Lindependence 2008

[jedimasterk]

Good show, but to play the devils advocate. There are allot of Windows users who rely on Windows, not because of Windows, but because the software they use only runs on Windows. Either home use or professionally, certain software is only available on either Windows or Mac OSX. Hence why they are still and will always be stuck using Windows, or Mac OSX. Don't blame Microsoft!. Blame the developers who don't even consider Linux as profitable or worthy of their software. I can think of one company who is a perfect example of why I still use Windows XP. Adobe!. The Adobe Creative Suite CS3 does not run on Linux. You can have all the Lindependences you want. But if a company uses software, that has no Linux equivalent. Lindependence means nothing!!. And don't mention Gimp!. It is a toy compared to Photoshop CS3. Which is what the professionals use!.

[eddie]

You have valid points, but most users do not take advantage of the top end software nor do they need it in most cases. I could find quite a few people who might disagree with you about gimp. I think linux is a fine platform anyway. I just dumped my last osx machine. You also have a lot of "ifs". I have used Microsoft products from the dos days. I have not found any program that I need from Microsoft anymore.

[helios]

jedimasterk...you overstate the situation. I install Linux on anywhere from 12 to 60 homes and businesses a month. Last year, I personally installed 228 Linux Operating Systems on home computers alone. I don't have the business totals in front of me at the moment, but I can remember accurately that we converted 9 businesses over completely to Linux and 17 of them to some machines with dual boot capabilities.

As I do this for a living, I keep accurate records on system retention and alterations. We make courtesy checks on every customer on a 90 day basis. For the Calendar year 2007, of 228 Linux systems installed in a home environment, 8 of them are no longer running the Linux distributions we installed. 5 of them just didn't like it after a couple of weeks and three of them purchased computers that came with Linux pre-installed. While they are still running Linux, they are not running our systems so we must count them against our stats.

I will take those numbers any day. There is no secret to this retention. If you spend the time needed to get them into a comfort zone with Linux, it makes all the difference in the world. My people are paid to do just that and they do it extremely well. And yes, you do overstate your case. You are pointing obviously to a centrist's observation. YOU are a professional who finds Linux lacking in particular tool-sets so obviously everyone is going to come to the same conclusions. I can prove this wrong all day and with infuriating accuracy.

Most computer users are not professionals who need their computers for a tool of their trade. Sure there are weak spots in Linux, but even your argument mentioning Adobe and Photoshop are 90 percent dissolved with Wine. I am glad you didn't mention the MLS system for Realtors. I am happy to say that we've found a way to make that formally Windows-only web application work well and natively in Linux. Most people check their email, stock quotes, watch youtube and download music. It takes us about 20 minutes to show someone how to switch from MS word to Open Office Writer and the spreadsheet apps. Contrary to popular belief, most people do not want to steal a copy of Microsoft Windows, although the piracy numbers reported by the BSA would lead us to believe otherwise.

Most people will run out and purchase a copy of Windows when they find they have to. Our goal is to show them they no longer have to do that. Most people use Windows because they have spent their entire computing lives using Windows and they are conditioned to use it...it has no bearing on its popularity. When you don't know you have a choice, then you cannot with any truthfulness say that you prefer Windows over anything else...you've never tried anything else.

So...while you reach into your bag and choose another stone to throw at people who are out here trying to make a difference, we will be in Felton showing people that they do indeed have a choice. And Felton is just the first of many such projects. We have at least two other organizations waiting for our post-project report so they will have a blueprint to follow...they plan on doing the same thing in their towns. It's going to be a tough slog, this marketing of Linux, but eventually we will prevail. My only comfort is that people with the bags of rocks are only capable of inflicting virtual damage. Their bruises are restricted to black and white pixels on a computer screen. That's all the damage anyone will ever be able to do to us while they sit behind a keyboard and do nothing else.

"Sticks and stones....."

Ken Starks
aka - helios
http://www.fixedbylinux.com

[weex]

I have to agree that our attitude about the Linux readiness means so much more than anything else. I've installed Ubuntu for 2 customers and this only occurred after I finally provided the kind of technical leadership my customers depend on me for. It took a little courage but there 100 little tweaks I do to Windows machines to make my customers comfortable so what's so bad about doing similar(but fewer) tweaks for customers when I install Linux?

I was pleasantly surprised both times by the way that the printers and scanners were auto-detected and fully functional from the get go without some crappy proprietary printer or scanner management software. Ken's 90 day follow sounds like a great idea as well so I'll have to check back with them in a bit.

Donate to Lindependence if you get a chance because it's a great effort.

[LinuxMint-4]

'Lindependence 2008' aims to Free Felton from Microsoft Windows
Nathan ichtertz - Sentinel Correspondent
Article Launched: 07/01/2008 01:32:51 AM PDT

http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_9750560


Why pay $650 for Adobe Photoshop when you can have 97 percent of the functionality of Photoshop for free?

That's a question software developers and distributors plan on addressing at "Lindependence 2008," a free event in Felton on July 13, promoting the Linux operating system and other free open source software.

The goal is to show people that open-source users have the freedom to copy, change and redistribute their software, which Microsoft Windows users are prohibited from doing.

"We're trying to get as many people as possible to switch to Linux, because the main thing is most people don't use computers for fancy things, so they're wasting money," said Ken Starks, a Linux advocate and owner of HeliOS Solutions in Austin, Texas, which strives to create technologies and provide cost effective products to its customers.

Starks said open-source software is a better buy than a Microsoft product because Microsoft wants to charge a lot for the user to perform simple tasks, such as e-mailing -- and, "It's open to every virus known to man."

[helios]

Thanks Mint...Looks like we made the bigtime,LOL

And where is Mint in our list of distros that are participating in LIN08? You guyz REALLY need to send someone.

Ken