How many of us spread linux (ubuntu)?

[machiner]

In March, when I finally said -- ok I'll go full-bore into linux now -- I began to really tell people of my experiences.

I used to support windows (in the neighboorhood (still do) and for dough) and liked the work because I'm a geek. I also liked bashing windows and would try hard to show people at least alternative browsers and free alternatives that WORKED. I gave up trying to teach folks how to setup and maintain their computers, however.

My joy with linux is large. I really love it, but I miss constantly working a system.

I have learned, however, throughout my life that trying to convince someone of something is often foolhardy, but I'm a Leo, and quite persuasive, so I still try.

I send people (those I think are comfortable enough with computing) distros, and I try to get folks who's computers I'm "fixing" (fixing - tha's funny, ey -- I'm fixing their software -- ba haha) to let me install linux as well as winnt (XP) . Sometimes I just sneak it in...he hehe he .

Personally, I have settled on Ubuntu. I customized the hell out of it, but it's still Ubuntu.

I intend to solicit older hardware from corporations, rebuild them into workable boxes, and install Ubuntu. I intend to give these machines away with support if necessary.

I intend to help make oss and linux and this whole idea the accepted methodology of personal computing. I have a website that I never built up that I will also use to assist this endeavor (any assistance would be appreciated - graphics and grunt work, articles, etc.)


My question is this:

Are any of you helping to spread this new revolution, or are you simply a user?

How do you spread the word? Why do you spread the word?

I think it's perfectly fine to be simply a user, welcome, enjoy...and move on.

I want to focus on Ubuntu, but OSS and Linux in general are cool, as well.


Happy Computing

[zeroK]

I esp. try to move as many people as possible away from Internet Explorer (because of security and esp. because of its limited support for W3C standards). Were I see an advantage (for the user) I also recommend switching to Linux (or unix in general), but only then. I see no point in telling hardcore PC-gamers to switch to an OS where they can't play anymore (or were they need an "abstraction layer" for playing).

[BWF89]

Well I would give out my Ubuntu live CD's to people but I want to save them up incase I ever have to give a speech at school. See my strat is to give a speech (if I ever have to) on open source & free software, and then at the end of my speech I'm going to give out those Ubuntu CD's you can order in the mail to everyone in the classroom!

[Rancoras]

Well I would give out my Ubuntu live CD's to people but I want to save them up incase I ever have to give a speech at school. See my strat is to give a speech (if I ever have to) on open source & free software, and then at the end of my speech I'm going to give out those Ubuntu CD's you can order in the mail to everyone in the classroom!

You have a burner don't you? Copy at will....spread the word.

[BWF89]

You have a burner don't you? Copy at will....spread the word.
If I did that I would have to give everyone the live cd because I'm not spending all of my black cd's in one day. If I save up the ones I get in the mail I could give everyone Ubuntu in an official looking package but with the live and install cd. Plus the teachers might not look too kindly to some kid giving everyone else a burned cd that has who knows what burned onto it...

[alpha]

I have only heard about Ubuntu for the past couple of weeks. I'll definetly spread the word, this is the most indepth forum about a linix distro I've ever seen.

Looking forward to my first experience as a Linux User, I was going to ask whether you could copy the CD, but you've answered my question already Rancoras. :D

[TravisNewman]

Why would you have to give everyone the livecd? Make a copy of the install cd and give it out to everyone BEFORE the speech. Save up the pressed cds for the speech, but burn the hell out of them before the speech.

[machiner]

Rtf On!

[rbran100]

No reason to order CD's unless you need them or will not give them out any other way. Spend the change and burn them yourself, let the little money that is given to UbuntU go twards developing the software. =D>

[BWF89]

Why would you have to give everyone the livecd? Make a copy of the install cd and give it out to everyone BEFORE the speech. Save up the pressed cds for the speech, but burn the hell out of them before the speech.
Wait...What?

[eldrich_rebello]

I'm just looking to get people here to try linux.that's where t he live cd comes in.if they like it then they get the install cd.else.new customer.it's kinda hard tto break the mindset of "if it ain't broke,dont fix it".people refuse to give up windows.gonna try though.see what happens!

[jdodson]

i post on my website(when it is up) on my expierience with gnu/linux. i talk to people about my expiereince as well. its odd because in the last few weeks i have had my friends install ubuntu or i have installed it for them on 3 seperate computers. one of my friends wanted to use hydrogen and audacity and was getting fed up with windows 98 and microsoft. one other of my friends could'nt get XP installed on his laptop after a crash and he could get ubuntu to install off the cds i gave him. the other friend wants to become a "power user" as he is a php/mysql developer, gnu/linux is a good platform for that kind of development.

i stopped pushing all my friends and decided that if they wanted to try it out, i could help them. anymore i dont really care what OS people use as most people dont care what OS they use. if someone is interested i will help them, though i will not spend my time evangelizing to people who do not care. life is too short to waste your breath.

[JsPr]

i stopped pushing all my friends and decided that if they wanted to try it out, i could help them. anymore i dont really care what OS people use as most people dont care what OS they use. if someone is interested i will help them, though i will not spend my time evangelizing to people who do not care. life is too short to waste your breath.

This approach sums it up nicely for me too. =D>

[alpha]

You don't have to push anybody into adopting, just tell them that Ubuntu is out there, give them a link to this site and let them decide.

[BWF89]

You don't have to push anybody into adopting, just tell them that Ubuntu is out there, give them a link to this site and let them decide.
It's not exactly that easy. Most people even if they want to try it out don't know how to navigate a parent directary or know what an ISO file is, which one to download. or how to burn one...

[alpha]

They can always order a CD. :D

[poofyhairguy]

My question is this:

Are any of you helping to spread this new revolution, or are you simply a user?

How do you spread the word? Why do you spread the word?



Yep. I recently put Ubuntu on one of my best friends machine....he is still thanking me. I tried to give my sister Ubuntu, but she hates how Gnome looks. She did really want Linux though (she loves an underdog), so I gave her SUSE.

[Rhodan]

I am not recommending Ubuntu to anybody just yet, as I do not believe it's ready for the "average" home user yet. I cannot imagine my mother trying to install Ubuntu, with box type text screens, argh !

Perhaps Hoary or the next release after that.

[talkingwires]

I gave my father an Ubuntu CD for Christmas. ;)

[BWF89]

I gave this kid in my comptuer class a Ubuntu live CD. Would have said so in my first post but I forgot...

[TravisNewman]

Wait, what?
Sorry, perhaps poorly worded.

You said earlier that if you gave them out you'd have to give them the live cd, and I didn't understand that.
I went on to say, basically, burn the install cd a few times (or a few hundred, however many you can push ;)) and give them out, then if you get to do the speech, use the pressed cds there.

[BWF89]

Thanks for clearing that up, I'd rather give out the live cd's anyway. Because how many people are going to install an OS they don't know anything about...

Do you know how many times I can order CD's and they will come? Because I ordered 3 of each kind of cd my first time, 10 intel ones the second, and 30 intel ones my third time. But all I have gotten so far was my 10 intel ones...

[machiner]

I ordered some better than a month ago - I guess it's at least 4-6 weeks. Probably more.

[mark]

I've already given away the 10 CD packages I received just before Christmas. But I agree with panickedthumb, I am not an evangelist. I passed them on to folks that seemed interested in exploring something new & might enjoy the change - not wind up using them as coasters!

One thing I have been doing - if someone describes to me a problem they're having with Windows (and I know that there's a solution in Linux) I'll say, "Yeah, that's one of the reasons I'm glad I run Linux now. Listen, If you'd like, I'll be glad to burn you a CD..."

[TopDog]

One thing I have been doing - if someone describes to me a problem they're having with Windows (and I know that there's a solution in Linux) I'll say, "Yeah, that's one of the reasons I'm glad I run Linux now. Listen, If you'd like, I'll be glad to burn you a CD..."
I recognize this...

I have a lot of friends calling me on their Winblows problems, and I just can't keep myself from saying; "well, I use Linux now, so I don't have those problems..."

On the serious note, I have a weblog (http://linux.topdogs.no/) that I update quite often, and I know some norwegian linux-newbies read it, as it's not really that much good linux-material in norwegian.

I've just ordered a bunch of Ubuntu-CD's. When they arrive, I'll always keep one or two with me, so I can give it away if people seem interested.

[piedamaro]

i stopped pushing all my friends and decided that if they wanted to try it out, i could help them. anymore i dont really care what OS people use as most people dont care what OS they use. if someone is interested i will help them, though i will not spend my time evangelizing to people who do not care. life is too short to waste your breath.
Totally agreed :) Same thing here.
"I want you to install linux on my pc". Does it sound familiar? Then pepole seems to forget about it, cause all in all they don't really care.
That said my girlfriend and my sister (as well as my mom), use linux, it's a little victory for me:)

[machiner]

If we saw commercials for linux on television -- it would take off like a rocket.

Friggen stupid consumers.

[piedamaro]

In Italy we have had commercials by ibm on linux:

voice: "The ibm's servers use linux"
FBI: ".....server? what is a server?"

[Rancoras]

In Italy we have had commercials by ibm on linux:

voice: "The ibm's servers use linux"
FBI: ".....server? what is a server?"

Yup, IBM has been running linux commercials here in the US too.

[Sensebend]

I've been giving the CDs away and ordered more as they are needed. I think the pressed CD seems much more professional than something on a CD-r so I will not distribute it on a CD-R. I recommend they try the livecd and if they want to install it, I offer support. I also try and participate as much as possible in the forums and IRC chat.

[maxim_86ualb2]

what I do is this.... I install firefox & openoffice on every PC I get my hands on.. not to forget Spybot, gaim , Kerio , & adaware.... I also give em live CDs if they like the Idea... I work in PC (widnwos) support in the local area....

[telmo]

One thing I have been doing - if someone describes to me a problem they're having with Windows (and I know that there's a solution in Linux) I'll say, "Yeah, that's one of the reasons I'm glad I run Linux now. Listen, If you'd like, I'll be glad to burn you a CD..."

I say exactly the same! The funny thing is, most times the problems are security related. eheh
Ofcourse there's always the drivers issues... The damn drivers and linux... bah! That stinks!

But i'm currently recommending Ubuntu to everyone who's interested.

[darkoptix]

I spread linux where ever I go because I think it's becoming simple enough. I've given out about 7 or 8 of the cd's that came in the mail.
I also think that the live cd is GREAT, not only because of ubuntu, but of the media checks, mem tests, and others inculded on the cd.

[nocturn]

Well, I've been doing Linux for about 7 years now. In the early years, I wasted my breath on world+dog to get them to use Linux. In reality, this is not working.
Most people (end user, not involved in Free Software) do not subscribe to the ideology of Free Software, so no point in arguing that. They want to be able to run the games they buy for their kids on their PC and wine/wineX is incomprehensible to them and does not cover it 100%.

So, I took a different approach...
I got Linux in at the first company I worked (a multinational). We went from 0 to an installbase of 200-400 in less then two years. Unfortunately there was a lot of opposition from the management to this, even though some of the companies products run embedded Linux.

Following this, I decided to start doing my advocating very targeted, making sure that the energy I spent is not wasted.
In this respect, I have my parents hapily running Linux, my wife too, but I do not try to convert my sister because it will not work.

In my current job, I have to run Windows on my desktop, but I got my project to run a Linux webserver (replacing W2K).

I try to focus my effort in educating people about computers and software (getting the dogma out of them that computers are inherently unstable/insecure). The ones who get it will turn to Linux eventually, the ones that don't, won't.