I have long thought that Linux is a superior OS to Windows in many ways. Its security, its clean quickness, its customization options. I have also often wondered what it would take to get the general public to notice and be interested in converting to Linux. I just read a blog post that brought a few things to my attention. A few things to think about when wanting to expose people to Linux.

In the article, the girl unknowingly used Linux for the first time and, since converted after Windows giving her problems with updates and broken apps.

The first point she makes:

I might never have “converted” if I had felt no need to leave Windows

The old saying goes: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Never try to force Linux on anyone. Most people are afaid of the unknown, afraid of change and, if the have heard anything at all about Linux; It has most likely been how geeky or how complicated it is. This can sometimes be coming directly from arrogant *nix users. Lets make sure that we are not one of those users. Be accommodating to new users. This is one of the things that I stress to the OPs in #slackstuff on irc.liquidbabble.com
Of course I want a new user to RTFM and Google for a solution but also I want them to know that the Linux community is there to be a friendly place.

Secondly she adds:

for goodness sakes, don’t scare her away by “warning” her that it might be unfamiliar and for goodnessakes, don’t say it’s Linux!

This is a good point. Just put Linux into the hands of someone if you have the opportunity and let Linux do the talking for you. This young lady stated previously in her post that “later, I commented on how fast the laptop was.” The experience was enough to win her over. (especially after Windows crapped out on her).
It is also stated that most people do not care about the intricacies of the OS. and how customizable it is. And how you can build it with only the packages that suit your needs. Let them learn that later on. In the beginning, this may be information overload. Also, the common desktop user just needs dependable, fast, internet and desktop use. And believe me, Linux is ready for the desktop.

To most users, the computer is just a tool.

Not unlike a car or a toaster.

They just want to run their applications, not their OS. With this in mind, maybe we can bring over a few people to Linux slowly, calmly. After all, whats wrong with someone being able to enjoy using the tools that are available without being bashed over the head with their lack of Linux knowledge. How will they know if we don’t teach them. I, for one, am an avid fan of Linux and believe that anyone can be a Linux user. Lets not push away those who could one day be helping out in the IRC channels with us

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