAktpXt8ACgkQaggq1k2FJq13jACfZSkBqDGQgjcrNmbnzOcHtvhn U7oAn0cQ0bAMrwpkmABbugQjez5lh40N =nBs7 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html