How to Encourage Use of OSS?

Marc Light asks: "I repair computers as a side line cause I want to keep up on what's going on in the world of computer technicians. When someone comes to me with a problem, if I have to reinstall I first try to convince them to install Ubuntu. For now I only have 25% of success, mostly because they usually use an app. or some hardware that would complicate their experience too much. When I install Windows, I also install Firefox, OpenOffice, VLC, Winamp (not open source but if they eventually switch to Linux, XMMS won't scare them), and CDex to drive them off Windows Media Player and DRM. I then take 15 to 30 minutes free of charge to explain to them the basics of their new software. For my part, I mostly got positive response. I'd say 80% of it is positive feedback. My questions to Slashdot readers: Do you think that computer technicians can make a difference in the adoption of OSS? And if they're for OSS, should they try to put some pressure on their users/clients?"

Re:Converting

[silverkniveshotmail.]

A great way to just show someone what an Opensource OS is like is to burn them a LiveCD

If you give them a "loaner" while their's is fixed

[thomasdz]

You could always keep a stock of older (PIII 700Mhz) computers around that have Linux or BSD installed with just Firefox so that when you take their computer to get fixed, they can still "surf the IntarWeb tubes" but they will get a OSS experience.
But this only works for some people... Other people will just refuse to do anything with something that is different. So even if you set up the Linux desktop to look close to a standard default XP install, the tiny changes will be too much for some people.

Yes/No/Maybe

[rbochan]

It's entirely situational.

Yes--If they have older hardware and a Win9x system that's no longer supported.
I do 2 or 3 conversions like this a month. Usually it's a 300-450 Mhz box with 64 meg of ram or so. It ran 9x well enough, but it would be godawful running most of the 'Desktop Environment' based distros available today. I have a customized Debian package list with a set of light weight packages and WM. Total install space, with apps, is just under 300 megs. I've successfully installed it on everything from a Cyrix 133/32 meg to a P-II 450/64 meg. Every person I've done that for has been thrilled. They can do everything they were able to before (email, surf, word process, etc.) and not have to have the machine bogged down by anti-virus, anti-spyware, and application-based firewalls running all the time. And to top it off, the OS is updatable and supported.

No--If they're using AOL/some other proprietary connection software.
It's a god damn shame that after all this time, that AOL still hasn't come up with a software package for Linux, considering that their entire backend is *nix based. The 'AOL dialers' available for Linux are just that - dialers, and those used to using AOL aren't getting the same experience that they want. Some ISP dialers (i.e. Earthlink) are nothing more than just a standard DUN connection with some unnecessary eyecandy and other overhead... those can usually be set up pretty easily.
FYI - winmodems are the tools of the devil. ISA sound cards and and serial mice are nothing compared to those damned things.

Maybe--If they're on a highspeed line and have no idea about security measures with Microsoft Windows.
This is a pretty typical case. I've wow'd enough clients with the likes of Knoppix and they've been interested enough to at least dual-boot. More often than not, they tend to stick with the Linux side of the machine because the machine runs so much faster. Unless they're heavy gamers, they pretty rarely boot back into Microsoft Windows.

The key is no-pressure. It's their machine, and they shouldn't be forced into using something they're not comfortable with. I'm not a salesman, and I don't intend to be. I run Linux on a couple of laptops (P-II 233 Mhz/128 meg and a P-III 700/384 meg), and I carry whichever one most closely matches the client's machine, and let them play with it while I'm working on theirs to showcase its usability. They're always aghast when I tell them that all the software is _free_, and then show them the 15,000+ listings available in the repositories. Dual-booting is a damn nice option and allows people to try it out to their hearts' content and not have to commit to anything.

Re:How about just doing your job

[jopsen]

Yes, I would like the waiter to warn me if the lamb is bad! That's what we call service, you job isn't to make money, but to give you client the best service. If you think that you client would be better of without windows, then help your client...

Re:Converting

[Anonymous Coward]

it's not like we're saying "If you don't use this software instead, you're going to HELL!!!".

Actually it *is* a lot like the OSS movement is saying that. The overtly ideological/political overtones that emerge from the likes of RMS are putting people off because they are wary of people trying to convert them.

When they don't own the software

[mjh2901]

I don't look at it as trying to convert them I look at it as making them legal. I refuse to install pirated applications. Most of the time when I re build for a home customer they have duplicated install cd's from a friend, child and so fourth. They dont have an MS office license or a photoshop license.

I tell them that I wont help them break the law and then tell them I have free alternatives they can try legally if it doesnt work I will be more than happy to assist them in purchasing and installing the software they want legaly. Normally with the cost of MS office everyone is willing to give it a try.

My load is
Open Office
Firefox
Seamonkey
Picasa2
paint.net
foxit reader
pdfcreator
iTunes
Quicktime

I know its not all OSS but it the load I find gives the most people what they want. Very rarely do I get called back to install MS office, and I have never come back to find an illegal copy of MS office after I load the OSS alternatives.

Charge for OSS

[tuxisthefuture]

I have been trying to promote OSS for some time. I have found that the uptake is much better since I tried a different tack: using my GPL rights and charging a small amount for the software.

In my experience people are put off by the word free, they assumed it would be crap, so now I simply say the software is more cost effective and as long as the charge is miles below M$ prices, they prefer it.

Free Samples

[phdel]

I worked as a computer tech at a small store for a few years, and at one point we decided to start distributing ubuntu cds (including live distros). We had them on display and anyone that was curious enough was allowed to take one for free. We also bought/sold used computers, and with older machines that didn't have an os there would be no way to make a profit if we installed windows. So we installed Ubuntu. Anyone who wanted an inexpensive machine was shown our linux boxes.

Re:Converting

[Frumious Wombat]

Personally, I think he should offer it that way. Offer to pre-install Firefox for them, with a few useful extensions, ask if they want OpenOffice, then give them a CD with the other programs on it so they can install them themselves if they're actually interested.

Otherwise, if he's forcing his favorite set of OpenSource applications on them without their getting any say in the matter, he should be forced to use an OS/360 emulated environment with appropriate apps, chosen by an old IBM card-whalloper, for a couple of months.

A little evangalism is a good thing (like a prominent but tasteful logo combining the Firefox/Distro-of-your-Choice), but surprising people with unplanned 'upgrades' is not.

Are we clones in a parallel universe LOL ???

[burdicda]

I see you post and think I must have left my diary open on Slashdot this morning....
Every single day I convert someone over to Mepis 6.0 (ubuntu basically) but with all the media stuff preinstalled
and I also run a business doing this...
Most of the time I won't even take a windows job...
and in all but the most extreme cases I have converted them over....
but when there is a rare instance....like you mentioned...
I likewise insist on installing all the OSS there is...
The Gimp, Openoffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, Cdex, Winamp, etc....etc...
also using as open as possible protections....AVG, Ewido, blbeta, spybot, adaware, zonealarm....
It's amazing.....every single one of them are still up and running perfectly while the other boxes
in the same households are crashing....infested to no end...and bot fodder...
The freakiest part of all is nowadays I'm seeing more and more idiots buying new computers and new hard drives
because they are so infested (slowed to molasses speed) that they think that is the fix...
and yes techs like you and I are making a huge difference.....
keep it up....we're gaining on em....

Re:Converting

[swarsron]

"If this guy is getting 25% of the people he deals with like he says then I have a hard time beliving that there isn't some heavy pressure here" Those people come to him because they have a problem which is solved by a reinstalation of windows (yeah, there might be another way but sometimes it's the easiest way). Why so hard to believe that those people aren't too fond of windows? 25% doesn't seem too much

I usually do it without asking them. ;)

[TheDarkener]

Seriously. Well, whenever one of my customers has a computer they need data "wiped" from, because, say, they're going to pass it down to an employee or something, I will wipe the drive then install Ubuntu. Since I don't usually have the Windows license key (and they don't either) for that system, I just tell them "I threw a version of Linux on there. It's free, it has everything you need, but if you want to install Windows you can." I don't charge them for the install, just the wipe. That way, they'll probably at least be curious and might boot the computer up, and from then it's their choice.

Let the software speak for itself. You don't have to push it.

What I do... no really...

[Zarf]

Everytime someone asks you for a pirated version of Microsoft Office give them Open Office instead. And tell them about how great Firefox is.

A different perspective

[StudioMammouth]

I applaud your initiative. So all of you know, I'm good enough with computer to use Office, download patches, change a password and reinstall Windows on my own. I have no idea of what a kernel is, and from reading posts on Slashdot I know it's something I shouldn't try touching with a ten foot pole. Like MOST computer users, all I ask of a OS and programs is that they do what they're supposed to do without making me curse every then seconds. I recently switched to Firefox and Thunderbird, as well as started using Joomla! and OSCommerce for my website, and OpenOffice for my work. For all that I have to thank my computer repairman. After upgrading my machine, he took the time to show me these options I didn't even knew existed. He showed me the advantages of theses programs over the ones I used, the ideas behind the Open Source movement and he took the time to go over the most common uses of theses programs so I knew how to use them properly. I wasn't ready at the time to switch to Linux because I felt there was too many things I didn't understood. Now, not only do I like the sheer diversity of the available options and plug-ins for these programs, but I learned a lot more on computers (and save a lot of money on technical help): when I have a program problem, I can usually get help on forums in minutes and correct the problem myself. That repairman has saved me a lot of money and introduced me to a whole new world of possibilities. Maybe I don't call him as often, but be sure he has all my busines from now on (and since I own a small business with half a dozen computer, I'm still a good customer). So my point is that many computer users (business or personal) don't care about what we're using both because we just want our machines to work and because no one ever took the time to show us the possibilities. Remember that for most of us, talking with a IT guy is like talking with a martian. You see, I'm not dumb, but everything that seems labelled in martian to me need a little explaining. So I applaud the article writer's effort, and the time he takes to teach his custommers.

I've recently done this

[rat7307]

We had a customer (a legal office) running a W98/W2000 site across a few hundred machines.

We then went thru all the options with regards to running software.

Without getting on my FOSS high-horse I explained the following

* The cost of MS Office over 200 machines was $x and the cost of OpenOffice was $0
* The fact that for the money you would get (alledgedly) better product support with the MS product, but there was a lot of info on the net re: OO/Firefox etc
* The fact that they could go get a royalty free DVD of clipart and fonts from next door for $20 and the lack of clipart with OO wouldn't be an issue.
* The advantages/disadvantages of differing email clients
* The cost of an exchange server over the cost of a simple mail server on a linux box

As the machines we were providing all came with XP I decided not to go down the linux path, although it was raised by the customer and we did discuss it.

In the end, the customer is now running XP w/ Firefox/Thunderbird/OO and using apps like CDex and is quite happy.
They were not convinced around and OSS or free virus scanning though, and we ended up having to install TrendMicro at their request. (Also there was an aborted attempt to run WordPerfect Mail 10, but it was a huge piece of ass and Thunderbird was rolled out site wide)

All done without either zealotry or what I would consider over-advocacy.

Sometimes the goods speak for themselves, there are some solid apps out there now that don't requre a lot of effort to promote.

Just be calm, rational, listen to the persons concerns, explain your position and you'll be suprised what comes from that.

No-one will listen to you if you go down the zealot route....it smacks of desperation .

(and as someone above said, sadly most people DONT care about DRM, using that as your sole point is futile)

Re:Converting

[killjoe]

"Ya he's lying through his teeth and you caught him! I'm sure this has never happened before! Good work!!"

I have heard that some white people kill and eat other people. I think white people should be monitored very closely to make sure that they don't kill and eat people.

See how that works?

"Or is that no longer possible being an OSS zealot?"

It's important to realize that every person who uses a mac or linux is a zealot. The reason is simple. There can be no rational reason not to use windows. Anybody who does not like windows therefore must be some sort of an irrational zealot.

The same goes for people who disagree with me on any topic. Since I am a purely rational creature free from all bias and am all knowing the people who disagree with me are by definition zealots.

Oh and to answer your question. Yes once a week till I said no more. Once I learned the powerful phrase "I won't help you unless you get a mac or let me install linux" my life because much easier. No more dealing with people like you!!!! Happy, happy, joy, joy.