Welcoming Newcomers to Linux and FOSS
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| pogson Aug 01, 2006 3:38 AM EDT |
Most of us use GNU/Linux in our daily computer activity rather than making a living by it, so money and the pursuit of it is less a motivation than the passion to do things well. Passionate people sometimes lack tact. I am that way. I tend to gush all over newbies giving them too much information when they may just need a small push or a seed of information to get them started. It is hard to know when to stop because newbies do not speak the language of Linux and may not know what questions to ask or when to say "Enough!". I think the right way to use our passion is to set examples. If people see we are accomplishing great things with enthusiasm, they are more likely to become passionate themselves. I hope to do that in August. I will be setting up in my school a cluster of GNU/Linux terminal servers that can transform new thin clients and the slow boxes that ran Windows last year into powerful desktop computers. The contrast between what could be done last year and this year will be exciting. Not only will people see new software running on AMD64s with gobs of megabytes and gigabytes compared to PIII thick clients, they will have more software than they ever imagined on the desktop and web applications with databases and search engines. I will have to introduce staff and students to it little by little to avoid culture shock. |
| dek Aug 01, 2006 7:55 AM EDT |
Pogson: I will be setting up in my school a cluster of GNU/Linux terminal servers that can transform new thin clients and the slow boxes that ran Windows last year into powerful desktop computers. This is good news!! Keep us informed as to how it goes. I'll be interested to hear about your approach to educating your users. Don K. |
| Bob_Robertson Aug 01, 2006 9:00 AM EDT |
Indeed yes! Keep notes and write it up, post it to LXer as a feature! Even multiple episodes! That's the way Great Expectations and Oliver Twist were published originally, so you'd be in good company. |
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