[clug] Linux and City News Canberra

[Scott Ferguson]

On 09/04/14 00:02, bryan at netspeed.com.au wrote:
> Thanks for the thoughtful response, Scott:
>  
>> This and other lists already provide more support than people ask for -
>> certainly I don't recall anyone's post languishing on the list
>> unanswered. 
> Using that requires subscription to the list. Older people I meet
> wouldn't know what that was!

That's easily fixed - and you're in just the position to do so! :)
For others they can simply "click" on the link in the City News story.


>> And that includes home visits, equipment loans, and training
>> - exactly the sort of community support people *don't* get with Windoof.

> Volunteering is a great idea, and Canberra thrives on it! Though I think
> that relevant club membership is segmented, for example by education level.

Those without business and family commitments have time for clubs. As
for "education level" segmentation.... so? There's no flavour for all
tastes - nor is there a need for one club for all. It's possible to
address different use cases, easier if not attempted simulataneously
i.e. the occasional installfest, the odd "intro for n00bs" (HowTo Post),
the regular PSIG etc.

I'm not certain I understand what you mean by "relevant" club
membership. Is there such a thing as "irrelevant" club membership?
(can I apply for irreverent club membership?)

>> I don't recall any "cost" issues.... perhaps someone will correct my
>> misremembering?

> Time is money!

And? (your point is lost on me).
I donate time to Open Source - many of us do. We 'could' devote it to
making money instead... or we could see it as an investment in our
business. I do - testing is the most expensive part of software
development, market research is one of the most expensive parts of
product development.
Volunteering/sharing/contributing is not incompatible with capitalism.

>> Best == "everyone does it" is less an argument than an oxymoronic
>> impossibility.

> By definition, laggards will not try a concept until their associates
> have done so first!

Did I miss a meeting? :)

I'm afraid I don't understand the connections:-
best -> everybody -> laggards

>> Try "best" == "lowest common denominator" (mass market) to see why ;p

> In a class, I sat opposite a senior immigrant. He demanded to know which
> service provider was the biggest. For he equated market leadership with
> "mandate of the masses" approval.

He is correct.
Those that have the largest market share, satisfy the largest market.
Only marketing could argue that "leading" is something done by bit
players (if no one follows, what are you leading?).

>> As long as the "respected brand" dwarfs the Linux product.

> Bose was notable for heavy promotion! Which in the public perception
> equated to superior quality.

Effective marketing.

>> So it's not so much about converting "most" people to Linux - they
>> already have (it dominates their lives)

> What's under the bonnet may seem irrelevant to the masses.

Seem?
It *is* irrelevant to most consumers.

>> ;making them aware they already use it
> I can think of someone who would rather not know!

I'm not certain they "need" to know - it's often a sign of the
insecure's need for validation, or worse - justification for fanboi
crusades (bloody desktop wars were only morons win).

>> ;incremental instead of radical changes (be prepared to start them on a
>> non-free mix, let them enjoy the product before giving them the "rights"
>> speech").
> Think of Sir Humphrey Appleby. To laggards, change is a swearword!

In that sense you mean "conservative". Laggard has some overlap but it's
not a synonym.
Conservative are opposed to change. Laggards can't help but follow change.

>> We (most of us anyway) like computers all most as much, or more, than
>> what we use them for.

> My computer was donated to me. To save money that I couldn't afford!

So you are a member of the choir....

<snipped>

> To a chartered accountant--creativity is a crime!

To a forensic accountant or fraud investigator - that's an optimistic
belief. ;D

>> These are other things that Linux offers - without
>> challenging "conventional" norms.

> I know a farmer whose son had set up his computer. He uses that to play
> chess. And he has no idea what else is involved!

Don't tell him it's Linux - he's probably heard how hard that is to use.
And why should he care "what else is involved"?
Why should he view his computer differently to his tractor?

<snipped>


Kind regards