How To Spread Ubuntu Linux and other Open Source Love

I feel a tad bit odd going off on a technical rant here because I generally don't do so... but I'm feeling bothered at the moment, and once I spit out my official stance on this I will likely feel a little bit better... So, if you're here for the knitting and the scrapbooking, bear with me... Today, we're going to talk about Ubuntu Linux and how to strategically spread open source.

The weekend before last, I had the distinct pleasure of being able to attend the first meeting of the New Hampshire Ubuntu LoCo Team (and I'll be hosting the second meeting next month, information forthcoming) and one of the many things that we talked about was ideas for practical ways of how to introduce Ubuntu Linux as a viable option to Windows Vista to individuals, organizations and small businesses within our community... I've been doing a lot of reflecting on that since Saturday night, and I've been doing a lot of lurking along and a little bit of posting at the Ubuntu Forums and the conclusion that I have come to is our collective stumbling block is support and documentation.

I'm mostly focusing on what I've seen specifically in the Ubuntu community because their focus has mainly been on implementing user-friendly desktop Linux, but I'm sure some of what I'm going to say applies cross-distribution.

I was reading a blog entry the other day entitled The Great Ubuntu-Girlfriend Experiment, more or less his experiment was an informal usability test where he sat down his girlfriend in front of a fresh install of Ubuntu where nothing had previously been set up, no additional programs other than the ones that Ubuntu came with the install by default were installed, and then asked her to complete a list of seemingly everyday mundane tasks that most average computer users know how to do... Things like surf the web, watch videos on YouTube, rip a CD, burn a CD, download music, etc. to see where she'd trip up... and despite some arguments as to whether this experiment was degrading to the girlfriend or not... there was some interesting data extrapolated from the experiment, and his conclusion that Ubuntu probably needs some sort of tutorial type documentation built into the OS for brand new users is probably a correct one... what I disagreed with was his final paragraph:

Linux won’t truly be ready for the desktop until someone computer illiterate can sit down at a the computer and with little effort do what they want to do. Erin’s intelligent, quick to learn and is reasonably well-acquainted with modern technology. If she had as much trouble as she did, what chance to the elderly or at least the middle-aged stand?

Granted, if you were to extract the data from his experiment alone I could see how you might come to that conclusion, but I don't think you can accurately draw a conclusion from one informal usability test. All one usability test can tell you is some places where there are rough edges that you might get your coat sleeve snagged on. I believe you have to look at the entire picture before you can draw the conclusion that Ubuntu isn't ready for the average user.

Let's take a look at Windows for a minute... Is it really that usable? If someone who was familiar with basic tasks that were in the Ubuntu Girlfriend Experiment but had never used Windows before faired any better? Would they have known what functionality Windows had built in and would they know where to go find the programs they needed to do it without asking anybody? It's kinda hard to test that because the majority have used Windows before, but I would guess you would find the same mixed results or worse.

The thing is though... In the real world, the majority of people don't sit in front of their computer and try to figure out how to do what they need to do to complete their task for hours on end. They turn around and ASK someone the minute they run into a roadblock. The luxury of Windows isn't that it's a good operating system, it's the fact that if you have a problem or don't know what program is a good one to use, all you have to do is start asking people around them if they have any ideas, if the issue is simple, usually someone has an idea. If they don't, you can start moving up the line... There are help desk lines you can call, box stores like Best Buy with things like the Geek Squad, locally owned IT companies that keep small business networks afloat, etc. If you have a problem, there's almost always someone you can talk to in person to help you figure out your issue well enough to get you back to doing whatever it is you do. The fact that Windows is inherently flawed? It doesn't matter so much because thanks to the sheer number of users, usually you can find someone to help you around your roadblock.

Windows proves that as long as there's some sort of in real life tangible support system, even the worst of flaws can be overlooked.

This is ultimately where Ubuntu falls flat on its face. Question to the technical Linux-y people in the audience. When you have a problem with your install, where do you go? Your automatic instinct is to go online, right? The website, the forums, the IRC rooms, and maybe in a moment of desperation search Google. Is this where I just described to you that non-technical people who use Windows go? No. It's not, and believe me... They don't really want to go there either. What they really want is to be able to make a phone call and say, "Umm... I can't figure this out, I think it might be broken," and have the more technical person fix it. They don't want to go wading through documentation that's written for people with more technical proficiency and gives them more information about HOW it works than they really wanted to know.... All that they care about is that it works and they can do whatever they want to do. All they're asking for is some support.

I guess this is my beef... I've done a little more reading on the Ubuntu Forums this week than I have in the past, and I keep tripping over frustrated people who were enthusiastically told by a more technically savvy friend that Ubuntu Linux was secure, easy to use, and didn't crash like Windows.... and were tossed an install CD, or told to go download it and try it... and then they were abandoned by their enthusiastic friend, and left with an operating system that introduced some totally new concepts... like a package manager (I TOTALLY didn't understand what a package manager was when I first started... and I'm supposed to be a "technical person") and ultimately, a lot of complex needs that the user had no idea how he/she is supposed to meet because all these programs have funny names... and asking anyone for help on the forums or IRC generally results in a string of command line instructions that make the average user's head hurt (mine does!).

The result... The user thinks the operating system sucks because the dumbass who suggested it in the first place failed to realize that not everyone is nor wants to be as technically proficient as he/she is, and did not offer any support to the interested party in making the transition, nor any warning that there are still a few things that can snag you up in regards to setup depending on what you're trying to do. I can't emphasize enough... It is SO SO SO SO essential if you're serious about spreading Ubuntu to back up your claims of stability and ease of use with support, ESPECIALLY in the setup phase. To put it bluntly, your negligence undermines the efforts of the community to spread Ubuntu. If you aren't willing to back up your suggestions with support, it's my personal opinion that you shouldn't be suggesting it in the first place.

So, what's the best practice you ask?

Let's start with switching someone for home use...

Your preliminary mission before you even mention the big L word is to get your friends and family to switch to open source software in Windows. This is an excellent and often underestimated tool in opening peoples minds to making an operating system switch. Firefox (Web browsing), Pidgin (Multi-protocol IM), OpenOffice (similar to Microsoft Office) are the big three that you should be getting people aquatinted with, and teach your friends about SourceForge, this is where many of your open source Windows programs live. Get them in the habit of looking for and downloading open source solutions instead of buying or pirating closed source ones. Remember, Ubuntu isn't the ONLY thing you're promoting here, you're promoting open source solutions as a whole. If you were successful at switching someone to at least ONE open source program, you've been successful.

So, you've got your friends and family hooked on some open source software on Windows... This is when you can start dropping hints about switching operating system. If you've already got them switched to programs that exist and are commonly used in Ubuntu... it's an easier sell. But not so fast! Before you stick that disk in the drive of their computer, you need to make sure you really know what they're using their computer for. You need to make sure that their daily life doesn't depend on some closed source Windows app that has no close equivalent in Ubuntu or depends on a Windows app that's easy to install and use but while it's possible isn't the easiest thing to set up in Ubuntu. If there isn't, you can start to proceed, if it does... You start weighing your options... Can the program be parted with? Can the program be run in WINE? Can the program be run in a virtualization of Windows? Or is making the switch just not a good option for this person at this time? Sometimes it's just not a good time, and if after evaluating their needs and they're not ready, DO NOT SWITCH THEM, there will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth if you do.

You also need to take a look at file formats things are saved in... Most especially, music. Did this person download any DRMed music, and if so... What's your recourse? Can it be opened in Ubuntu? Can you convert formats somehow?

Once you've got these questions answered and a plan for things set in place, then you can proceed to install Ubuntu... and your job is NOT done once the installer is finished and the updates are run. You need to be taking the initial initiative for setup. Most average computer users will want you to do the more tricky things like making sure the right drivers are installed and making sure Flash installed properly. Help take care of the little details that while they might not be super difficult to do, your user friend probably doesn't really care about doing themselves... In general, it's the basic setup hump that tends to be the most difficult to get people over anyway.

Once things are installed and set up, do a crash course in where to find things. Acquaint them with the menu system and point out what programs do what. Go over how to use the package manager, and have them try it. Point out where the settings are, and how to get into the file system. Most of the time you'll find that people catch on pretty quickly after a quick tour, and of course.. Make sure you're available to answer questions after you go home.

It's been my personal observation that you might get a few questions the first week, but for the most part people tend to catch on pretty fast and in general are pretty happy with it, so long as you were courteous about making sure their needs were met, and didn't go forcing a solution that wasn't going to work. As long as you're realistic about things, it tends to work out pretty well.