New subject: The key to getting more Windows users to switch to Linux | Hardware 2.0 | ZDNet.com

22 Jun 2007

-----Original Message-----
From: feba thatl
Sent: Jun 22, 2007 6:18 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: The key to getting more Windows users to switch to
Linux | Hardware 2.0 | ZDNet.com

How many average users are going to know to type "linux benefits OR
advantages" though? The average person doesn't realize the
shortcomings of computers, especially when they still get results
for questions (or even search engines like Jeeves ENCOURAGING them
to...)

In regards to the article, I don't think this is "THE KEY!", but
it's one more thing that microsoft has going for them- people know
about it. heck, if some people would donate computers to schools on
the requirement that they only run linux and FOSS, even ten schools,
that could get thousands of kids using linux, and wanting to take it
and use it at home.  50 computers per school (enough for one large
lab or two normal sized labs), assuming 500$ each would only be a
quarter of a million or so for every ten schools. If you consider
the life of a computer in an environment where they hardly ever need
upgrades (which the basic Code/Write Essay/Do Research schools do
can be done easily on a decade old computer), and you consider
they're probably getting about 300 new students a year, that could
easily be 30,000 kids exposed to linux in a day-to-day environment,
and curiosity could easily lead at least 1/20th (one kid in every
class, on average) to adopt linux, that's 1,500 new linux fans.
Should come out to be about 170$ for each of those 1,500- and then
you've also educated the 30,000 about linux, so they're more likely
to pick it up later, or at least know how to use it and be more
likely to embrace it.

Of course, I just pulled those numbers out of a hat, but 170$
doesn't seem too bad to get new users- it would probably even be
good business for a company like Linspire.

On 6/22/07, *Billy Crook* <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:

    The author needs to learn how search engines work.  You can't
    converse with them like a person.  "Why choose linux?" is not a
    smart query.  Maybe "linux benefits OR advantages". 
    Furthermore, the question is not why one would choose linux, but
    why one would choose windows.  Especially when it is so
    obviously inferior.

    And the last thing a newbie needs is a comparison of distros
    unless that comparison clearly puts one above all others.  Too
    much choice is bad for most people.  Take for example the
    windows market.  There are varying degrees of "Home" and
    "business".  A home user might want home, but maybe he thinks he
    wants something a little more.  "business" sounds professional,
    lets get that, but wait, does that mean it will miss the fun
    things?  But if he buys "home", will he miss the professional
    things?  Too much choice is a recepie for confusion and
    frustration.  That's why microsoft has "Ultimate".  With a name
    like that, Gladys in accounting can feel like she's "getting
    everything". 

    The problem is linux doesn't have tiers, so it has no top tier. 
    Until it does, sheeple won't know what they're supposed to think
    they want. [sic]  Until it does, I'm handing out Ubuntu discs. 
    When one of those doesn't boot right, they get Fedora.

    On 6/22/07, *Julie* < [email protected]
    <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:

        http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=519

        Some /interesting/ points can be found in this article. The
        msg threads can be either quite amusing or exasperating, at
        least to a point. If you have a zdnet account I hope you
        chime in. If you don't have an account, there's no big deal
        in making one. <wink>

        ENJOY!
        Julie @};-

Re: The key to getting more Windows users to switch to Linux | Hardware 2.0 | ZDNet.com