New Linux User » attitudes

Geekery and Parenting

Clair Ching — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:04:11 +0000

It takes an awesome parent to raise kids who have a healthy appreciation of technology. They will not be afraid to let their children know more technology and they will even teach them how to become responsible as they use various technologies in their lives. It does not mean that they will just let their children run wild among the many internet forums or let them use technology irresponsibly.

Sometimes my co-workers joke around about how they will raise their children. They joke that they will teach them how to program even when they’re just babies. Sometimes they say that they will teach them how to fight against boys (if they have female children) so that they will not get boyfriends right away. (Haha. I think that this could actually backfire. But, as one of them said, at least she’d grow up knowing how to defend herself against jerks.)

But I like it more when they say that they’d teach their children about Linux, aside from Windows and Mac OSX, etc. I like it that they want their children to be more well-rounded in terms of their perspectives. They want their children to grow up not limiting themselves to only a specific technology and that’s something inspiring. It’s not just a matter of growing up with a good set of values but a healthy appreciation of technology we are exposed to. Hopefully they will also have this attitude towards other technologies that are not necessarily related to computers.

I heard that one of my co-workers plans to take a picture of his daughter with a penguin plushie. I wonder how he’d introduce her to Linux and programming when she’s older. I’m pretty sure it will be very interesting.

Post from: New Linux User

Linux as a Way to Make New Friends

Clair Ching — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 03:51:43 +0000

Sometimes we forget that Linux has a social aspect. Being part of the community that uses and/or maintains Linux distros, packages and specific applications make us learn new things from other people and more often than not we end up communicating with them online and if possible, offline. Some people get scared and intimidated of the ones who love saying “Read the manual” or “Search for the answers first before asking us. There’s plenty of information online that’s been written already.” But aside from that there really are friendly people in the world of free and open source software.

Online, there are many forums and mailing lists. There are also feed aggregators that let us know more about the people behind communities of developers and users. It can’t be helped that they are visible online because of their passion for free and open source software. As for those who are in the forums and mailing lists, sometimes discussions could get heated because of that. Differences in opinion arise. But at the end of the day, there are people who become friends because of the discussions that they have — whether it’s people who help each other learn, whether it’s people who argue with each other who still maintain a healthy respect for their differences, etc. there are friendships being developed. That’s why sometimes you could probably see them joking with each other online.

And then there are local communities. If you’re a part of a local community, you could join launch parties of the distro you’re using, and/or advocating, etc. Sometimes you meet up with each other, just because you want to hang out. The geographic location does help during times like that. Sometimes you start becoming good friends after a couple of times of hanging out because of learning sessions of Linux. It’s your common interest that starts the friendship and it’s the commitment with each other that makes it go on.

I’ve met (and still meet) people because of Linux and some of them are my good friends up to now. I learn technical stuff with them but I also joke with them and hang out with them just because and it’s really enjoyable. There’s nothing like friendship to help you enjoy your life.

Post from: New Linux User

How Do We Introduce FOSS and Linux to Those Who Resist It?

Clair Ching — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:31:36 +0000

There are users who are totally resistant to change. Why? Because it disrupts their workflow. It makes them less productive. Change makes them cranky. However, there are times when change is needed and we have to lobby for it no matter what. If you think about your own home and your budget, sometimes you might think: Heck, the money spent on a license for a certain application could have been used for books of my child. I could have used an open source software of good quality and donated money to that project. I could donate small increments of money to that project instead of a one-time payment which could affect my cashflow in a great way. Or I could even contribute to that project, aside from giving something financial in return.

However, not all people think that way. Most people would still prefer to pay for licenses. Well, or download the application for free. So how now?

At home, it’s more manageable, in a way. You have less users to deal with but they could be more stubborn than 10 other users combined. In any case, it’s easier to study the habits of your family and/or housemates compared to an entire organization. Studying them will take time and interaction with them too. But then you get to have a better grasp of what software they need, what tasks they need to accomplish etc. In an office, it gets trickier because each person has different needs and there’s a whole lot of them so you have to study them a lot.

But here are some ideas that might help you:
1. Give them training time. Sometimes this is all what is needed but it is often neglected because we sometimes assume too much.
2. Show them that there are really awesome software for their tasks and make sure that the software you tell them does answer their needs. Else, they might not like it either.
3. Guide them if possible. Some people might have tasks that are critical and the tools they use are too specialized. New software might take some getting used to and so patience is a must! If they get too frustrated right away they might give up altogether.
4. Force them to use Linux. Sometimes people learn because they have no other choice. This could backfire. But on some people it does work. Just make sure that their tasks are not highly specialized or else: they will just complain.
5. Show them that the software works. This convinces people a lot. If the application has a good user interface, the better. People do not just care if it works — they also care about how they’re supposed to be using it.

I want to know other ways to show to others that FOSS and Linux in particular are awesome. It’s just that there are people who are very difficult to convince. How have you convinced others about Linux?

Post from: New Linux User