How do we get the media on board?

[bluenova]

In today's society, the media play a huge roll in dictating what people do and what they buy.

I felt quite peed-off after just reading this article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5150508.stm) from the BBC all about how people should look to using Mac OSX instead of MS Windows because of the risk of malware, but in no place in the whole article do they even mention that something like Ubuntu could be a viable alternative, it's as though these OS's do not exist. The public will never even think of looking at something like ubuntu unless we can get the media on board, this should be the first step in eliminating bug number #1 (https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+bug/1).

[23meg]

I felt quite peed-off after just reading this article from the BBC all about how people should look to using Mac OSX instead of MS Windows because of the risk of malware, but in no place in the whole article do they even mention that something like Ubuntu could be a viable alternative, it's as though these OS's do not exist.

BBC's anti-FOSS stance in their news is well known. There's at least one other thread about this; do a forum search and you'll find.


The public will never even think of looking at something like ubuntu unless we can get the media on board, this should be the first step in eliminating bug number #1.I disagree; counting on the mass media to promote FOSS will not do any good in the long run. Any good publicity on the mass media counts, but it shouldn't be relied on. The free and open nature of the internet is what gets most people on board today, not the corporate biased mass media, and focusing on better internet promotion, facilities such as Shipit and Freedom Toaster, the formation of new independent media foundations, and getting Free operating systems preinstalled on consumer computers will bring more benefit than trying to squeeze in among the corporate BS that floods the mass media.

[Raistlin355]

In today's society, the media play a huge roll in dictating what people do and what they buy.

I felt quite peed-off after just reading this article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5150508.stm) from the BBC all about how people should look to using Mac OSX instead of MS Windows because of the risk of malware, but in no place in the whole article do they even mention that something like Ubuntu could be a viable alternative, it's as though these OS's do not exist. The public will never even think of looking at something like ubuntu unless we can get the media on board, this should be the first step in eliminating bug number #1 (https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+bug/1).

I agree. I hate that the altenative to M$ is Mac. Thats it M$ or Mac, you choose there are not other alternatives. Makes me want to call up whoever made the report and be like "Hey I am one member of an online community that consists of about 132,359 members and we don't use EITHER of those Os's we use Ubuntu Linux (and various different flavors of Linux) and have been for some time. Not to mention the other distros forums and their members. So don't tell me there are only 2 ways to go and thats it, it's like choosing the lesser of 2 evils." (don't get me wrong I like Mac OS I just don't use it much on my Mini O:))

But you have to watch out using the media to tell people about stuff, they have a way of making things look REALLY bad.

[Virogenesis]

In today's society, the media play a huge roll in dictating what people do and what they buy.

I felt quite peed-off after just reading this article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5150508.stm) from the BBC all about how people should look to using Mac OSX instead of MS Windows because of the risk of malware, but in no place in the whole article do they even mention that something like Ubuntu could be a viable alternative, it's as though these OS's do not exist. The public will never even think of looking at something like ubuntu unless we can get the media on board, this should be the first step in eliminating bug number #1 (https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+bug/1).
First of all, support for linux is hard to find you can not just pop into a shop and get help, with windows and mac support exists.
The Average user would not care for a OS that hwe can not get support for.
Why should they mention a OS that would scare the living **** out of them.

[bluenova]

First of all, support for linux is hard to find you can not just pop into a shop and get help, with windows and mac support exists.
The Average user would not care for a OS that hwe can not get support for.
Why should they mention a OS that would scare the living **** out of them.
That's not true, paid-for support (http://www.ubuntu.com/support/paid) is available for most major Linux distros including Ubuntu.

[Adamant1988]

Ubuntu is well supported but it's not 'commercial' like companies just seem to love. also in an overly multi-media based world (kids and their digital camera, mp3 players, and store bought DVD's... GOSH) Linux at large cannot legally fufill the needs of those people, causing the media to ignore linux as a viable option. And if you ignore the whole the chances of you noticing the smaller parts of linux are low.

[Virogenesis]

That's not true, paid-for support (http://www.ubuntu.com/support/paid) is available for most major Linux distros including Ubuntu.
It is, true.... shops don't support linux and most people take their computers to shop rather than repairing them themselves thats the reality of things and many would agree.
As for paid support.... isn't 250 dollars a bit much for desktop support for home usage?
Users don't want support they want things done for them sorry but that is the truth.

[23meg]

Support is what we do here in the forums and mailing lists for free and I bet it's better support than you can get for any closed source OS. Anyone with enough patience to search for and describe their problems can get first class support without paying anything. Helping one's peers is inherent the very essence of Free Software; it isn't an extra that has to be paid for, it's already there as soon as you start using Free Software.

This is getting off-topic though; note the thread title.

[tsb]

I say we just use them alland be happy. :)

[Zimmer]

Anyone else remember PC's being sold with OS/2 and Lotus Suite bundles?(ok I'll admit it, I am old) Cheaper than Windows but....Never really caught on. Reason ; The public buying them knew nothing much about Windows and PC s in general, let alone OS/2, but they had maybe heard or seen of Windows... brand awareness ... and they feared incompatibility with commercial software (games, mainly) available at the time and into the future.(I include myself in that group.) They also feared being 'outsiders'.....
To SELL a Linux distro to this type of 'brand new' customer involves the same amount of effort as it was to try and sell OS/2 alongside Windows.
However, for a lot of us the honeymoon with the MS marketing dept. is over.
As maturing computer users we now know what we do with our home computers . We have played the games, upgraded Windows, spent more and more money on software (only to find we had to upgrade Office again when XP arrived with the next new PC!!!!Had I not already paid for a working office suite??!)
With more than one computer in the house we are daring to experiment with FREE software and are happy when it works and ecstatic when we 'make' it work . Now we have the 'Net' we are not alone, and we are not outsiders.

Today's first time buyers still have little choice. Even if they did they would be unlikely to choose Linux over Windows unless they knew a friend who was a bit of an expert to help them, even then they would look first at the shelves stocked with commercial software and plump for MS as the safe path to tread.

I see the Linux user base increasing with each succesive expensive upgrade of Windows and the cost of change driving people to an alternative... along with those who are curious or brave enough to try to learn something new.
These, in the main, will become thousands of satisfied users and potential developers, doing what they want to do. I would rather have that for Linux than millions of dissatisfied users grumbling about software that they have not paid for .

You can lead a user to Linux, but you cannot make him think...

[s_h_a_d_o_w_s]

I hate to mention it, but I think they should start charging for the cds , to discontine the free downloads. I'm not saying I want this, but then companies would realize that ubuntu is a serious (and seriously great) OS. Right now, they might think it's just a silly, crappy, free little os that poor people fool around with (which it's not).


Another problem is compatibility. I think that if linux had a rock-solid MS emulator (like wine, but EVERYTHING works, no problem) , then people would actually have the choice to switch. I've talked to some people who;ve said that they'd love to switch, but after paying 300+$ on an audio editing program, they don't exactly have the choice.

And why doesn't ubuntu (or other distro too) have a commercial? An ad? Before i started using the great ubuntu, I had no idea that linux even existed!!!!!!! It was my computer repair shop that suggested it to me!!!!

That's just what I think.

[bluenova]

Perhaps the BBC are changing already, take a look at this article today:
Open source turns money-spinner (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/4407742.stm)