Share your personal experiences (good and bad) with Linux.
Everyone knows that software has bugs and limitations and
if we only have glowing comments about Linux, we aren't
being honest. I love to tell people about having to
reboot four times (three scheduled) in three years.
If someone has a problem that Linux may be able to solve,
offer to provide pointers to appropriate information
(Web pages, magazine articles, books, consultants, ...).
If you haven't actually used the proposed solution, say so.
If you are available for making presentations about Linux,
register with the
Linux Speakers Bureau.
Offer to help someone start using Linux. Follow up to make
sure that they are able to use their system effectively.
Some people still believe that Linux and similar systems
operate only in text-mode. Make sure that they are aware of
the availability of graphical applications, such as the
Gimp.
Try to respond to one ``newbie'' posting each week.
Seek out the tough questions, you may be the only one
to respond and you may learn something in the process.
However, if you aren't confident that you can respond with
the correct answer, find someone that can.
Seek out small software development firms and offer to make
a presentation about Linux.
If the opportunity arises, make a presentation to your
employer's Information Technology group.
Participate in community events such as
NetDay.
While your first priority must be to
contribute to the success of the event, use the opportunity to let
others know what Linux can do for them.
Always consider the viewpoints of the person to whom you are
``selling'' Linux. Support, reliability, interoperability and
cost are all factors that a decision-maker must consider.
Of the above, cost is often the least important portion of the equation.
Availability of support is often mentioned as a concern when
considering the adoption of Linux. Companies such as
Caldera,
Cygnus Solutions,
Red Hat,
and
S.u.S.E.
offer support for some or all components of a typical Linux
distribution. In addition, the
Linux Consultants HOWTO
provides a listing of companies providing commercial
Linux related support. Of course, some of the best support is
found in the comp.os.linux and linux newsgroup
hierarchies.
Point out that the production of
open-source software
takes place in an environment of open collaboration between
system architects, programmers, writers, alpha/beta testers
and end users which often results in well documented, robust
products such as
Apache,
GNU Emacs,
Perl
and the
Linux kernel.
Stand up and be counted! Register with the
Linux Counter.
Find a new home for Linux CD-ROMs and books that you no longer
need. Give them to someone interested in Linux, a public
library or a school computer club. A book and its CD-ROM
would be most appropriate for a library. However, please be
sure that making the CD-ROM publicly available does not
violate a licensing agreement or copyright. Also, inform
the library staff that the material on the CD-ROM is freely
distributable. Follow up to make sure it is available on
the shelves.
When purchasing books about software distributed with Linux,
give preference to books written by the author of the software.
The royalties that authors receive from book sales may be
the only monetary compensation received for their efforts.
<-- Need to fix or change the Powered by Linux text -->
Encourage Linux-based sites to submit their entry for the
Powered by Linux
page and suggest that banners promoting
Linux,
Apache,
GNU,
Perl
... be displayed on their site.
Participate! If you have benefited from
open-source software,
please consider assisting the free software community by: