[plug] Small Business users and Linux?

[Dean Bergin]

I, personally don't buy off-the-shelf computers in order to avoid the
bundled copy of windows that comes with it. If I still want windows, I'll
buy a cheap key instead of absorbing the cost through my purchase.

Unfortunately Microsoft has a stranglehold on the PC market at least when
it comes to retail through the OEM program they operate with vendors.

Now the people you describe herein are the type that will typically only go
to jb hi-fi or some retail store and don't know how or don't want to build
their own computer to avoid receiving an OEM copy of windows.

There are some online retailers that do sell computers with Linux options,
like Dell, but your often limited to only a single distribution like Ubuntu
and the price isn't necessary any cheaper.

The difficulty I see is trying to change the mindset of consumers and
education around the convenience of retail vs potential economics or
benefits of custom building a computer.

On Fri, 8 Apr 2022, 16:40 Onno Benschop, <onno at itmaze.com.au> wrote:

> The discussion here around SOE and different levels of support by Red Hat
> and others leads me to start a conversation around users who are not part
> of a corporate office, the people whom I generally work with, the small and
> micro businesses, the ones that account for most of the GDP in the country,
> the ones that are by enlarge shackled to the Microsoft ecosystem, where
> rebooting for regular updates is "normal", where antivirus software is a
> source of revenue for suppliers, but has absolutely no value for the person
> paying, where backups are done on a decade old USB stick that may or may
> not be actually working, where offsite means in your backpack or bedside
> table at home.
>
> I'm not talking about the semi computer literate people, some of whom
> might dabble with Linux on the side, I'm taking about businesses that are
> required to use MYOB because that's what their accountant uses.
>
> What I want to know is what is being done about those people?
>
> What's being done for students using their first serious computer?
>
> What about the local corner store that uses excel to track stock, or the
> farmer who has a bunch of worksheets to track their stock breeding program?
>
> What is being done about those people? How are people like Red Hat,
> Canonical and others working towards those people?
>
> What are YOU doing about it?
> --
> finger painting on glass is an inexact art - apologies for any errors in
> this scra^Hibble
>
> ()/)/)() ..ASCII for Onno..
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