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

[Sol]

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>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.
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Agreed.

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>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.
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Agreed.

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>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.
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Agreed. And I'll even put my hand up to organize something starting next 
semester. But there's no way I can go it alone as there are huge gaps in 
what I know (ie: I've not done much with graphics, spreadsheets or 
multimedia, among other things, and this accounts for a whole lot about 
what people want to know. If, once a time, venue and a curriculum - what 
topic will be covered each week over a, say 15 week course - there were 
others that were willing and able to present even a single topic, then I 
think it would be well worth going ahead with it.
This is worth having more discussion about IMHO.

Sol

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