I'm finally compelled to write to this mail group after starting this message numerous times over the months. Sorry to be critical, but I'm somewhat jaded reading about Linux on the desktop and whether it's ready or not, or in schools etc., or how to interest the masses. The question you should be asking is - is Linux ready for the public? I don't think so, and my criticism is that this Lug is not helping to change that.
You talk as a group about going into schools and this is of course important. But worrying about the wording of letters or how to tackle the press is missing the point. These students possibly won't be in a position to decide what professional software they use for quite a few years, even if you do convert them - which you must. Who you should be concentrating on is Joe public - i.e. people like me. I can see Linux is coming, I've had a Xandros box for about 6 months, but I've only managed to transfer perhaps about 5% of my real work onto it, and do that work at about 50% efficiency compared to the same tasks on my other Win2000 box. I & Joe public need some actual training. So do students and their educational peers. Even the EDP computer press correspondent might be interested.
And this is the crunch. I don't really want to have to learn about Linux. I want to use a linux based PC to do real work, not mess about with the OS. But I appreciate I must learn the basics. Once I do, other aspects will fall into place over time, just as we all learnt CP/M, DOS & Windows over the years. But it's that 'over the first hump' where help is needed. Well shouldn't I open a book and get stuck in? Yes, probably I should, but I'm reluctant to spend the time leaning about Linux, any more than I want to delve into the inner workings of MS Windows. And anyway you can't ask a book questions can you? There's no substitute to talking to or learning from someone with knowledge, face to face.
So what's my point? I think LUGs should be concentrating 100% on education. If you want to stay as a group of professional enthusiasts meeting every so often, then fine. Rename yourselves APLUG. If you want your favoured OS to become universally popular, get out there and start passing on your knowledge. I've been to four of five ALUG meetings and to me they're a waste of time. They're disorganised, and have no focus or agenda, no advance billing of what's to occur. With one exception I don't think I've learnt anything practical from any of these meetings. MJR kindly sorted a software install problem I had, but if today I was faced with the same problem, then I wouldn't know how to fix it. What is needed here is not band aids for on-going software glitches, but a more thorough examination of what's going on to kick start us.
Once I'm achieving something as easily on my Xandros system and I can under Windows, then I'm sure to tell friends and recommend Linux. I can't at the moment.
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