The problem is that they know that opensource exists. However, they fail to see the advantages. I wish I could have made it to the ITSA OSS day but I was busy doing an assignment.
1. Free as in Beer - It doesn't affect most of us. Piracy's rampant in Malta, as you all know. I have to see anyone who's paid for Windows. Also, they then equate Linux being free as in beer to a decrease in quality. As in, why would these make an OS and several applications for free? Must be a scam. 2. Free libre - Do people care about this? I doubt it. 3. Technical Advantages - security - For some people, keeping Windows secure is simply a matter of putting as many virus scanners and firewalls as they can, and then reformatting every 3 months. I've seen a huge amount of MSN viruses, and they don't really care about them. The opensource application that has made the most impact is firefox. And it has made an impact, although I see many using IE 7 now. OpenOffice usage is not so good. In my course, for instance, we have to submit documents in .doc or .pdf, no .odt. I've rarely seen any Linux desktops outside people in my course. Those I've seen were in the computer labs, which reinforces my belief that most UoM students who use Linux are definitely those pursuing IT or Engineering studies, perhaps. In the Cafeteria, it's Windows and, increasingly, Mac laptops. Why don't ppl take up Linux? I think it's because they don't see any advantage for them. They're happy using Windows OEM, or pirated, and it works for them. They might grumble, yes, and they do. But they usually solve such issues with a quick format+reinstall. They resist changing to Linux. Perhaps it's laziness? Some might actually acknowledge the better quality, whether it is eyecandy - A compiz demo can really raise some eyebrows. Speed - A laptop with lower specs running more applications faster than a laptop with higher specs. Security - no viruses etc. People get these things. However, they're scared of the terminal. The minute they see you using a terminal..they think it's beyond them. Even though I might be doing something as simple as getting packages or navigating directories. Hardware Support is another issue, of course, as are games. On Thu, 2008-05-22 at 13:37 +0200, Anton Xuereb wrote: > Hello Everyone, > > taking off from the other thread, I (as PRO) am currently interested a > lot in increasing the exposure of linux in educational institutions, > namely the UoM and other IT schools, such as Mcast. Last time I was at > the university I took part in an OSS display organised by Itsa (IT > Students association) Which featured some linux laptops and other OSS > software along with free cake. I must admit that the cake was quick to > disappear while interest in OSS was not so prominent... > > So now I'm asking you to first of all give me some info about teh > current situation at university regarding linux and open source and > following this if you would be able to help with a formal survey and > maybe a stand at the university campus.. > > Knowing what the target audience is will help us to make better > targeted advertisement. > > Thanks > > M > _______________________________________________ > MLUG-list mailing list > [email protected] > http://linux.org.mt/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mlug-list _______________________________________________ MLUG-list mailing list [email protected] http://linux.org.mt/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mlug-list
