Re: advantages

Hello John,

Friday, June 14, 2002, 12:23:47 PM, you wrote:

JFF> I am constantly being asked why I say Linux is better than Windows, but
JFF> I cannot seem to make people understand what I mean, or even what Linux
JFF> is. I figure this is as good of a list to ask as any, so does anyone
JFF> know of good ways to make people understand what Linux really is and
JFF> what it can do and how it does these things better than Windows? I
JFF> think more people would comne over to using Linux if they really
JFF> understood what it is.

Well, I'll do my best. But to really convince people it may take a little
more work then just talk.

<Warning---Very long and somewhat soapbox-ish>

For one, you must always show "Linux Advocacy" and NOT "Linux Zealotry".
This can be hard. One important factor is to not be _overly_ negative about
M$. When you do things like that, it makes people defensive and keeps them
from listening. Imagine telling someone of a new band you've heard and first
telling them a band they like(even if only a little) sucks. They will be
stuck on the fact that you've told them that their opinion is wrong and
never leave room for you to tell them why this new one is so great. Use
factual comparisons against M$ products(problems, practices, features) but
NEVER just spout out that it "sucks".

To explain Linux to people, it helps to use analogies and reference things
they are familiar with even if it is incorrect. Spending too much time on
the details will make people's attention wander. So a certain level of
stooping to their level is necessary. Later you can work on the education.
Simple things like "folders" really being "directories" are what I'm talking
about here. Other examples would be "PPP" vs. "Dial-up Networking",
"Shortcuts" vs. "links", etc. Just don't try to overwhelm them. They don't
really care that much.

Make sure to tell them the philosophy difference, but in simple terms. The
freedom thing is an important difference over the proprietary model. Tell
them _why_ this is good for _them_ as an end user. Don't tell them how "you
can get all the source code" or how "it costs nothing if you download it".
The "free as in beer" part is nice, but it should only be used as a bonus.
Explain how it allows them to CHOOSE who they deal with and how that helps
reduce costs and improve service. How it ensures that they will _always_ be
able to get at the documents they create because someone else doesn't decide
when something is obsolete and you will always be able to get the software
to work with your data. How it means that quality is ensured by pride and
competition (as opposed to bugs being a profit stream, hence why you _pay_
for minor updates to WinXX). How there are many options to do what you want
to do instead of someone else dictating how you should work.

Include how there is a MUCH greater amount of privacy. There are no programs
that "phone home" or transmit personal data without your knowledge. The
community wouldn't accept it. There is no "hiding" behind a compiled program
because the source is available to people who can check on those things and
would quickly put a stop to it or let everyone know not to use it.

Tell them how the community works. Make sure they understand that there is a
huge amount of support for those who are trying to learn. DO NOT overstate
it though. There are also those that are not very tolerant and may seem
abusive. Make sure you keep it as a fair assessment.

Let them know about the stability and security. Here is an excellent place
to put comparisons. Let them know that they will still have program crashes
(since they'll likely be using a GUI), but the impact of those crashes is
minimal. They will not have to reboot 3 times a day (ever really), they will
lose far less of their work because of this stability and they can feel safe
that things are going to work. Remind them of how there are significant
differences in security between Win and Linux. Not so much that there are no
security holes, but that they usually easier to fix, safer to fix (M$
patches  can be dangerous) and less chances of them making a fatal error
with regards to security. Inform them that the model for permissions reduces
the amount of damage an attacker can do (as long as they log in as a user
and root's account is secured with a good password). Also, since there are
so many different choices for e-mail clients and address books, etc. and
that the "ideas" behind how they work, significantly reduce the chances of
them ever falling victim to an e-mail born virus. You may also rhetorically
ask them why it is necessary to purchase a product (anti-virus software)
from third parties just to fix problems with a product you have already
purchased (Windows OS, Office, etc.). Explain how that should give very
little confidence as to the value of the purchase they made by getting
Windows.

The trust factor. Explain to them how it is easy to trust Linux
distributions because of the fact that they can't really hide anything. All
of their livelihood is available and reviewable. They have to remain
trustworthy. Again the community is good for that. Explain that M$ has shown
many times that they can't be trusted and they have little respect for the
laws we all follow. They have been convicted of anti-competitive activity
and software piracy. They have had numerous privacy violations. Their own
networks have been hacked (hard to believe in the quality of their products
when even _they_ can't get them to work properly).

Ask them what they use their computer for. What kind of work or play do they
do. Make sure not to say that Linux can do everything since there are some
hardware and software limitations due to market forces (M$ gets everything
because they are so big). If they use a digital camera help to check to see
if it will work. If they have a scanner, ditto. If they use some specialty
program that can't be reasonably duplicated (Like Auto-CAD)(yes there are
some decent CAD programs out there, but they are not the same and this is
only to cite examples), DON'T try to say they can easily replace it with
something else. Ask if they would like to dual boot so they can try other
things that may be able to do what they want or so that they can learn them
while still being able to be productive while they do.

Now for the hardest part. This takes a real commitment to the cause (so to
speak). BE willing to be their GURU. This means a couple of things. First,
Be willing to go spend a day (a full day) installing and configuring their
system. You need to start Linux at the same spot as Windows did. Since
Windows was likely pre-installed, they will not be willing to spend time or
will be afraid if something goes wrong, if you don't help them out. Learn
all the GUI tools to configure the system. Many will say that's silly or
only for idiots, but if you spend all you're time configuring the system
using a terminal and vi they will _perceive_ that this system is too
complicated for them and they'll be afraid of it. Also, be willing to let
them call you to ask the mundane questions. Most people know "so-n-so" who
can do anything with a computer (yeah right ;) and you have to become the
new "so-n-so". This means you can't change the whole world at once. But if
you start getting people to do things on their own they can later help you
to help others and so on. Think of it as your own little LUG.

Make a restore disc (well two actually). Before wiping their drive and
installing Linux, help ease their concerns by creating an image or some sort
of quick restore for their windows install. This way you can tell them that
they need not fear and they can be back where they were with little trouble.
Consider it the same kind of safety net that Windows offers. If you've ever
done a Windows upgrade, it lets you save your previous install so you can
revert if things are too bad. This gives people the confidence that you are
thinking of them and the importance of their computer to them. You should
also make a similar restore disc of the Linux install you do for the same
reason (even though it may never be necessary. It is important that we learn
from what the big software and hardware companies do, since they spend a lot
of time on end user research.

Well, I'll stop there. Hopefully that is enough to help you get started
winning converts. So you don't think this is complete crap, I have
successfully switched 5 people (home users) and gotten many companies to use
Linux servers and a few to consider Linux desktops (much harder sell). I
have had only one person (home user) revert back. That one was mostly
because of hardware issues. But they still think that Linux was OK and said
they would be willing to try it again someday. That's important. If the
experience is positive, but still fails, and reverting back is easy, they
will still consider it in the future.

Of course if there are specific questions or references to anything I said
above feel free to ask.

-- 
Best regards,
Brian Ashe                         
[email protected]
http://www.dee-web.com/linux/