Impressing the Office

[jimsheep]

so, i'm trying the old, old, old, old onerous task of impressing people a the office with Ubuntu. i just can't think of a sufficiently unique and impressive task to show off with. anyone have any suggestions?

right now, i'm limited to a Dell GX270, but can run a live-USB disk on any box.

[jimv]

Tell them it's Windows 7.

[Fatal Toenail Infection]

Compiz-Fusion

[Bucky Ball]

Tell them it's Windows 7.

Ha! I've heard of people thinking it was!

[jimsheep]

Compiz-Fusion

Compiz won't run on a lowly GX270...Here (http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx270/en/ug/specs.htm) are the specs.

is there anything that doesn't really rely on bling? i mean, compiz effing rocks, but it's not exactly a business case.

[brianC]

windows7.......too funny
how about all the programs you can install...for free. Or the fact that no need for system slowing anti-danger download stuff programs

[fooman]

Compiz-Fusion

yeah, the cube and other compiz plugins can be very impressive...however, i'm not sure how well they will run on that computer or from a live usb-thumb drive.

you can show them how easy it is to customize ubuntu....themes, fonts etc..

-point out things like how anti-viruses are not needed. no need to fear things like spyware, adware and malware.

-tell them they will never have to defrag their hard drives again.

-inform them that it is nearly care-free!!

freedom is what its all about. :p

[Simian Man]

so, i'm trying the old, old, old, old onerous task of impressing people a the office with Ubuntu. i just can't think of a sufficiently unique and impressive task to show off with. anyone have any suggestions?

So what makes you assume they *should* be impressed with it? If you can't think of one thing that would impress them, maybe it's because there isn't anything.

I love Linux, but most people just don't care about Operating Systems. And that is OK :). Just tell them it saves money and does the same thing. That should be good enough.

[Bucky Ball]

The absence of virus and spam bombardment and consequent down-time.

[asmoore82]

show them Grsync !!
for backing up docs to shared folder or their flash drives.

[LowSky]

install gnome-do, compiz, and screenlets... go to gnome-look and find some amzing themes and create our layout.... do a full install onto a usb drive... dont use any proprietary drivers and it should run on any box you plug it into.

[wpshooter]

so, i'm trying the old, old, old, old onerous task of impressing people a the office with Ubuntu. i just can't think of a sufficiently unique and impressive task to show off with. anyone have any suggestions?

I am sincerely wishing you success but all I can say is GOOOOOOOD LUCK !!!

You will need it, because when the big majority of them get an inkling that it is NOT M/S windows, then their freeze dried brains will have absolutely no interest in it !!!

[Bucky Ball]

I am sincerely wishing you success but all I can say is GOOOOOOOD LUCK !!!

You will need it, because when the big majority of them get an inkling that it is NOT M/S windows, then their freeze dryed brains will have absolutely no interest in it !!!

The voice of experience speaks, perhaps! +1, I have seen that glazed look come over people's faces like clouds over the sun ...

[CaptainMark]

+2 the hardest thing is trying to tell people windows isnt free, they think it comes witht thier computer so its free, they dont realise that buying a computer with no OS and installing ubuntu would cost them a lot less. Usually I find just having an OS on a usb stick is enough to impress. The computers at my office dont run dvds becasue they have no encoders, so when i boot from usb and pop in the latest movies everyones crowding around asking about it.:p

[QIII]

Bring a copy of the Vista installation CD with the price tag still on it.

Bring a copy of the Ubuntu installation CD with the price tag still on it.

Bring a copy of Office with the price tag still on it.

Bring a copy of OOo with the price tag still on it.

Bring a copy of a graphics editor with the price tag still on it.

Bring a copy of Gimp with the price tag still on it.

Bring a copy of Visual Studio with the price tag still on it.

Bring a copy of Netbeans with the price tag still on it.

...

[scrooge_74]

Wait till the other PCs run to a halt due to spam or a virus and when someone screams DAMN VIRUS!!! Call the IT guys I can't work!!!!

You go and say Virus? Where? I being working all week no problems.

You can also call BSA and tell them you spotted illegal copies of programs in the office, so when they come around you are the only one who is sure you aint have any illegal software on the PC.

:d

[diablo75]

There's only one person in that office you need to worry about impressing and that's your boss. Nobody else is going to care what the price tag of the OS is. They only care about how easy it is to do something, and if there is even a shred of learning involved they won't want to bother with it unless they're told to by the person who signs their paycheck.

Get a laptop that has a decent video card in it (about $300 investment these days). Install Ubuntu, enable compiz but keep the visual effects to their defaults. The boss doesn't care if the windows go up in balls of fire or fly away like a paper air plane when you close them. They want to see RELEVANCE to the everyday tasks.

In the end, what they care about is money. So put together some sort of expense report that compares the cost of upgrading all the computers to whatever version of Windows they might be considering (include office software with this) versus the cost of migrating over to Linux and the time it would take to educate the employees on how to use it (and be realistic about it because some people think Ubuntu is a high-dive at an Olympic swimming pool at first and almost go out of their way to pretend it's too dangerous to even think about trying, making things that much more difficult). Talk about the uptime made from never having to worry about viruses too; use a little fear propaganda based on real world pandemics that have occured elsewhere and say, "You wouldn't want this to happen here, WOULD YOU?" Heck, let them borrow the laptop for a few days so they can try it out.

Whatever you do, don't preach. You'll come off as smug and potentially alienate yourself....

Which kind of makes me think, there might be a better way to go about doing this. Get that laptop we talked about just a minute ago, and then proceed to migrate doing all of your work on it instead of your regular work station. Then just wait for people to notice and become curious and perhaps a little envious. Get enough people interested and you'll sort of have a silent group of supporters ready to back you up the day you walk into the bosses office so you can say, "These people want it, too."

[Bucky Ball]

+2 the hardest thing is trying to tell people windows isnt free, they think it comes witht thier computer so its free,:p

Apparently they are going to know soon enough. A little birdie tells me Windows 7 will not be OEM gift-wrapped anymore at next to nothing prices. Microsoft intend to charge the off the shelf price for it across the board (pretty much). I was reading about it the other day. Will see if I can dig it up.

[scrooge_74]

Apparently they are going to know soon enough. A little birdie tells me Windows 7 will not be OEM gift-wrapped anymore at next to nothing prices. Microsoft intend to charge the off the shelf price for it across the board (pretty much). I was reading about it the other day. Will see if I can dig it up.

They need to replinish their cash chest so they can clobber the competition

[eriktheblu]

About a year ago a coworker and I were tasked with setting up some spare laptops to constantly display a repeating slide show on a set of large plasma displays we have mounted.

He took our organization's XP image disk (included XP, MS office, Streets and Trips, and more) and set up one, I installed 8.04 on another.

All said and done, we had two monitors displaying the same Powerpoint file. We asked our boss if he could tell the difference. After reviewing both he asked what the difference was.

My reply, "About $1000"

[Bucky Ball]

They need to replinish their cash chest so they can clobber the competition

I was wondering if they were hoping to grab what they could before they got out or were pushed. In some ways, raising the price is a bit like shooting yourself in the foot when the competition's free!

[Crunchy the Headcrab]

I was wondering if they were hoping to grab what they could before they got out or were pushed. In some ways, raising the price is a bit like shooting yourself in the foot when the competition's free!

The competition isn't free. Linux doesn't compete with Windows. It just doesn't. Mac OS is starting to compete, Linux hasn't even scratched the surface.

(for desktops of course) :guitar:

[scrooge_74]

I think they still haven't grasp the concept of open source and free software. In past years they had targets they could identify: a company or a product they wanted to kill and take over their market. Now is like they are fighting ghosts or a hydra.

[dtoronto]

Tell them it's free
In a down economy I can't imagine that there is much more to impress

[milton1]

Show them how easy it is to setup a LAMP server.


sudo tasksel install lamp-server

[Bucky Ball]

The competition isn't free. Linux doesn't compete with Windows. It just doesn't. Mac OS is starting to compete, Linux hasn't even scratched the surface.

(for desktops of course) :guitar:

I know that, you know that. Ask Bill what he thinks.

[presence1960]

so, i'm trying the old, old, old, old onerous task of impressing people a the office with Ubuntu. i just can't think of a sufficiently unique and impressive task to show off with. anyone have any suggestions?

right now, i'm limited to a Dell GX270, but can run a live-USB disk on any box.

Did they ask you to show them Ubuntu or are you taking it upon yourself trying to "impress" them? My advice is if they didn't ask don't put on a show. Remember you use Ubuntu because you choose to. You will be asked by people interested in seeing what you use because it came up in conversation. Remember most people frown upon evangelists or reformers. Don't put yourself in either category lest you destroy a future opportunity to be helpful.

[chadwick359]

I used to get ooh's and aaaah's by intentionally freezing up X and ctrl+alt+backspacing, just to prove that if need be, you COULD just kill everything and not have to restart. Then when people began to realize how little it actually crashed, I got more.

[-GreyWolf-]

For starters, you could compare a new PC with high specs (using Vista on it) and your "lousy" DELL Linux by booting them at the same time....

[Leed]

you can still try compiz... many think it's just eye candy, but using it every day in the office I can clearly say it massivly increases productivity. Things like cube and raindrops are useless, but scale and the use of several desktops (ok also possible without compiz) really makes a big deal. I also often group windows, putting webcode together with a browser makes it look like one program

[Wim Sturkenboom]

About a year ago a coworker and I were tasked with setting up some spare laptops to constantly display a repeating slide show on a set of large plasma displays we have mounted.

He took our organization's XP image disk (included XP, MS office, Streets and Trips, and more) and set up one, I installed 8.04 on another.

All said and done, we had two monitors displaying the same Powerpoint file. We asked our boss if he could tell the difference. After reviewing both he asked what the difference was.

My reply, "About $1000"I like that :)

To OP: don't. Just use it and if someone asks questions, demonstrate.

[ukripper]

Tell them : Ubuntu spits fire when it runs!

[asmoore82]

The competition isn't free. Linux doesn't compete with Windows. It just doesn't. Mac OS is starting to compete, Linux hasn't even scratched the surface.
^this nonsense can't invade the ubuntuforums as well ...

Get the Facts; not the FUD.

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp
^the 40 Million+ users that have chosen Desktop Linux is
a lot more impressive that a billion PC's bundled with Windows.

The way I see it, the hundreds of millions more that have chosen
Firefox over bundled I.E. have already been won over to the Linux
mindshare - there are just a few hurdles that remain to get them
over to full blown Desktop Linux users.

MacOS can't compete because it can't/won't run on the same hardware -
and Apple litigates hard to keep it that way.

[scrooge_74]

asmoore82, don't worry about the numbers, eventually they will wake up to the fact Linux rules.

Stats are hard to find or to manage, for example: I have one old HP nx6110, one T43 and one Lenovo. All of them bought second hand, all of them now running linux. But I imagine no one is counting them. And then is the second part of that stat.

I have to kids one 14 the other 12 and they are growing using linux at home, which means they will grow to be adults that feel confy using Linux and will likely try to keep using it.

[Bucky Ball]

I have to kids one 14 the other 12 and they are growing using linux at home, which means they will grow to be adults that feel confy using Linux and will likely try to keep using it.

Yea, wonder what you'd make of Windows after having grown up using Linux???

[timjohn7]

Show them the uptime... (uptime in Terminal)

[elianthony]

I have come close to doing this at my organization, a small, rural county government. I didn't really end up doing it because I figured the best avenue for me was to take very small baby steps. And that has worked so far, as we now have 6 Ubuntu machines in an organization run by a guy who preaches standardization, and wants everything to be the same. Every other machine in the entire county runs XP, except for my 6 here the library.


There's only one person in that office you need to worry about impressing and that's your boss.

EXACTLY. Use the cost issue, it's your friend. Not just the cost of the OS, nobody actually sees that since Windows is there when they buy the machine. Factor in antivirus, imaging software, office suite, backup, client access licenses, everything that you have to pay for when you run Windows. Use all of this to work up a cost comparison. It's really up to you whether you present this out of the blue, or perhaps wait for a tough budget time to bring it up. The only reason I was able to switch 6 of our machines over to Ubuntu was because it wouldn't cost a penny, and it actually let us use a machine or 2 that couldn't run XP/antivirus anymore. We're now facing a 5% budget cut next year, and I'm going to pull out my old cost compare info, since the only way we'll be adding anything new is if it's nearly free.

I also had to prove to the head of the county IT dept that Ubuntu could be stable, and dependable. (Yes, I actually had to prove that Ubuntu would run as smoothly & reliably as our XP boxes HAH!) Well, it did, and then he let me start to use them as public access machines at the library.

Also, I agree about the preaching, if you preach Ubuntu over Windows you'll probably alienate people.

[swoll1980]

Many people said "Tell them it's free"(as in cost) I don't get why this would be an incentive, as they already have an os. If their computer didn't have an os, then this would be a benefit.

[BigSilly]

Office people and businesses will likely be more impressed by it doing regular, everyday tasks as well, if not better than Windows without the need for extra spends on licensing and security, than watching it perform some flashy display for them.

I don't know why more businesses don't adopt it. OK there's going to be some spend at the start to move over and implement it properly and train staff accordingly, but in the long term they'd benefit much more using Linux.

[wpshooter]

I don't know why more businesses don't adopt it. OK there's going to be some spend at the start to move over and implement it properly and train staff accordingly, but in the long term they'd benefit much more using Linux.

I will tell you exactly why !!!

Because Ubuntu/Linux can not natively run the applications that they are using such as Quickbooks, Peachtree accounting, and many, many others. And please don't tell me that there are Linux alternative applications. These Linux alternative are NO WHERE near on par with the present M/S Windows applications they are using. And also, don't tell me that they can be run under WINE. In many cases, they can not and even if they can, most businesses are NOT going to go to this bother.

[scrooge_74]

Hey Peachtree runs pretty good using Cross Over (I know that for a fact I use it every day), the same for Quickbooks.

The thing is not so much if it runs or not or if it is Windows or Linux, the problem is that the guy who runs the show (owns the business) is more likely to have not a clue about PCs so he goes with what he heards.

The other day I was at some office dealing with a shipment and I over heard the owner on the phone about ordering a couple of new machines and he was like yes the new Windows the Vista one and the other stuff I use, etc etc. In the end the machines are going to be use for standard mail, office suite and internet.

But since I know better now, I just bit my tongue and let him be, I have no business preaching and I could not prove a thing so I let him be.

[earthpigg]

so, i'm trying the old, old, old, old onerous task of impressing people a the office with Ubuntu. i just can't think of a sufficiently unique and impressive task to show off with. anyone have any suggestions?

right now, i'm limited to a Dell GX270, but can run a live-USB disk on any box.

use ubuntu, and be humble and polite when people inevitably ask you about it. keep a couple ship-it CDs handy -- the professional look of them counts for a lot.

[monsterstack]

I will tell you exactly why !!!

Because Ubuntu/Linux can not natively run the applications that they are using such as Quickbooks, Peachtree accounting, and many, many others. And please don't tell me that there are Linux alternative applications. These Linux alternative are NO WHERE near on par with the present M/S Windows applications they are using. And also, don't tell me that they can be run under WINE. In many cases, they can not and even if they can, most businesses are NOT going to go to this bother.

Yeah, it's true, Windows can have quite a painful exit cost. But the more small- to medium-sized businesses who do go ahead and switch makes doing so more viable for others. Contrary to popular belief, not every business needs Quickbooks, just as not every desktop user needs Photoshop or Crysis. Remember still that it isn't an either/or condition. Windows and Linux fans often forget that. There is nothing stopping you from deploying a mixture of Windows and Linux machines in a workplace. Just think of the money you might save just by having even a few Linux machines around.

[stwschool]

Just use it every day. It looks different enough that people will be curious. I tend to do so and the presence of expo and docky tend to get people asking if my battered old PC laptop is a mac, at which point they find out it's free, and called Linux. I've had people request installs from me that way. Also, rather than just going out to impress for its own sake, think about how a good salesman or inventor works. One of our teachers bought a netbook, it had linux and he put XP on it (pirate) as he was familiar with it. It ran terribly. He had time to make a cup of tea while it was loading. However, the linux that was on it previosly was terrible. I made him a linux USB install not to evangelise, but to see if it might help him make more of his computer. It worked and now he's a happy linux user. This is the best way to get people into FOSS in my opinion (your mileage may vary).

[ubuntu27]

Tell them it's Windows 7.


Ha! I've heard of people thinking it was!


There is a video demonstrating that people can be easely fooled into believeing that KDE is Windows 7:

Is it Windows 7 or KDE 4? (http://www.zdnet.com.au/insight/software/soa/Is-it-Windows-7-or-KDE-4-/0,139023769,339294810,00.htm)

http://www.zdnet.com.au/insight/software/soa/Is-it-Windows-7-or-KDE-4-/0,139023769,339294810,00.htm