On 07/01/2011 04:41 μμ, Jos Poortvliet wrote:
I think we are talking about different things. The openSUSE strategy (while
not yet rectified) states that our target user is this:
We cater for users who are interested in computers and want to get work done,
experiment or learn.
That means grandma who doesn't care about computers is NOT a target for
openSUSE. However, her niece who sets up her computer and maintains it might
very well be a target user for openSUSE.
In other words, we focus on people who are at least interested in learning
about computers. If we start focussing on people who barely used a mouse
before and don't want to know about computers other than "how do I open
hotmail" we can better stop. Because openSUSE is not ready for them and never
will be. Such users need someone to help them with their computer.
Agree. Those people who are interested in learning about computers are
characterized as beginner users, right?
But those users are interested in computers, yes? So they must almost surely
know at least some basics. I don't oppose writing a very basic folder and
using it in some situations (like a school, as you wrote) but while users are
good and the future is important we also have to think about the now.
Imagine you are successful and get 100.000 new users, half of them school
children. Who is going to answer their questions? We don't have the resources
for that... Who will solve the bugs they find? Many of them will be small
usability issues for which we don't have the resources to fix them...
The growth of our userbase has to go hand in hand with the growth of our
number of contributors - like you. So yes, it is important to get new users.
But be sure to teach them to help each other and to build up a support
infrastructure with volunteers or else they will be very disappointed because
nobody can help them...
From my short experience, when I install openSUSE to a friend's
computer and he/she faces a problem, he/she will call me and not ask the
question to the list or forum, even if he/she is interested in computers
and is an average user. I'm 100% sure that he/she will call me and ask
me: "Stathis, I have a problem...".
Regarding the school focusing, Mr Stallman told us that when we go to
schools to promote FOSS the reply is "but the kids will use windows at
their jobs, so we don't need FOSS" and when we promote FOSS to companies
they reply "but the kids in school are taught in windows. We need money
to re-educate them on FOSS".
So what is right and what is wrong?
As an answer to your question about users, what is our goal actually?
To get everyone from other OS? To get everyone from other distros?
I prefer to have 50.000 new children that will ask questions etc, even
if I don't have resources. It's statistically certain that even if I had
the resources, I will lose some (I count 10.000 users). But I prefer to
have 50.000 new young users and from all of them will get 1000
contributors and 39.000 users and future clients (out of the 100.000 new
users). From those new users some can become our future resources plus
the FOSS educated kids are potential customers for Novell and SUSE (if
we earn them).
I hope I didn't mixed the whole thought since I do it sometimes now I
study pathology of digestive system.
Thanks. I hope my thoughts were helpful too :D
Yes. Very.
Maybe I also mixed up the first thought of jdd.
Stathis
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