Re: [LUG] Computer shops and Linux

[Jonathan Melhuish <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

David Pithouse wrote:

> > Maybe I'm misguided, but I thought it was basically for like-minded (or
> > perhaps, like-aware would be a better phrase) people to help each 
> > other and at the same time promote the many possibilities of Linux?  
> Indeed I agree it is, maybe my messages was a little misguided! Maybe 
> the better point that there a lot of people out there which aren't 
> willing learn something new and may just jump on something like the 
> DCLUG as a free source of help, without getting anything out it 
> themselves, while helping people is all well and good, helping 
> ungrateful/arrogrant people isnt!

This may be contentious opinion, but I'm not sure your original reply 
was as far off the mark as you may think.

What is our motivation for promoting Linux?  Is it just an ambition for 
"a computer on every desk and in every home, running GNU software"?  But 
why?  For some, perhaps it is so that they can earn money providing 
support, in which case an all-inclusive attitude makes a lot of sense.

But for most of us, the driving force is perhaps the notion that the 
more people that use it, the better it will become.  So how is 
spoon-feeding point-and-click idiots going to help further this aim?

I'm lucky enough to live, work and socialise with a bunch of technical 
people, many of them programmers.  I try my hardest to help them tackle 
difficulties they encounter, because I know that if I succeed in 
persuading them to persevere with it, it's likely that at some point in 
the future they will contribute to the open-source community.  Even 
non-programmers may eventually contribute documentation, which is 
perhaps even more valuable.

But those who complain "this is crap, it should just work!" and look at 
me as if all the failings of Linux are my fault and that I am therefore 
personally obliged to fix it.  Those who throw their hands in the air 
and boot straight back into their other OS.  Those who lack any 
perseverance whatsover, who are not prepared to make an effort to get 
their own machine to do what they want.  Will these people ever help me?

I apologise if I come across as selfish; I'd just like to say for the 
record that I firmly believe that sharing makes us richer as a whole, 
and I try to apply this to everything I do.  But I still live in hope 
that others share my view.

Cheers,

Jon


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