[wellylug] WellyLUG rekindling

[Mark Foster]

On 18/03/13 09:41, Phil Daintree wrote:
>  
> >
> > Other than the use cases I've already mentioned, my experience of
> > non-technical users is they would rather gnaw off their own arms
> than change
> > the way they access their PC's. They know just enough in order to
> turn on the
> > pc, get to the tools they regularly use and where their "stuff" is
> kept.
> > Change the slightest detail and they are all at sea, prompting the
> support
> > calls we've all received (no doubt). Optimism definitely has it's
> place,
> > though :)
> >
> >
>
> This is exactly right IMHO... this is why Mac/iPad/Android tablets are
> becoming so prevalent.
>  
> The other category of users - the hardcore gamers have to have Windows
> in any event as the software is not available for Linux (yet).
>  
> Only when there is a software imperative that requires Linux will it
> become mainstream - this is most unlikely to happen because we insist
> on the code being open - and compilable on any platform.
>  
> We are the tinkerer minority :-) and hard to see how/why that should
> change. We have needs that others don't have - we want to be able to
> get to the engine room and see all the moving parts. Most folks just
> want it to work.
>  

For me the first move is to make sure that Windows OEM users start
'properly' - Introduce them to the likes of Firefox, Thunderbird and
Libre/OpenOffice, under Windows if that is their wish.

When folks realise that the way they do things under Linux is
essentially identical (due to the same software being available across
platforms) the hurdle is nowhere near as big - especially when you then
point out things like their (relative) immunity to Viruses, the greatly
simplified methods available to access the software they're likely to
want, etc.

At home we're in a situation where for 90+% of what we (as a family)
require out of a computer, the Operating System is irrelevant. The only
reason it's not higher is one or two specific apps that're
windows-only.  But having gotten this far means my wife is essentially
as comfortable in Linux as in Windows (or MacOS, as she had a Mac some
time ago) and my daughter (7) doesn't particularly care what OS she's
infront of.  Firefox, Chrome, Thunderbird.  Heck even Nautilus/Thunar
both are sufficiently similar to Windows Explorer that managing files
isn't a problem either.

I use Linux myself at work and at home, though i have a Windows VM and a
pair of dual-booted machines to let me cover the bases I can't cover
natively under Linux.  And the only reason I have dual-boot machines at
all is the OEM software load that I wasn't inclined to delete completely
- I havn't 'purchased' a Windows license since Windows 2000, and I
probably wouldn't have Windows at all if OEM deals weren't forced onto
vendors and buyers (sigh).

Mark.
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