Installfest

[Jamon Camisso]

David J Patrick wrote:

>I agree that mailing-list "support" should be primary, and the default.
>However, from personal experience, I know that the mailing list may, or
>may not, address issues that are important to me. The members are
>usually knowledgeable and helpful, but sometimes a call for help can be
>met with some flip response followed by tangential, off-topic banter,
>that never addresses the issue. A new user may not have the time to try
>the mailing list, give up, google furiously, read a bunch of unrelated
>stuff, pour over man pages, try stuff, and come up with some kludgy
>workaround. They may be hugely relieved to have access to someone who
>will focus on their problem. Obviously, different users have different
>needs/wants and I'm confidant that we, as a community, can address most
>of them.
>  
>
>By the same token, if we set up a lot of new linux users, without
>considering their support environment, many will get lost , frustrated,
>waste a lot of time, give up, run back to the borg, and never come back.
>
As Leah  pointed out in response to my general call for post-install 
support, the wiki is a good place to start. I should think that as far 
as support is concerned, there exists enough information that can be 
easily compiled into a list on the wiki. There is no need to charge for 
additional support. I think that the whole idea of an installfest should 
include post-install support through already existing channels, such as 
the wiki or forums (I'd be happy to donate if it would help out). To 
simply dump Linux on someone's box almost guarantees that they will need 
support - to then charge for it seems, IMHO, a little underhanded. In 
fact, I'd say that having some form of support is really in keeping with 
the FLOSS ideal and that to charge for it, especially for some kindly 
"housewife kine that types a recipes on her computer and makes 
scheduling for grocery runs in her outlook."

Why not support someone like this? I'm willing to do it, even with my 
limited abilibty. Sure it may be below some people, but I'd say an 
effective way to encourage people in large numbers to switch and stay 
with Linux is to offer ourselves up as role models. To be willing to 
embrace all levels of users instead of treating them to the elitism and 
haughtiness that they think we have when it comes to Linux is a 
necessary component of getting the word out there. I for one am quite 
willing to help out with a late night ssh session.

If people want to charge for support, well then I say FOR SHAME! I think 
that for your average individual user, especially those who are being 
targeted for the installfest, who may or may not be a college/university 
student at that, the cost for support from any one of a group of 
professionals such as we have here would be prohibitive and not in 
keeping with the spirit of maintaining a positive profile for Linux 
users and Linux in general. Especially so since many people will be 
drawn to the installfest for the very fact that Linux is free to begin with.

It might do us well to go back and try to remember what it is like being 
a newbie. What would you expect in such a position? What might your 
needs be and what would you be willing to pay for support when you could 
just as well go back to Windows and be done with the entire affair?

Forgive me for this somewhat lengthly and rather inelegantly composed 
message. I'll stop here and not mention the matter again on this mailing 
list.

--
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