Aloha.
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In response to all this this talk about an installfest, I wanted to
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represent the Linux noob demographic in the best way I know how. I've
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got some admittedly open-ended questions that I really don't want
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answered so much as I'd like to see the resulting discussion produce
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some ideas and opinions that might make their way into the global LoCo
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Team sphere.
I'll provide some answers, from my perspective, in hopes of generating
some discussion (since none has yet started).
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What is the purpose of an Installfest?
The purpose of an InstallFest is to have knowledgeable people on-hand to
help guide new users through the installation and initial configuration
of a GNU/Linux computer. Sometimes oddball hardware can throw a new
user for a loop, and lead to a non-functional computer. Many times
these hardware problems are easily worked around, but if one doesn't
have experience troubleshooting a GNU/Linux system, they're likely to
give up, and dismiss GNU/Linux entirely.
Most people don't want to be computer experts. Computers are still
deeply complicated, unintuitive devices, and require a lot of effort to
master. Most people don't want to exert the effort to master a
computer, and are content to use it sub-optimally in order to get on
with what they want to do. If an expert can help them through the
initial bits (which are sometimes the most challenging), then the user
can get on with using the computer.
After all, how many users install Microsoft Windows? Most systems come
pre-loaded with Microsoft Windows, such that the user never need to do
it. And system restore discs ask very few questions (and certainly none
of the installation routine's questions) before pushing out the virgin
image.
By walking a new user through the installation process, you help
demystify the system, at least a little bit. There's ample time during
the installation to talk about (in layman-friendly language) the
GNU/Linux security model, what a "multi-user multi-tasking" operating
system really is, etc.
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How does this goal fit into our mission of fixing Bug #1?
Many people simply aren't aware of what a GNU/Linux desktop can do.
They hear "Linux" in more and more media outlets, but it's still a
mysterious thing to most folks. By helping people get their hands on
GNU/Linux, and by ensuring that they have a fully functional system, we
increase the likelihood that these people will adopt Free Software in
future decision-making situations.
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What are the potential downsides of an Installfest, if any?
Some oddball hardware simply won't work. Soft modems (so called
"winmodems") can pose special challenges, for example. Some wireless
network cards require special firmware; or video cards require some
jiggery-pokery to work (the Intel chipset in my laptop, for example,
took some modest effort to display anything greater than 1024x768).
Additionally, some people won't have the patience to deal with some of
GNU/Linux's idiosyncracies. _A lot_ of people have grown so used to
Microsoft Windows, and it's set of idiosyncracies, that learning a new
operating system is too taxing to be worth the final outcome (and,
unfortunately, many people poo-poo the final outcome of "free software",
since in many respects most proprietary software is "free enough" for them.)
Folks have learned to live with rebooting a computer to solve a problem.
They're used to the opaque troubleshooting they've learned through
years of exposure to the Windows monoculture, and aren't interested in
the freedoms offered by Free Software.
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Is the term "Installfest" too ambiguous? Too daunting to the new
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user? Is another, more Ubuntu-like name for the thing in order?
In my experience so far, it's a perfectly appropriate word. It
accurately describes the primary activity of the event, and it's not too
alien that laypeople will be left wondering what it's all about.
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Please understand that I'm firmly biased in all of my opinions and
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that I have absolutely no interest in promoting the traditionally
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clique-y, ubernerd side of Linux any more than is painfully necessary.
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I believe that we should be emphasizing the concept of "humanity to
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others" in everything that we do, with a further emphasis on "we," as
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in "we, the ever-growing and amazingly inclusive Ubuntu Community."
The "ubernerd" side of GNU/Linux advocacy has its place. Systems
administrators like to know they can get stuff done, and know the ins
and outs of the systems they manage. GNU/Linux provides vastly more
robust system logging than Microsoft Windows; so one is able to more
precisely diagnose problems. Source code is available, so one is able
to research (or contract someone else to research) specific problems and
their solutions in a depth simply unavailable in proprietary systems.
Home users won't care about any of that, of course. What home users
care about are being able to read emails (complete with photo
attachments from relatives), manage their own collection of digital
photos, perhaps scan some documents, and usually listen to music --
often now involving playlist management with mobile media devices like
iPods.
Home users want to know that their printers will print, and that they
won't need to fuss with output settings every time. They want to be
able to send email, purchase items at Amazon and eBay, and watch the
funny greeting card animations sent by relatives. Instant messaging is
also pretty important.
Most home users are sick and tired of computer viruses and email spam.
We can win them on the former, and are making good strides (on both
platforms) on the latter. GNU/Linux, and its UNIX underpinnings, have a
different fundamental design that makes them more robust against virus
attacks. There's little real need for anti-virus software on a
GNU/Linux computer.
Additionally, the default installation of most GNU/Linux systems
(Ubuntu, certainly) provides users with an assortment of immediately
useful software. Instant messaging, photo management and manipulation,
email and web browsing, plus a full office productivity suite. In my
experience so far, most home users are genuinely pretty satisfied with
what Ubuntu has to offer. And at zero cost, they're at least willing to
listen to the sales pitch...
But it's not perfect. Many users have specific software they want to
use, like Quicken or QuickBooks. There is no decent free software
alternative to these applications. There's a real lack of games on
GNU/Linux, too. And finally, the operating system and all of these free
applications delivered with it have a steep learning curve, and most
home users don't have a GNU/Linux expert they can call. Almost all home
users know someone who's a "Windows whiz", who can help them out of
trouble. At the worst, many people are comfortable shelling out
$50/hour for a "professional" at Best Buy or Microcenter to diagnose and
resolve the problems for them.
It's this last bit, I think, that an InstallFest really works to
address. When you sit side-by-side with an expert to install GNU/Linux,
you're given the opportunity to make a real, personal connection. When
you run into trouble later, you know there are people who can help you.
Hopefully the experts left their phone number, or some means of
contacting them later. And you know that all the other people present
at the InstallFest are likely learning things you don't know, so you can
call some of them to ask for help.
Ubuntu Cappuccino Scuro
Originally Posted by po0f
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