[plug] Microsoft and Action Packs. What can we do to compete ???

[Anthony Jones]

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On Monday 25 February 2002 20:40, Michael Hunt wrote:
> I will say that is the most attractive, well presented, all round good buy
> for M$ partners that I have ever seen them produce (all there other
> 'schemes' basically involved you handing over truck loads of money). Given
> that we are soon to host a LCA conference in here in Perth, that we have as
> one of our main purposes the advocacy of Linux what can we do to compete.

Well.. this is a tough one. How do you compete against a more expensive and 
inferior product with a free and superior product. According to the economics 
I learned in school it shouldn't be a problem. However I think they were 
using a model which is a little simpler than reality.

The biggest problem Linux has is that it is a great unknown. More people need 
actual hands on experience at using Linux and see that it can do everything 
that Windoze can do. This could involve setting up a bunch of computers in 
shopping malls all nice and configured and letting people try using Gnome or 
KDE (we'll probably have to choose this for them), StarOffice, Mozilla or 
Netscape, Xine, The GIMP, etc.

The second problem is education. I know a number of people who have got as 
far as installing Linux on their computers but they really don't know enough 
to actually get any real use out of Linux. My suggestion here would be use 
the opportunity above to enrol some people in a (perhaps free, perhaps not) 
course on using and installing Linux. People could go along each week and 
learn a new thing about Linux. I suggest that pitching this at real beginners 
would be best.

I'm relatively busy but I believe that this kind of thing is important enough 
that I can spare some time to do it if others are interested. Bearing in mind 
that I'm more of a technical guy than a managerial guy.

> Specifically what can we do for the business types who make decisions based
> on the amount of 'vendor loving' that they get ???

We need to show them Linux. Most business types don't wouldn't be able to 
tell whether they were using Linux or Windoze if they didn't see you turn it 
on.

I am not interested in pushing Linux as another cheap firewall. I would like 
to promote using it as a desktop OS.

Anthony
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