Today's news has a blog on zdnet about a company that switched to Linux, and now might be going back to Windoze. Their concern is that there is no support. The problem, as I see it, is that support comes from friends and until these friends can get their hands on a linux machine to begin with, they're probably not going to wipe out their only OS to try something new. OK, well, I did, but I don't think most would.
Most Apple fans have always been Apple fans. If you want to get into their world, you can buy a pricy machine or even a low-end mini, on-line or in-store. And the laptop users are easily spotted in a cafe and are often willing to show off their machines. Great!
But where can you find an actual, brick-and-morter Linux store? Where, apart from a LUG (my local one hasn't updated their site since May 05 - that's 4 months) can you meet people to ask questions about Linux? Which store can you visit to see it in action? I am not a big fan of being free tech support for everyone's Windows box, although I do enjoy solving problems. But until we have more people willing to learn about Linux, the spread will be slow and it could be a bazillion years before we have a geek next door that can solve some problems.
How do we solve this? For one, us linux users need to SPREAD THE WORD and be willing to give that free support until our numbers increase. For every user that we set up with a Linux box, we should set them up with an account at LinuxQuestions.org. We Linux users need to be patient with our new converts, and we need to Stop Setting them Up with UNSTABLE versions! The "Easy" Linuxi out there are all based on Debian Unstable, and for a geek like me, that is OK. But for someone who wants it to "just work" all the time, we need something more solid to help give the new user a better shot at success. Otherwise its just too much to ask from our new converts, and in the long run from ourselves.
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