How to promote Ubuntu

[DrMega]

Not sure which category this should be in, admin please feel free to move it.

Hi All

I've seen may a thread where people have debated the rights and wrongs of pushing Ubuntu (or any distro) onto Windows users. Personally I think they should be left to choose but that's not my point here.

What I was thinking is that in my opinion, many people have never heard of Linux, and those that have often have misconceptions about it. I like Ubuntu, I prefer it to Windows, but I arrived here on the recommendation of a friend after I'd been disappointed by a number of other distros (I was at the point where I believed that I'd gave it a fair go, and it was rubbish - until I tried Ubuntu).

I would like to see the day when people are at least aware that Ubuntu (and some other distros) do offer a real alternative to Windows. I am just wondering how we could make that happen without pushing it onto them.

Any ideas?

[wolfen69]

become a multi millionare and pay for billboards. magazine ads and tv commercials.

[some_random_noob]

It happens over time. Start with your family and then your friends. People around you will eventually take interest - either because Compiz Fusion is cool or maybe because Vista is crap.

[bobbybobington]

My rule of thumb, is to only tell people about ubuntu, give them a cd etc... if they seem really interested in it. No one wants stuff to be pushed on them.

[armandh]

it is not wether linux is ready but is it ready enough for noobs
until ubuntu 7.04 no linux distro was ready for my level of noobieness.
despite never before successfully running a linux distro,
7.04 just worked and was useful. it replaced several xp installs
not every old or odd bit of hardware is supported
but in that area it is way better than vista.

[aysiu]

Not sure which category this should be in, admin please feel free to move it. I've moved it to Community Cafe.

[DrMega]

My rule of thumb, is to only tell people about ubuntu, give them a cd etc... if they seem really interested in it. No one wants stuff to be pushed on them.

Agreed. Isn't that what I said in my original post?


it is not wether linux is ready but is it ready enough for noobs
until ubuntu 7.04 no linux distro was ready for my level of noobieness.
despite never before successfully running a linux distro,
7.04 just worked and was useful. it replaced several xp installs
not every old or odd bit of hardware is supported
but in that area it is way better than vista.

Agreed. Dapper was great, but still needed a fair bit of command line work to tweak it up to my needs. I never used the two versions after that, but Gutsy is top notch. It is ready for the masses in my opinion. I think it would be useful for us all if it had a bigger market share.

Just to be clear, I am not entirely anti-MS. Windows is the right choice in some scenarios. I just think if Ubuntu and other Linux distros had a bigger market share then we'd all benefit. MS would be forced to stop pumping out overpriced unstable software on the basis that there is no real alternative, and a bigger market share for Linux means better hardware support from manufacturers reaching out to the emerging Linux community.

[samb0057]

Give out CDs through Craigslist. If you put an ad in the free section you will get a bunch of responses.

[Daveski]

My rule of thumb, is to only tell people about ubuntu, give them a cd etc... if they seem really interested in it. No one wants stuff to be pushed on them.

+1
My rules and feelings are very similar:

1 - Give them a LiveCD like Ubuntu (obviously).
2 - Point out that it is their choice to try or install Linux - and that is what Linux is all about: Choice.
3 - Advise that most of the time Linux is simple, but at times Linux will be difficult. The positive is that YOU will be in complete control of your computer and the data stored on it.

[barbedsaber]

I try and give out cds and if i can i put in a little peice of paper saying things like

go to applications accecories terminal and type sudo apt pet install ubuntu restriced extras. and mentioning the commununty, live cd that wont touch hard drive. linuxalt.com and stuff like that. I am of the opinion that if everyone gives out cds, we can get taken seriously by hardware developers, and that will be the day that linux takes over the world.

bow down to ultimute (free) penguin power, and may the source be with you.

[lila]

I just say innocently during the inevitable virus and anti-virus discussions that I don't have such problems, because my system isn't prone to it. People say, why, are you rich and on Mac? And i say, no, poor and on Linux, which is free and I don't really spend more or less time on computer related maintenance and problem solving stuff than when I was on Windows98, the problems are just different. But then, i don't pay and even if there is no help locally, there is lots of help right here on the forums.
So I don't try to tell them it's perfect and infallible, but that they'd be safer (as problems tend not to be security related), and no need to spend money or do things illegal (copied versions of windows - not a problem privately, but if you run a small artisanal business like myself, or any business, it's not ideal)
The other thing I say (if they show themselves to be interested and ask), is that unlike the "friend who knows computers" and who helps them with Windows, the ubuntu forum is thousands of such friends, one of which invariably happens to be specialised in your problem. Which tends to be a good and convincing argument. i mean, Ubuntu wouldn't be half as good without this forum, so it's good to point it out as a big plus.
I don't go chasing up people whether they change, as I wouldn't appreciate it if someone does it to me.
I really think advertising budgets are not the way to go. But it would maybe be a good idea to have dedicated support teams in the languages for schools. (Maybe that exists already?)
Schools could do with high quality free systems. And that's a multiplicator, as it introduces by definition thousands of users.
Lila

[hyper_ch]

I just stopped doing support for Windows - with the remark that I'd be more than happy to help them on getting linux started...

[aysiu]

In my opinion, giving out CDs is a bad idea. With a given away CD, you can't account for hardware incompatibility, ignorance about how to set the BIOS to boot from CD, or dependency on proprietary codecs that aren't yet integrated into "easy codec installation."

If someone were interested in Linux, I would definitely install Linux for that person--save her the set up time and learning curve and frustration. Only after she got comfortable with it would I give her a CD.

[ReddogOne]

I'll respond to this as a noobie (to Linux not computers) and someone supporting a number of friends Windows PC.



I would like to see the day when people are at least aware that Ubuntu (and some other distros) do offer a real alternative to Windows. I am just wondering how we could make that happen without pushing it onto them.

Any ideas?

I think groups like ubunto need to make life as easy as possible for the general public. I would say they are close but still need to work on ease of installing new hardware and software. Should be able to plug it in and go for hardware and click something on a website to install software. I would put this above new features and fancy themes as the current distro does just about everything mother would want.

I also wonder if ubuntu et al should distance themselves from Linux in respect to the public face to Linux distributions. The current situation of XYZ distro is pants therefore Linux is pants thus ABC must also be pants needs to be turned into I've heard of this cool OS called ubuntu lets have a look in Google for it!

Its the same as saying Intel inside on PC. Mac and Linux machines. Just because the PC didn't work for you doesn't mean you are put off Mac and Linux.

The general public looking for Linux probably lets the side down. Its just luck if they get the right distro and whether they are turned off for life.

I first encountered LinuxMCE (because I was mainly interested in a cost effective MCE solution but the support forum seemed to be full of snobs "Well if you can't get it working its your fault!" type attitude that would turn most people off Linux for ever. Luckily in the forum a kinder sole suggested noobies might be better off with ubuntu and MythTV and I found my way here! And my home (rather its computers) are all going ubuntu!

[ibizatunes]

Most people who use Ubuntu are into IT
Basically i think promoting it will need 3 different tactics
1 Selling open source software, already started dell, acer etc - ubuntu as a company need to do this!

2 When MSoft machine break or crashes on friends computer, just don't offer to fix windows, install ubuntu instead! This will come down to the community!!

3 Better marketing on the ubuntu website, make the wording simpler most user dont care about NTFS write permission, graphical x config tool.....
http://blog.gobanquet.com/index.php/why-ubuntu-804-needs-better-marketing/
ubuntu as a company need to do this aswell!

[DrMega]

Most people who use Ubuntu are into IT
Basically i think promoting it will need 3 different tactics
1 Selling open source software, already started dell, acer etc - ubuntu as a company need to do this!

2 When MSoft machine break or crashes on friends computer, just don't offer to fix windows, install ubuntu instead! This will come down to the community!!

3 Better marketing on the ubuntu website, make the wording simpler most user dont care about NTFS write permission, graphical x config tool.....
http://blog.gobanquet.com/index.php/why-ubuntu-804-needs-better-marketing/
ubuntu as a company need to do this aswell!

I've just had a look at the blog you link to. How very true it is.

I use Ubuntu because I am interested. But recently I tried to find out what is going to be new in 8.04. I found a link to a development task list. Great info if you're interest in that, but I just want to see something like:

Its going to have ABC feature which means that it will be easier for you to do XYZ.

I agree with the idea that it should be less heavily pushed as Linux. Linux is great but it does have a history of being for geeks (note I use the term affectionately).