How do you convince people to try Ubuntu?

I am trying to draft a letter that I can send to others to convince them to try Ubuntu. In writing this letter several different issues have come up, the two biggest issues are:

1) How do you introduce Ubuntu as an OS when most people don't understand the term OS? (I don't want people to feel I am getting too technical)

2) How do you explain the benefits/drawbacks without scaring people away? (The what I've got works fine argument.)

I drafted up a letter and I will gladly accept suggestions/revisions.

Hi everyone, I have been running Ubuntu Linux on my home PC for over six months now. I am so impressed and excited about the program that I am offering to install it for free on anyone's machine. If you do not know what Linux is, simply put, it is free operating system that is an alternative to Windows or Mac OS X. Below is a link to a FAQ that answers the most common questions. I have also included a link to Ubuntu's website.

For those of you with older machines that cannot keep up with their current operating system, Ubuntu offers a great alternative. It is a fast and stable environment in which you can surf the web, check email, watch video, play games and type papers.

The minimum requirements for Ubuntu are: 256 megs ram 4 gigs of disk space

I have installed Ubuntu successfully on several machines but there are no guarantees that it will work on your specific PC. There are many pros and cons to installing Ubuntu system below are a few of each:

Pros

• It is free.
• There are no viruses to deal with (this mean no antivirus programs are needed)
• It is very stable operating system.
• It typically it runs much faster on old machines and can bring new life to a computer you may have given up on.

Cons -A great deal of commercial software is not available for the operating system (Adobe, Microsoft Office) however there are open source alternatives to most of these programs.

You can find out more about Ubuntu on the website (click on the Desktop Edition) or send me an email and I will point you in the right direction.

Linux Frequently Asked Questions [http://www.linux.org/info/faq1.html#faq.q1 ]http://www.linux.org/info/faq1.html#faq.q1

Ubuntu [http://www.ubuntu.com/ ]http://www.ubuntu.com/

I guess you have to consider who the target audience is. Are you sending this to a bunch of CS Majors or English Majors? Young bucks, or old folks, etc.

If your sending it to someone who "keeps up" with the tech world, you probably don't need to explain what an OS is. If you're posting this to the general public, perhaps you need more of questioning approach:

Are you thinking of replacing your computer because it is outdated... -- or -- Is purchasing the software you need to use on a day to day basis not cost effective for you? (Office and XP are expensive...though I suppose student do get a heft discount)

I wouldn't even go down the road of explaining what an OS is until you have to. If someone comes to you and starts asking a bunch of questions, show them your machine, etc.

Like I said in on IRC last night...the first person I introduced to linux was always telling me to shut up, etc...then one day he came over, saw my machine running linux (straigh Debian at the time) and said "Is THAT LINUX?!?" He now uses Ubuntu all the time, (still uses windows as that is what they have at work etc) and he's even converted his wife to Ubuntu away from Mac OSX! (That's sayin' something...and she LOVES it).

Anyway...what I'm saying is you have to think about what drives someone to even begin looking at alternatives and focus on that. Then answer the questions when the come :)

I completely agree with what was said above. I would stay away from explaining the OS, since that could possible scare away the older folks. But pointing out the positive side, i.e. no viruses, malware/adware, more stable, faster response time, etc. Those are the problems that older people who use it just for email are always running into. It may also be a good idea to point them towards Wubi as well. That way they could try Ubuntu without having leave the safety of their current OS.

I know many people here are focusing on how to get fresh new faces to Ubuntu who may not know much about an Operating System itself.

However, when I switched to Ubuntu, I already had some technical experience under my belt. I knew a little programming, I knew Windows XP inside and out, I knew about hardware, networking, etc. For me, it was understanding the idea of open source software. More specifically, free as in beer and freedom software (as I don't enjoy paying for software). I was really attracted to the idea of it. "If everyone made their software open source, and gave it away for free, I, and others, could accomplish so much more." After all, when I was in middle school, a lot of my knowledge came from pirating software and messing around with it. This way I was able to learn a lot of new things I wouldn't have been able to had I had to pay for it, as I was just a kid with no dollars.

I think it's important to analyze who our audience is. There is nothing wrong with being technical, when being technical has a place.

Just my nickel and dime. :)

Great comments!

lifewithryan said: I guess you have to consider who the target audience is. Are you sending this to a bunch of CS Majors or English Majors? Young bucks, or old folks, etc.

... ... Anyway...what I'm saying is you have to think about what drives someone to even begin looking at alternatives and focus on that. Then answer the questions when the come

I really like your last point. The audience I am primarily targeting my letter at are people who have older (not ancient) machines that are growing frustrated with performance issues. Thanks for the idea!

I've always phrased it as a solution to problems they're having with windows. I let them ask questions and attempt to explain it in as simple of terms as possible.

zonker1984 said: I've always phrased it as a solution to problems they're having with windows. I let them ask questions and attempt to explain it in as simple of terms as possible.

And that's the way I'm going. Don't fix something that isn't broken - people like stability. If something is working right, they don't want to switch. Instead, if they aren't convinced that something is broken, convince them...

Hey everyone, I thought I would update this thread with my next draft of the letter I am sending out.

Let me know what you think. :)

*******

Subject: Old Computer Causing You Problems?

Sound familiar?

• When I bought my computer a few years ago it was fast, top notch, but now it seems so slow.
• I am always afraid of downloading a virus or visiting a website with spyware.
• I wish there was a way that I could use my old computer for ____ (surfing the web, email, documents, etc) but it takes forever for programs to load.
• Every time I want to update my software it ends up costing hundreds of dollars.
• I am constantly having to reboot my machine because of software problems.

Why not try something different?

Ubuntu is an alternative to running Windows or Mac OS X. It is...

• free to use, upgrade, copy, distribute
• very stable
• packaged with just about every type of software you need (office, web browser, email, pdf, movie players, games, etc)
• has no viruses or spyware
• typically runs faster (than windows) on older machines
• can be installed alongside of windows (so you have the option of using either one)

I have been running Ubuntu on my home PC for almost a year with great success. During this time I have installed Ubuntu for several other people (including my mother) and heard nothing but good reviews. I am so impressed and excited about the program that I am offering to install it for free on anyone's machine.

I have attached three screen shots so you can get an idea of what Ubuntu looks like. One shows a browser window, another is firstclass (our district email program) and the third is a document.

If you are interested in trying something different you can find out more about Ubuntu on the website (click on the Desktop Edition) or send me an email and I will point you in the right direction.

Ubuntu [http://www.ubuntu.com/ ]http://www.ubuntu.com/

I don't usually say that much.

---

• My headphones don't work anymore!
• Get Ubuntu.
• But isn't it hard?
• Can you burn a CD?
• Yep.
• That's all you need to know. ubuntu.com.
• Bleh, my antivirus is freezing my comp and I can't watch youtube vids without the lag :(
• Get Ubuntu
• (see top)

etc. No need to go into long, hard explanations!

didn't u forget about Wine??