Tsuroerusu wrote:
Well, are your customers and clients businesses or home users?
Home, all of them. Most businesses I run into can only migrate to Linux servers due to proprietary lock ins to Customer Service apps that are in VB and wont run in Wine, or the serial and parallel port dongles that for some reason just dont work on Linux right.
Like for instance, my aunt who uses a web browser, an email program, word processor and spreadsheet, I tried to get her to use Linux. She would use Microsoft Office at work , which she had known for years, and then come home to OpenOffice.org which she couldn't figure out. And she havn't watched a single streaming video on the net, and I doubt she ever will. I had to switch her to Windows in the end, guess what, that cost her about 365.07 USD.
Dunno what to say about that. I have not run into much of an issue past what needed tasks are needed to be done. iPod usage is there, but ugly. QuickBooks is nonexistent. Gaming is pretty ugly. Aside from that its been rather easy. I gotta praise the LiveCD concept for easing this one onto my customers.
It's not like a bunch of codecs is gonna make a big difference, here in Europe we don't have software patents, so I can legally use libmad, x264, etc. etc. and Linux adoption is far from as great as you hear in the media.
Yes it does. When they ask how to do flash or java, or to play their mp3s and I say I cant because its illegal the deal is over. If I do the ones that everyone was/still uses, I am breaking the law and my business is at risk. This has been a sticky topic for many of my cleints/customers. the computer has to be useful first, then quality second.
schotty wrote:I promised that it would cost less than $50 for all codecs. They saw that as reasonable.
if I were to tell them that "Oh, well since that is a technology owned by Microsoft, you have to pay for a codec to play it",
Dont do much marketing or sales eh? I made them think that they were covered (marked up the job and said they got it for free with the promotion). These peeps asked what it would be costing to "others". I had to guesstimate less than $50 USD.
Also, let me tell you something, most people around my age don't care about having spyware or viruses! They don't care that their computers have ad toolbars and a few banners, they don't care whether they're sending spam out, they don't care whether their surfing behavior is being monitored by crackers in Russia or Belarus.
Shocking and weird as it may seem, the general person I talk to at school don't really care whether he's got spyware in his machine, as long as he/she can use his computer they don't care! And when it gets too loaded up they just have it reformatted and done deal, they don't turn around and complain to Microsoft, they don't turn around and say "Gee I should really try not to get this crap next time" they just keep on using their crappy Windows until it's time, once again, to have the thing reinstalled.
Yes, and quite honestly they are the best sources for business ;D They either can fix it or cannot. There is no in between, and when it needs repair, thats where my crew fits in. When iTunes stops working, they cant beam ringtones to their phone, or wallpapers -- thats where I get paid. After dropping some cash on a serious repair, they listen. I followup with most customers and can tell if they bothered to do what I told them to (run adaware/spybot/nod32).
And even more, the issue of Linux being free of charge is not a very good argument to teenagers specifically because most just use a pirated copy of Windows and Office!! So the argument that they can download Linux or OpenOffice.org and use it for absolutely nothing, well, it's not a very well founded argument, because they just go "Well, I havn't paid for Windows or Office".
Wrong. You are obviously not near a windows machine often. For a good year, the new WGA has kept things very painful for those that want to use a pirated copy. Semi-daily work for many of the workarounds (not all though). Each time you update windows itself, you need to recheck if WGA is disabled. Considering how little people know about computers, this is not an option for them.
Until the day where Microsoft has Windows so locked down, that only extremely advanced tech-savy people can use it illegally without paying for it, because it constantly needs to be re-cracked with DLL cracks, the argument of Linux being gratis, is not gonna work for young people, and not even for your average parent, because even they can wrap their mind around getting an illegal copy of Windows. And if they are even slightly inconvenienced by the differences between Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org, they will just shell out the cash for Windows, M$ Office and antivirus because they don't wanna sit there and try to adapt to those differences, oddly because it's a human instinct to adopt to change, that's how we survived the big ice age and the extreme drought in the southern parts of the world during the time of the big ice age.
Well it practically is there. And I think its about time that MS do something for themselves. We had the tech for a while now, and since 98, we could have had real locked down copies of Windows out there. Most people when allowed to ease into the changes, see the benefits along with any pitfalls. As aforementioned, the LiveCDs are the perfect starting point. Grab a copy of Ubuntu, Linspire, or Freespire and let the person try it out and call/email/PM you with the questions. Or meetup 2 weeks later. Once the individual can do this on their time, on their terms, things change -- and for the better.
%80 of my customers felt that paying me to migrate and educate them on how to use the computer was better than spending the money on software or only repairs, when they really arent that much better off. Most of my customers feel that for $200, a fixed machine, and a couple hours of education on the things that are giving them grief is a STEAL on their part! Its great that both them and I get ahead - them a fixed machine and a clue, me a bank account filled with more money.
schotty wrote:Please do not allow zealotry to cloud your judgement and vision.
What zealotry? I was referring to just random home users trying out Ubuntu or whatever distro, because they "heard about it".
Not aimed at one person, but a few. It seems that having to pay for things like software is somehow evil. Locked code is. However, truth is the licenses exist and we have become dependent. The HD wars arent helping out either. Both are wma/wmv.
schotty wrote:Legality is one step towards the mass adoption that we all would love to see.
Well, in Europe we don't have software patents, and it's not like Linux is doing that much better over here. Sure you may hear about Munich and the like in Germany, however Denmark is like a "Microsoft Paradise", Sweden and Norway aren't much better, neither is Finland country where Linus Torvalds was born.
Unfortunately, I dont work or reside in Europe. Where I do, the USA those laws do exist. And for me to keep my ass out of hot water, do need to heed these very shitty laws (amongst other shitty ones .... dont start me on this one please ...).
Later. Love to talk more now, but gotta jet to work. Talk more later.
Andrew
