The key to getting more Windows users to switch to Linux | Hardware 2.0 | ZDNet.com

[feba thatl]

How many average users are going to know to type "linux benefits OR
advantages" though? The average person doesn't realize the shortcomings of
computers, especially when they still get results for questions (or even
search engines like Jeeves ENCOURAGING them to...)

In regards to the article, I don't think this is "THE KEY!", but it's one
more thing that microsoft has going for them- people know about it. heck, if
some people would donate computers to schools on the requirement that they
only run linux and FOSS, even ten schools, that could get thousands of kids
using linux, and wanting to take it and use it at home.  50 computers per
school (enough for one large lab or two normal sized labs), assuming 500$
each would only be a quarter of a million or so for every ten schools. If
you consider the life of a computer in an environment where they hardly ever
need upgrades (which the basic Code/Write Essay/Do Research schools do can
be done easily on a decade old computer), and you consider they're probably
getting about 300 new students a year, that could easily be 30,000 kids
exposed to linux in a day-to-day environment, and curiosity could easily
lead at least 1/20th (one kid in every class, on average) to adopt linux,
that's 1,500 new linux fans. Should come out to be about 170$ for each of
those 1,500- and then you've also educated the 30,000 about linux, so
they're more likely to pick it up later, or at least know how to use it and
be more likely to embrace it.

Of course, I just pulled those numbers out of a hat, but 170$ doesn't seem
too bad to get new users- it would probably even be good business for a
company like Linspire.

On 6/22/07, Billy Crook <billycrook at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> The author needs to learn how search engines work.  You can't converse
> with them like a person.  "Why choose linux?" is not a smart query.  Maybe
> "linux benefits OR advantages".  Furthermore, the question is not why one
> would choose linux, but why one would choose windows.  Especially when it is
> so obviously inferior.
>
> And the last thing a newbie needs is a comparison of distros unless that
> comparison clearly puts one above all others.  Too much choice is bad for
> most people.  Take for example the windows market.  There are varying
> degrees of "Home" and "business".  A home user might want home, but maybe he
> thinks he wants something a little more.  "business" sounds professional,
> lets get that, but wait, does that mean it will miss the fun things?  But if
> he buys "home", will he miss the professional things?  Too much choice is a
> recepie for confusion and frustration.  That's why microsoft has
> "Ultimate".  With a name like that, Gladys in accounting can feel like she's
> "getting everything".
>
> The problem is linux doesn't have tiers, so it has no top tier.  Until it
> does, sheeple won't know what they're supposed to think they want. [sic]
> Until it does, I'm handing out Ubuntu discs.  When one of those doesn't boot
> right, they get Fedora.
>
> On 6/22/07, Julie <betelgeuse67stang at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=519
> >
> > Some *interesting* points can be found in this article. The msg threads
> > can be either quite amusing or exasperating, at least to a point. If you
> > have a zdnet account I hope you chime in. If you don't have an account,
> > there's no big deal in making one. <wink>
> >
> > ENJOY!
> > Julie @};-
> >
> >
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