Fear Not the Penguin!

There are days when I just want to tell friends and co-workers to just use Linux even when they express so much fear.  Why?  Because there’s nothing to fear!   I haven’t had something as tricky as a kernel panic for the longest time.  When it comes to drivers, there are a lot of helpful forums, plus our sys ads are capable of helping us.  Even if they don’t know everything, they are skilled enough to help us through our problems, whether it’s on Linux or Windows.

I see that some of our co-workers have family members who use netbooks with Linux.  If they can use it, why can’t my co-workers?  Right?  Absolutely!  A lot of our software engineers are actually using Linux on a daily basis because of the development machines that they have come with Linux.  But I do know that there are those who have chosen to use Linux even at home.  Imagine! At home, they even share the computer with other people and yet they use Linux.   This is one of those times that I think that what is really making it hard for people to even give Linux a chance is that mindset of losing touch with the familiar.

I recall the time that I practically made my mom use Ubuntu at home.  She basically just asked me how she’d know if she’s online, what she could use to chat, what she could use for writing, etc.  It wasn’t totally easy but because she asked me what applications she can use, it was actually alright.

Maybe it’s time to emphasize on how much Linux can do even if it’s not totally the same as what they’ve been used to.  The reality is not so happy but we could find something to make it work.   Maybe the Linux mascot Tux can help me find ways to make users feel at ease.  After all, it does look cute and cuddly and everything.