I doubt that Karsten has any problem accepting anything one might say in
either
promoting linux or bashing microsoft. Not to speak for someone else but
that never
seemed to be the point.
The point is that when some of us try to introduce linux to or use linux
in
professional environments one of the obstacles we must overcome is the
perception
that linux is an enthusiasts hobby kit. This perception is often
reinforced when one
of the "suits" (You know these guys, they are the ones that have little
technical
knowledge but control the checkbook.) reads a bit about linux and runs
across
the kind of things that have been quoted in this thread before.
When I talk to my friends in the IT department I work in we trade barbs
and
digs about one another's chosen OS. I refer to windoze, Microcrap, and
even have a
BSOD screen saver on my desktop workstation. They in return call me a
unix geek
tease me for liking to do things the hard way. (We know *nix isn't the
hard way
but it is a perception of NT and winXX users.) This is all in fun and
even though
we cover some real and serious issues and regularly convert the MS users
in the
bunch to linux.
When I propose to the suits which OS would be best for the new mail
server or an
alternative to the NT desktop, I stick to the facts. I talk up the
advantages of
linux such as the stability, cost, ease of customization, ability to
diagnose and
repair problems on the fly without a reboot. I do this with a straight
face and
with facts because in that setting those things will get me much farther
than name
calling and derision of NT or the people who brought it into the company
in the first
place.
All of the advantages I mention are real and substantive. One serious
problem I have to
overcome in that setting is the "image" that linux has been saddled
with. I have
to address questions about a "hackers toy" or "Its freeware who do we
hold responsible
if it blows up?".
It may seem silly to many of you but to those with the checkbooks these
are serious concerns.
We in the unix admin group recently won a round over those concerns and
will be installing
linux on an old server to use for some assorted tasks and will also be
adding a few linux
desktops. Once we have it in the door and performing I believe the
battle is won. We will be
able to illustrate its advantages and interoperability rather than talk
about them.
If not for the perceptions created by some of the very things mentioned
by Karsten in his posts
we would have won this battle long ago.
The point is consider your audience. If you have a serious point to
make you will have a lot
more luck doing so in a professional manner. When you are preaching to
the chior the language
is much less important.
vern it isn't always just a simple choice. I want to use the best tool
for the job. I believe
that in many cases that tool is linux. Persuading the suits is part of
the job, unfortunately
the hard part. It doesn't have to be that way.
Asbestos donned and ready,
Allen
vern wrote:
>
> Karsten Johansson said in Re: [SuSE Linux] Letter to editor.... keeps Linux
> on the badlist at 26/Mar/1999 (Fri) 22:44:16.
>
> > blah blah
> > ......It is
> > definitely not converting many NT users to Linux!
> >
>
> Karsten, what you maybe have to accept is that one thing thats been central
> to Linux and the whole OSS thing etc is that many of the reasons people
> started and continue to develop and use Free software has little to do with
> advocacy, sales or market shares; to accept Linux etc you really need to
> put those to one side a little.
> If you want a unix-like OS that wants to do business in Microsoft-Land then
> maybe its time you gave up on Linux. If you want a more unpredictable,
> irreverent, often unmanageable journey to places that others probably cant
> go, then keep with the fat penguin.
>
> --
> To get out of this list, please send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with
> this text in its body: unsubscribe suse-linux-e
> Check out the SuSE-FAQ at http://www.suse.com/Support/Doku/FAQ/ and the
> archive at http://www.suse.com/Mailinglists/suse-linux-e/index.html
--
To get out of this list, please send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with
this text in its body: unsubscribe suse-linux-e
Check out the SuSE-FAQ at http://www.suse.com/Support/Doku/FAQ/ and the
archive at http://www.suse.com/Mailinglists/suse-linux-e/index.html
