Hi I like the ideas suggested by anand Shankar. My own experience as an Novice ( 68 yrs age)................ 1 I hv ddual boot system win+suse ...try to use linux most of the time and fallback on windows when necessary.... this happens for pgms not on linux/pgms i am unable to install. 2 When i am having probs with windows, i am up with linux anyway 2 My family members including grandson (7 years ) is quite comfortable with linux use. My problem is i dont hv anyone in my neighbourhood for guidance/help on linux.
On Tuesday 02 November 2004 09:57, Anand Shankar wrote: > In various discussions at various forums, one thing has emerged clearly: > The one thing which has prevented wide-spread adoption of Free & Open > Source Software at the common man's desktop is "lack of perceptible > support". > > Though, all of us talk about ample documentation and mailing lists based > support, it is the support from your friendly PC Technician in the > neighbourhood PC Assembler shop is what most non-IT background people > expect. Today, unfortunately, these are the very people who are holding > away and in a way dissuading people to adopt and use FLOSS instead. I > have spoken to a few "Owners" of these establishments and found a > general lack of awareness of even the most basics about FLOSS. > Therefore, it seems stupid to blame these ignorant people on the subject. > > Some times I think of a minimalist dual boot 4GB kind of Linux > Partition, which these assemblers can install for their customers, for > their own safeguard. These partitions will work when the other > "Proprietary and Pirated" partition goes "sick", and they can reduce > their support calls by letting the customer have something to work, > while their "sick" partition gets treated. This way, more and more end > customers, will start getting aware and use FLOSS as a choice. We can > also generate a monthly, Local LUG approved, Linux Friendly Hardware > Component List, for benefit of these assemblers and end customers. > > Can any thing be done to address the situation? Do Linux User Groups > spread over the country have a role to play? In my personal opinion its > "Yes" for both questions, but opinions vary. Ilugd has been rightly > focussing on Campuses, but I personally do not feel it sufficient. > > I know that the moment you talk of "Suggestion" in ilugd, it means, "I > Volunteer". But let this not kill the spirit of generating new ideas. > > I have the following to suggest: > > End user support and guidance, more popularly called "Handholding", can > not be expected to be "free in cost" in general. But enough "Low Cost" > resources can be built with some effort. > > India has seen two very popular similar efforts: (1) Co-operative > Movement, specifically ladies, in Gujrat and Maharashtra (2) Your > friendly neighnourhood Tutor for your child etc Both are economic > activities and no Giant Company is sponsoring or controlling these > activities. Yet they are formidable economic forces themselves. > > I have a feeling, we can also develop a "Cottage End-User Support and > Handholding" industry. It is here that with a proper, synergised > co-ordinated and popularised effort the variuos Linux User Groups can be > a starting point. > > The Local Linux User Groups can keep a target of developing at least one > person, who can be sighted as a "Neighbourhood Resource", every 5 km, to > begin with in major cities where LUGs are active. This resource is free > to charge a nominal amount per hour. As time passes by, we can increase > the number of such "Neighbourhood Resources". The Larger LUGs, can > spread their hooks to the community, by encouraging such "Neighbourhood > Resources" to publicise themselves in whatever way they seem fit. > > We need to also hold roadshows at exhibitions and shopping centers, be > they at schools, Durga Pujas, or any other community event. It is these > "Neighbourhood Resources" again who can do it in a much better way, than > probably LUG Volunteers. > > Comments are welcome. > > Anand Shankar > > > _______________________________________________ > ilugd mailinglist -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd > Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi > http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ _______________________________________________ ilugd mailinglist -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
