[OS:N:] Perception issues.

hope this doesnt get sent twice, sorry if it did.

> I am a network manager at a Middle School and I do use and push open
> office and knoppix.

fantastic! your in a great position to help implement change, how many others 
are there like you, do you know any others?
i would think if you could start your own users group on campus you might have 
some interest. How about a county wide network managers group?

Do you have any open source lab systems or are they all windows boxes?
Its hard fighting enertia huh.

> But it is going to take some major marketing to get
> open source software trusted because people always react the same way
> when I tell them and show them about it. They think its neat but since
> they already have MS garbage they wouldn't consider changing. Microsoft
> and all other major companies have killer advertising and that will
> never happen for open software unless it becomes funded by
> conglomerations of open source producers.

i know what your saying and yes there is "in marketing speak" and image issue 
with people identifying with opensource and recognizing it as quality software, 
with my customers i try to show them how to do things in windows and then show 
the same thing in linux and when they see its not hard in linux and in some 
cases it is easier they begin to realize FUD and where it comes from. 

> I would love to start a group
> dedicated to advertising Linux, redhat, knoppix, and all the other
> valuable alternatives.

sounds like a great idea! time to wrangle up some advertising and media types 
from one of the local colleges i think.

> I have some great ideas for television adds. I
> could imagine a TV advertisement where everyone on the commercial is
> wearing the same size shirt with the Microsoft logo on it. Hundreds of
> tall, short, fat, skinny, children, elderly, etc. people all wearing 
> the same basically the same shirt. Next scene you go to the mall and 
> all the stores carry only that same shirt with these ridiculous price tags.
> Every where you go is the same shirt. Most people looking very
> uncomfortable and having little bugs attached to the shirts because the
> fabric is bug ridden. Then next scene you see these really well dressed
> people comfortable in their customized tailored (tuxedos) suits and
> casual attire. You then have this little kid wearing a bug ridden shirt
> ask his mother "mommy, why can't we dress comfortably like the penguin
> people?" Mommy replies," because that's the only clothes they sell in
> the stores, and besides our shirts cost more anyways!" End of the
> commercial.

dude, that rocks!!! i love it!

> People are so programmed to think that even free computer
> stuff has some misguided catch involved that they can't trust 
> opensource because it just seems too good. They are skeptical.

I think that one of the issues is that quite a few of the people who do know a 
little about their computers have at one point in time or another tried 
shareware and freeware for windows, now there is some decent stuff out there in 
these two catergories but there is alot of crap out there too. I think there is 
a belief that linux is similar to this catergory of software. This is damaging 
in some fashion. The larger segment of windows users though dont realize that 
the reason they have all of these issues and bugs and virus's is because of 
microsoft, most people think its cause they just dont know enough about 
computers so its somehow their fault. I hear this at least a couple of times a 
week. I always shake my head no and whisper to them its not your fault its 
microsofts fault. Again there is a perception issue, "Microsoft is so smart and 
i am so dumb i should feel lucky im able to use their great software, all issues 
and bugs are because i just dont know what im doing and dont understand 
computers well enough"

> I will 
> keep trying though.

As will I
~ :o)
Tnt
> 
> Walter C. Hieber III 
> Network Manager
> Denison Middle School
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