Windows -> Fedora -> Windows

[Marc Wiriadisastra]

This is a wierd article since I still don't understand why they switched
back to windows.

http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16721/1090/1/0/

"The move ended up saving a lot of money in licensing costs. Initially,
the school used Red Hat Linux; later Fedora, Red Hat's community
distribution, was used. The money saved was used to upgrade hardware at
the school and also to provide for more PCs."

Cheers,

Marc

[Nicu Buculei]

Marc Wiriadisastra wrote:
>  This is a wierd article since I still don't understand why they
> switched
>  back to windows.
>  
>  http://www.itwire.com/content/view/16721/1090/1/0/ 
The reason is simple:

"The reason for the switch back to Microsoft operating systems? A lack 
of support from some of the teachers, says Perkins."

"Perkins said one possible reason why people kept asking for Windows was 
because the home experience of this OS is much superior to that in a 
corporate set-up. At home, one can do what one likes with a Windows machine"

"The complaints came in something like this form: "If only I had 
Microsoft, I could do everything but we are stuck with Linux.""

But what I think was the final nail in the coffin was:

"but when all staff got laptops at the end of 2007, it spelt the end of 
Linux desktops at the school. The laptops came with Windows and Office 
installed - this was not negotiable"

So probably the main reasons were:
- users familiar with Windows at home resist change;
- no laptops with Linux (Fedora in their case) pre-installed by the OEM.

-- 
nicu :: http://nicubunu.ro :: http://nicubunu.blogspot.com
Cool Fedora wallpapers: http://fedora.nicubunu.ro/wallpapers/
Open Clip Art Library: http://www.openclipart.org
my Fedora stuff: http://fedora.nicubunu.ro

[Marc Wiriadisastra]

<snip>
>  So probably the main reasons were:
>  - users familiar with Windo ws at home resist change;
>  - no laptops with Linux (Fedora in their case) pre-installed by the OEM.
>  
>  -- 
>  nicu :: http://nicubunu.ro :: http://nicubunu.blogspot.com
>  Cool Fedora wallpapers: http://fedora.nicubunu.ro/wallpapers/
>  Open Clip Art Library: http://www.openclipart.org
>  my Fedora stuff: http://fedora.nicubunu.ro
>   
Yeah I got but then further on they complain about windows again.  My
question is that further on they start to complain about windows all
over again so really what have they gained?

Regards,

Marc

[Nicu Buculei]

Marc Wiriadisastra wrote:
>  <snip>
> > So probably the main reasons were:
> > - users familiar with Windows at home resist change;
> > - no laptops with Linux (Fedora in their case) pre-installed by the OEM.
>  
>  Yeah I got but then further on they complain about windows again.  My
>  question is that further on they start to complain about windows all
>  over again so really what have they gained? 
It seems like the IS manager, the person interviewed, had no problem 
with Linux and was quite happy with it but had troubles with teachers 
requesting Windows.

Things are like this in my experience: when users have a problem with 
Windows they blame Microsoft and then give up, as "everybody uses it" 
and "this is the way things work".
But when the users have a problem with Linux they blame the person who 
deployed Linux, "it was easier with Windows", "this Linux thing is not 
like Windows and it sucks", "give me back my trusted Windows".

What have they gained? They silenced some revolted users.

-- 
nicu :: http://nicubunu.ro :: http://nicubunu.blogspot.com
Cool Fedora wallpapers: http://fedora.nicubunu.ro/wallpapers/
Open Clip Art Library: http://www.openclipart.org
my Fedora stuff: http://fedora.nicubunu.ro

[Luis Felipe Marzagao]

 From my experience dealing with new linux users, the main problem seems 
to be the lack of the possibility to simply download programs from the 
internet and install them. New users don't wan't to know if it's a 
dangerous thing to do, and if there's repositories for software etc. 
They want to get the program from the internet and install it. And even 
those who understand it's best to only install software from official or 
at least trusted 3rd party repos may get a little frustrated when they 
realize there's a lot of good programs out there that don't show up in 
the repos. People who just want to use Fedora or Linux in general, and 
not play around with it, don't want to waste hours learing how to 
compile etc. It really sucks, from the user point of view, to google the 
internet, find something cool like a video editing program, for example, 
and not being able to install it...

Nicu Buculei escreveu:
>  Marc Wiriadisastra wrote:
> > <snip>
> >> So probably the main reasons were:
> >> - users familiar with Windows at home resist change;
> >> - no laptops with Linux (Fedora in their case) pre-installed by the 
> >> OEM.
> >
> > Yeah I got but then further on they complain about windows again.  My
> > question is that further on they start to complain about windows all
> > over again so really what have they gained?
>
>  It seems like the IS manager, the person interviewed, had no problem 
>  with Linux and was quite happy with it but had troubles with teachers 
>  requesting Windows.
>
>  Things are like this in my experience: when users have a problem with 
>  Windows they blame Microsoft and then give up, as "everybody uses it" 
>  and "this is the way things work".
>  But when the users have a problem with Linux they blame the person who 
>  deployed Linux, "it was easier with Windows", "this Linux thing is not 
>  like Windows and it sucks", "give me back my trusted Windows".
>
>  What have they gained? They silenced some revolted users.
>

[Rahul Sundaram]

Marc Wiriadisastra wrote:
>  <snip>
> > So probably the main reasons were:
> > - users familiar with Windo ws at home resist change;
> > - no laptops with Linux (Fedora in their case) pre-installed by the OEM.
> >
> > -- 
> > nicu :: http://nicubunu.ro :: http://nicubunu.blogspot.com
> > Cool Fedora wallpapers: http://fedora.nicubunu.ro/wallpapers/
> > Open Clip Art Library: http://www.openclipart.org
> > my Fedora stuff: http://fedora.nicubunu.ro
> >
>  
>  Yeah I got but then further on they complain about windows again.  My
>  question is that further on they start to complain about windows all
>  over again so really what have they gained? 
Probably not much. What else did you expect? Deployments are rarely done 
just on a technical basis.

Rahul