Re: [PLUG] POSSIBLE TALK

Ron Guilmet

Philly Data Solutions, LLC | DBA Philly AWS

On Mon, Apr 16, 2018 at 1:47 PM, <bergman@merctech.com> wrote:

In the message dated: Mon, 16 Apr 2018 13:12:24 -0400,
The pithy ruminations from Ronald P Guilmet on
[[PLUG] POSSIBLE TALK] were:
=> I came across something that I thought would be worth mentioning. I don't
=> know much about sub systems and what not. I'm not tring to make a Phd out
=> of.
=>
=> Most of uw know that Windows 10, at least, has Linux as a sub system. Not
=> by default. You have to perform some steps to get it there. For the life of
=> me I couldn't figure out why Windows would do this.
=>
=> On the ground level let's say we have someone who has no Linux experience,
=> they are on a tight budget, and they can only use their Windows 10 laptop
=> or desktop. How can they benefit from this? Windows can't compete with the
=> FOSS programs we have, for free that is.

I strongly believe that your hypothetical user would completely disagree
with the statement:

Windows can't compete with the FOSS programs we have, for free that is.

That user would probably say that Windows is vastly superior to FOSS,
not "competing".

Please try to keep in mind that the overwhelming majority of users don't
place a priority on "Free" and "Open" software. Their priority is usually
"productivity". While that's not mutually exclusive with FOSS, most programs
in the Windows world (particularly under Win10) are more successful at
enhancing & supporting productivity than the FOSS versions -- smoother &
easier graphical interaction, consistent interfaces, etc, more familiar
models, larger (and more understanding) user base, etc.

While I firmly believe that specialized users (scientific, computational)
can be highly productive with FOSS tools, there's a substantial learning
curve for your proposed Windows 10 user, and little benefit.

=>
=> What if we put a talk together aimed at this Window audience. I can show
=> them how to use the Linux app that is available through the Windows store
=> to use programs like tar and gzip to back up their important windows
=> folder. From there they can use whatever medium they like to store the data.

Again, think target audience. Your hypothetical Win10 user, with no Linux
experience, exclusively uses a graphical environment, with individual
packages that have a fairly uniform look'n'feel. For the vast majority of
those users, the complexity of installing the Linux subsystem and then
installing and using tools like tar (which has an odd syntax that's not
a good example of an interface) would be an excersize in frustration,
not recruiting new FOSS converts.

You're proposing a solution for a common problem (backups) that involves
a complicated configuration, difficult-to-use tools, and an extremely
difficult restore process (how to use that "backup.tar.gz" file on a
newly re-imaged Win10 machine after a crash)?

If you want to appeal to this audience -- a group that is unlikely to
follow the PLUG mailing list and attend the talk at all -- I recommend
picking a software example that showcases increased productivity under
the the Linux subsystem.

Rather than beginning with the Linux subsystem and low-level utilities
(tar!), it's probably better to appeal to those users by emphasizing
FOSS application software packages that are reasonable alternatives to
well-known commercial packages: LibreOffice, GIMP, GNUCash, ect.

Mark "negative on Monday" Bergman

=>
=> I do some C# Net programming, and I was looking for a way to back these
=> folders up. I found a way through the Linux subsystem.
=>
=> Maybe we can win over some Linux users?
=> I figure the more people can bring over the more diverse our think tank
=> becomes.
=>
=> Any thoughts?
=>
=>
=> Ron Guilmet
=>
=> Philly Data Solutions, LLC | DBA Philly AWS
=>
=> ronald.guilmet@phillydatasolutions.com
=>
=> http://phillydatasolutions.com
=>
=> ___________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________
Philadelphia Linux Users Group -- http://www.phillylinux.org
Announcements - http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce
General Discussion -- http://lists.phillylinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug