Think I scared one away

[nightflier]

Congrats, Granny! You made up for the one that got away.

[Arioco]

This deserves a celebration, cheers!!

[Triarius Fidelis]

I don't quite get Linux evangelism.

What makes more sense is open source application evangelism since operating system is largely a background thing for most people, and it's much less of a huge hassle.

[nitehawk]

I don't quite get Linux evangelism.

...I totally understand Granny Geek on this one!  Where family is concerned,...you worry about their computers crashing or messing up (especially if they use it for important things).  For instance,...my daughter uses her computer for her internet store,...and for her college nursing classes.   I know she HAS to use windows software provided by the college (and hence, has to use wXP for that).   BUT,...for her internet store,...she is quite open to all kinds of things.  Unfortunately, she is like the rest of the family, and won't even consider Linux (or BSD).
  I (like Granny Geek) have been showing my little 3 yr. old grandson the educational games on Linux (Gcomp, ChildsPlay),..and he LOVES them!!!!   It's getting my daughter's attention,....

[GrannyGeek]

I'm not a Windows basher and not much of an Linux evangelist. However, when you see a situation where you know Linux would be a much better solution than Windows, I want to at least make the suggestion.

In my grandson's case, the computer I'm preparing is a 2.4 GHz Celeron laptop with a 20 gig hard drive and 256 megs of RAM. It came a few years ago with Windows XP. With just 256 megs of RAM, it's not up to good performance with XP. The other problem was that due to being used by kids, it was infested with trojans, worms, and a virus that slowed the computer down to the point of being unusable. I got rid of the malware and performance improved, but having even lightweight antivirus and antimalware running in the background slows down the computer some, a situation it can ill afford.

To me, the obvious solution was to put VectorLinux on it. VL would run better with more than 256 megs, but it runs much better than Windows does. They may add more RAM, but even if they don't, Linux performs better than Windows. Not needing AV and antimalware software running all the time gets rid of the performance hit the protective software causes in Windows. A full installation of VL 6 Standard plus additional software takes up less drive space that XP requires. That makes it easier to live with the small hard drive.

My grandson uses the computer mainly for Web browsing, in particular playing games hosted on Web sites for kids. He may use AbiWord for homework, isn't really into e-mail at this time, and doesn't edit photos. He should not have to deal with managing the operating system much.

It's certainly no harder to browse the Web under Linux than under Windows--easier, actually, because you don't have to worry so much about drive-by infections and clicks that unintentionally install malware.

I think there are millions of people in this same situation who would have everything to gain and nothing to lose by adopting Linux. I think one reason they don't is they have no idea what Linux is like. "What does it look like? Can I do the things I do now under Windows? Is it hard to use? Will my Internet connection work?" I wish there were more opportunities to show Linux in action. We need a billionaire to fund TV commercials that simply show people doing everyday things with Linux.
--GrannyGeek

[sledgehammer]

Can I rant?

I sometimes forget that Gates is not the culprit, that he is just doing what monopolists have done for the past 150 years, and that the real culprit is the government, for not having stopped him. Bush didn't bring even one anti-trust case in 8 years. But Obama is firing up the anti-trust laws, if for no other reason than to keep the Europeans from usurping our traditional role as the economic center of the world. I for one, am tired of constantly hearing that companies that should have been broken up years ago are now "too big to fail." Monopoly is, always has been, and always will be the cancer of capitalism. Why do we have to keep re-inventing the capitalist wheel?

John

[nightflier]

I think it is important that there are choices and alternatives. It helps maintain balance in society. Too many are not aware of the freedom that is available to them. I try to explain to those who show interest, without being an "evangelist". It is important to be very honest, and not make unsubstantiated claims and promises.