[Techtalk] WHY everyone should use Linux

[Conor Daly]

On Wed, Jul 21, 2004 at 08:36:22AM -0700 or thereabouts, Meryll Larkin wrote:
> 7/21/04
> 
> Switching them off Microsoft is a big scary step and they don't want to 
> even think about it.  Rather than convincing them WHY they should use 
> Linux (they may already agree with you), show them HOW they can do it.

Have you any autonomy in the server room?  Could you quietly slip in a linux
mailserver that silently diverts the viruses?  Run it for a month (saving
the viruses all the while), then turn it off again.  Then show them what a
difference it made.

> Once you've taken those steps, the next thing to do is address their 
> objections to switching to Linux one by one:
> 
> Here are what their objections are going to be - keep in mind that just 
> telling them won't convince them, you will need to set up a prototype 
> desktop and show them:
> 1.  I won't be able to access my old data.

You'll need to ensure that _you_ know how to access _all_ of their old data
to make sure that the switch is possible.  There are _some_ cases where
linux is not an option (eg. govt approved accounting software though that's
improving) and you'll need to be aware of those cases.

> 2.  The user interface will be too different and it will confuse me.

If you can convince someone with some clout to allow you to, install
OpenOffice.org on certain users' machines and tell them it's the latest
'Office'.  They'll put in the extra effort to learning it and pride in
'having the latest version' will prevent them from complaining.

> 3.  I'll lose some functionality or I'll need to learn to do things a 
> different way and I don't like learning new things on computers 
> (actually, this is true, they WILL need to learn to do SOME things a new 
> way - try to make it as painless for them as possible).

Rick Moen's "Tactical Stupidity" comments apply here:

http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/lexicon.html#tactical-stupidity

He notes: "The tactical variety can be distinguished from genuine stupidity
by vanishing the instant those supposedly unable to cope start getting
replaced."

This is for later when your marvellous pilot appears to be foundering...

> 4.  If things don't act the way I expect them to, I'll become flustered 
> and I won't know what to do.  It will slow me down at a critical moment.

"We accept that this is the case just as it was when we moved from Win 3.11
to Win95.  It'll go away..."

> 5.  New software that I might need to do my job in the future won't be 
> available for Linux.  There is nothing we can do about this objection. 

"So you're not managing to do your job now, is that correct?"

> In some cases it is true (until some Linux developers fill in the gap 
> but that can take time - months).  The best thing to do in this case is 
> to keep a few Windows machines around for exactly that reason.

But make sure that users can install their spyware on these Windows
machines.  That way, when they find the Windows machine is "always broken"
and their linux desktop "just works"...
 
Conor
-- 
Conor Daly,                   Please avoid sending me 
Met Eireann, Glasnevin Hill,  Word or PowerPoint attachments.
Dublin 9, Ireland             http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html
Ph +3531 8064276 Fax +3531 8064247


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