Handing out free copies of Ubuntu to complete strangers.

[Petrosclark]

I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried this and what your experience was or what people think about this (is it a good or bad idea).

I am an Ubuntu fanatic now. Been running it for a few days and have it all tricked out and all that and I am such a huge fan. I even got my dad to run it for his business now and use GIMPShop instead of Photoshop! I've handed out free Live CD's to almost every person I know who has a computer and some computer skills.

I am such a huge fan that I was thinking about grabbing a stack of 100 CD's from Staples for 20 bucks and burning a crapload of Live CD's and just handing them out to people in the mall or wherever I happen to be where there's a lot of people. I don't plan on being an idiot about it and turning people off to Ubuntu but I just really want to help expand the user base and all that.

If anyone has any idea's or knows of a site I can visit for info on Ubuntu promotion, I would love that!

[Old_Grey_Wolf]

Hmm...

Most of the general public would have their computer running some version of Microsoft Windows. They would have Microsoft Windows running. They would insert the CD expecting it to do something. When it didn't do something, they would throw it in the rubbish bin.

I have always had to install a Linux distro for someone, or walk then through the installation process in person. I prefer that they know how to do it themselves.

I have tried giving detailed instructions for installing it; however, every computer is different.

[juancarlospaco]

He said to "Skilled" people, so maybe it works...
:)

[JDShu]

Give it time, the fanaticism will pass :P

People here say the best way to spread ubuntu or linux in general is to keep Live CDs with you and use linux somewhere in the public like the Library. If people ask you about it, explain and then give them a CD.

[matthew.ball]

I did this with a couple of mates for FOSS day earlier this year.

Admittedly, we had a target audience that was mostly university students doing Science/Engineering degrees, but there were a few randoms who came along.

Don't know if anyone went onto install Ubuntu (we also gave out copies of OpenSolaris), but there was huge interest.

[hockeytux]

You could also get materials / ideas from the Spreadubuntu site so youre not just handing out CDs.
After all many people may be wary to even insert the CD at home, thinking it could contain a virus, spyware etc. You need to beef it up a little I fear otherwise the CDs youre handing out will land in the bins and not the CD drives of the people you give them to.

The idea is nice though, maybe something for a Saturday afternoon in a busy area.


Spreadubuntu:

http://spreadubuntu.neomenlo.org/

[Old_Grey_Wolf]

He said to "Skilled" people, so maybe it works...
:)

The OP is suggesting handing out copies of the Ubuntu live CD to strangers. If they are strangers, how does he know they are skilled? They may be "skilled" at using a computer; however, they may know absolutely nothing about installing an OS.

I do not discourage him from doing it; however, from my own experience I don't think it will have very much of an impact.

[chucky chuckaluck]

If they are strangers, how does he know they are skilled?

maybe he only hands them out to people whose star wars underwear is accidentally showing.

unless someone is interested in trying linux, they're not going to. handing someone a live cd, in my view, is not going to pique their curiosity.

[ubuntu-freak]

The problem with merely handing out Ubuntu installation discs Is that some will take the disc from you with no intention of giving it a try. I prefer breaking into peoples houses and installing Ubuntu on to their machine(s) myself. It's also a greener way of introducing the masses to Linux.

[Katalog]

I do this myself (along with my wife and a fellow Ubuntu user) about once a month. We set up a table at a business that is kind enough to host us during one of our hometown's "Third Thursday" events they hold every month. I hand out some trifold brochures that cover the basics of Ubuntu along with some hand lableled Ubuntu CDs that we burned form ISO using materials that I downloaded from the beta spreadubuntu.com web site:

http://spreadubuntu.neomenlo.org/

You can find some pretty handy stuff there, and they should be going live this month (I think). I contacted System76 also and they were kind enough to send me a free roll of "Powered by Ubuntu" stickers to hand out with the CDs to help me out when I told them what I was doing. I also made up some homemade business cards with my name, email address (in case they need help) and the URL of where to download Ubuntu themselves and the URL for the Ubuntu forums on them. I have one computer set up for people to get some "hands on" with it if they want to, and I have another set up that loops a presentation about Ubuntu that has some slides and plays screencasts that show how to use a Live CD and how to install a dual boot system. We usually get a fair number of people (about 20 or 30, on average - I live in a really small town) interested in knowing more, and as usual a few "know-it-alls" who are fans of another distro, but I am usually able to get them to move on by killing them with kindness and remaining reasonable and polite. It's a good bit of work, but I enjoy it and think it's worth doing even if you only get a couple of the people you hand the software out to to actually convert. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day. :P

If you have any questions about my experiences or anything else you might think of, feel free to PM me, or use one of the IMs in my profile to get in touch. Good luck with your efforts!

EDIT: Sorry, just noticed that hockeytux already linked to the spreadubuntu site as well. Guess two links can't hurt, though. ;)

[MikeTheC]

I took a stack of five self-burned LiveCDs of 9.04 to my college's student government offices. I'm also responsible for the first of those five CDs being handed out.

I'm going to try and express my opinion succinctly, and I'm going to use a "religion" analogy. I'm not taking sides here or attempting to bash anyone's religion, so do not read that into it.

There are a group (in the general sense; there's more than one actual specific religious organization which does this) of people who go around and try to push religion and their specific religion on people, and they do so in public places. They often times will stand on sidewalks with whole families holding bibles and shouting and even sometimes "thumping" them. Additionally, you also have Hari Krishna folk out there who, while perhaps a little less bombastically, do the same thing at airports or other places.

Meaning absolutely no disrespect to anyone of any religious faith, but that style of presentation is highly ineffective and, indeed, counter-productive as it often serves as a turn-off.

Going around in public places and mass-handing out of any Linux distro's install CDs really amounts to about the same thing. It's a turn-off because it casts the community and the platform in a bad light.

That's not to say you should never, ever hand out a Linux distro CD. However, there is a time and a place for doing that. Also, it can be handled through other ways and there are other ways of looking at appropriate opportunities. Wait for them to appear, but don't try to force your ambition onto a "perceived" opportunity that doesn't really exist.

</soapbox>

[Bucky Ball]

Katalog, that sounds very organised! Keep up the good work. Last thing people want is it thrust forcibly down their throat!

Petrosclarke, I know exactly how you feel but take a deep breath, relax, get a coffee (or whatever) and sit down with a pad and pen. Plan how you are going to go about this without wasting your time or anybody elses and without creating a ton of CD landfill that you have paid for (discarded CDs).

Inside each CD there should be some CLEAR instruction on how to try Ubuntu from the Live CD or/and install. If you show that to someone and they have no idea what it all means, you know that person is not up to installing. BUT, if you tell them they can shove the CD in and 'Try Ubuntu without changing their system' and that it is virus free, they might try that. If they do and like it and want to install, make sure they have the information to get to a link that will tell them how to.

As most people are weaned on/using MS already, they are not going to want to let that go in a hurry, so here's a good site for dual-booting info if they decide to go there:

http://members.iinet.net/~herman546/index.html (http://members.iinet.net/%7Eherman546/index.html)

Good luck with it all. ;-)

ps: I have handed out about a dozen CDs ... in my kitchen! Friends and others get curious about my laptop, I let them have a play, show them my other two desktops and what's possible and they either say 'Hmm, very interesting, ta,' and head home to their MS or Mac OS or 'How do I try this?' and I simply give them a disk with a few instruction and a link to the forums.

[Katalog]

Katalog, that sounds very organised! Keep up the good work. Last thing people want is it thrust forcibly down their throat!

Thanks, Bucky Ball. I tried to put a lot of thought behind it and use the "if you build it, they will come" approach by just setting up my little station and letting people come to me if they wanted to. Like I said it's worked out pretty well so far, and starting next month I'm also going to start using it as an opportunity to collect donations to help support Free Geek, an organization in Portland that uses volunteers to rebuild computers from donated parts for people who can't otherwise afford to buy one themselves. And, of course, they install Ubuntu on them and also teach people how to use it. It's a total win/win - people get a free computer for doing a little volunteer work, and the community get's another Ubuntu user. :D

They've got a video about their operation up on YouTube (a little old, but it still gets the message across as far as what they're all about):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_5kbsO5I1M

[Bucky Ball]

Free Geek, an organization in Portland that uses volunteers to rebuild computers from donated parts for people who can't otherwise afford to buy one themselves. And, of course, they install Ubuntu on them and also teach people how to use it.:D

Exactly the idea I have been carrying around in my head for the past month!!! Or pretty damn close.

I have a friend from the Windows side who builds from old parts and has tons laying around. I have built computers over the years although now only open-source or dual-boot with their Windows installer and I have quite a bit of obsolete technology too. I am sure the neighbourhood is full of it. I figure if I get the word out and stick some fliers about I should start gathering some workable hardware in no time.

All great in a perfect world but for now I just don't have the time. Something to aspire to. ;-)

[keiichidono]

Free Geek reminds me of http://linuxagainstpoverty.org/. I'd like to get a few dozen/hundred pamphlets from you Katalog to give to neighbors. I'm also thinking about doing a LAP event in my area.

[Katalog]

Free Geek reminds me of http://linuxagainstpoverty.org/. I'd like to get a few dozen/hundred pamphlets from you Katalog to give to neighbors. I'm also thinking about doing a LAP event in my area.

It could very well be that there is already a LUG in the Miami/Dade area that work with organizations like LAP. Point in fact, the way I discovered Free Geek is that they are very closely affiliated with the PNW and Oregon LoCo as well as the Portland LUG, so it may be worth your time inquiring with some user groups in your neck of the woods to see if they have some similar advocacy efforts already going on that you can help out with. That way you'll be contributing to an already ongoing organized project instead of duplicating effort by trying to do it on your own from scratch. If there isn't such a program already in place (and I would be very surprised if there wasn't with Miami being as large as it is) then if you were to be the one to get such a project off the ground, so much the better. Good luck with whatever you end up doing.

[Stan_1936]

...I prefer breaking into peoples houses and installing Ubuntu on to their machine(s) myself. ....

Hahahahahaha!!!!:lolflag::lolflag::lolflag:

I just pictured that......you, crouched over, quietly walking through a person's house, reaching the computer room, sitting down, inserting the CD, licking your lips as it loads, quickly selecting the defaults for everything(dual boot ofcourse), restarting and installing updates/flash/hardware drivers, jumping out the window.

[sydbat]

To the OP - As others have stated very well, simply handing out Ubuntu CD's to people will likely have little or no effect, except to create more landfill.

That said, if you truly want to do something like this, make sure you get permission from the owners (or management) of the places you want to hand out these CD's. As Katalog has stated, s/he has a table that is in a location, but has the full permission of whomever owns/runs the place to do so. Doing otherwise could be seen as trespassing.

I have a friend who is, among other things, a street performer. When he was starting out, he thought that it was OK to go into malls or other "public" venues and perform. He soon found out that, while the public is allowed/encouraged to visit a mall to shop, it is still private property. He was actually banned from 2 malls here until he apologized to the management. Now he has a good working relationship with them (and others).

[earthpigg]

handing out home-made Ubuntu CD's to strangers is silly, in my opinion, because you are asking them to do something most people here would never consider doing.

if some stranger hands me a CD that claims to contain binaries of some great software, there is no way in hell i am installing it.

i may do some research on my own and maybe end up installing it, but it certainly wont be from that CD.

given that, a pamphlet would serve the same purpose, be cheaper, and not start potential future linux users down the path to a horrible security mindset.

here is one possibility:
http://www.ausimage.us/Ubuntu/Promotions

[spoons]

It would only pique their interest if they were male and it had on it "Also contains free pr0n."

Then, they would be interested. But not in Linux.

[Tristam Green]

Three words: America Online Disks

Nobody liked them, and they single-handedly brought down the coaster industry worldwide.

Do what others have said, and use your OS around and if someone asks you what it is, tell them; but do it without "geek derision" as I like to call it. Then, if they ask how to get it, give them a disk.

But don't offer it.

[earthpigg]

It would only pique their interest if they were male and it had on it "Also contains free pr0n."

Then, they would be interested. But not in Linux.

alternatively, this:

Ubuntu, with ubuntu-restricted-extras and VLC and pornview (yes, pornview. look for it in synaptic.) installed is the best operating system to view porn on.

call that remix "PornBuntu".

[Mighty_Joe]

It would only pique their interest if they were male and it had on it "Also contains free pr0n."

Then, they would be interested. But not in Linux.

I think I've finally found a *buntu derivative I can, um, get behind. To the respin machine!

[Tristam Green]

Hurray for adding an unnecessary element to a legitimate question/answer topic, guys.

Professional-grade behavior there.

[schauerlich]

I usually run software that somebody hands me on the street and says up front will control my entire computer.

[Petrosclark]

Hahaha, thanks so much everyone for the constructive criticism and encouragement. I really am not actually going to be handing them out to complete strangers, I just thought if I posted something along those lines it would actually get people's attention.

What I really have done is hand them to my friends and co-workers who are computer savvy and who I am able to offer some support to when and if they need help. I am so excited about it that I have THOUGHT about handing it out to complete strangers but probably will never follow through with it because as one of you said in comparing it to religion, it would be like proselytizing people who don't want to hear it and in effect turn them off to the whole idea.

I will most definitely check out the spreadubuntu site that a couple of you brought up.

Thanks again for your input I most certainly appreciate it!

[Katalog]

given that, a pamphlet would serve the same purpose, be cheaper, and not start potential future linux users down the path to a horrible security mindset

That reminds me of something I probably should have mentioned in the first place. I print about three times as many brochures as I do CDs (and it is pretty darn cheap if you buy your own paper and go to one of those do-it-yourself print centers like at Staples), because people are usually more interested in picking up the literature than they are the actual software. Even though the CDs are free, I think they're of the mindset that while they're somewhat interested in what this "Ubuntu thing" is, they don't want to walk away with something they may never use, and I don't mind that at all. At least the information is getting out, and if it does turn out they are curious enough to try it the links to where to download it and the instructions on burning the ISO are right there in the brochure.

[ubuntu-freak]

Hahahahahaha!!!!:lolflag::lolflag::lolflag:

I just pictured that......you, crouched over, quietly walking through a person's house, reaching the computer room, sitting down, inserting the CD, licking your lips as it loads, quickly selecting the defaults for everything(dual boot ofcourse), restarting and installing updates/flash/hardware drivers, jumping out the window.
Thanks, I'm glad someone found it funny. This place is a tough crowd. :)

[Bucky Ball]

Katalog, is there any chance of you posting a template of your pamphlet here or somewhere else on the net? I would, with your permission, naturally, like to print a few out.

:)

[jeyaganesh]

Give it time, the fanaticism will pass :P


Yes.:lolflag: