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Re: [LUG] GLUG - free and non-free



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Tony Atkin wrote:
|
| The advantage of using just Linux was that it was a simpler name,
more easily
| remembered by people who had never heard of it.
| "Linux? what's that?"
| "It's a completely different operating system for your PC"
| "Operating system?"
| "It's not windows!"

This is usually followed by "oh like Apple", which is damn annoying
now it has bigger market share than Apple (both server and desktop).

But most people don't know what an operating system is, and are also
quite receptive to the idea of "free software" never having heard of
it before. So I don't think the advocates need beat themselves up
too much over the subtleties of language as they do.

In terms of getting market share the best solution is to package it
and sell it as a package - I've been selling prepackaged GNU/Linux
boxes most of my working life - of course this does very little for
peoples understanding of the message, or appreciation of why the
magic box you sold them just "works", unlike most of their other
computer equipment they own.

Unlike RMS I think embedded free software is important too, not
least I don't want to be paying a fortune in licensing for my
commodity electronics.
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