Linux and mainstream users

One there is the problem of defining mainstream users. If we take one case that’s brought out into the news, will that be the proper perspective to look at mainstream users? If you are in the student’s shoes, wouldn’t you insist on getting a machine bundled with Windows if you don’t know what on earth Linux is and you’re not sure if you will be able to use it well? If you were tech support or sales, wouldn’t you find out what the customer really needed?

If it’s finding out which laptop and operating system combination the customer really needs, both the tech support/sales personnel and the customer should (ideally) work out what the requirements are. I wish news articles wouldn’t blame it all on one party, either the tech support/sales or the customer, when it seems to be more like negligence on both sides.

The mainstream user might not know what operating system they need or what laptop they need, but they know what they will use it for. They know what they are familiar with. This is regardless of their skills. The one who sold the laptop should be reminded to be more sensitive or try to draw out pertinent information from the customer or else, they will lose business.

If we think that mainstream users are all like this college girl who had difficulty using Ubuntu on her Dell laptop, let’s try to see why. For one thing, she was probably expecting Windows or something that looks like it on her laptop. It’s bad customer service if you don’t even try to find out about that. After giving her an Ubuntu powered laptop one can’t expect her to feel comfortable immediately of course. She’s most likely taken by surprise about the turn of events. But I hope she learns from this experience to speak out her mind to whoever she needs to talk with and I also hope that she’d give Ubuntu and other Linux distros a chance. One bad experience does not equate to everything being so bad.

In any case, news like this make me want to advocate Linux all the more so that people won’t be too clueless when they encounter it.