Acer to release Ubuntu Linux laptops

[Karlie Robinson]

Bryan J. Smith wrote:
> we should also recognize and promote Freedomware and, at a
> minimum, Standardware, on Windows as well.  For when the user does
> finally switch over to Linux, it will be far less painful because the
> risk to their documents and their application requirements have now been
> mitigated.
> 
[snip]

> For any new user, I always say "their favorite" should be the distro
> where they will receive the most support for what they are doing.

We're on the same page as you.  You may want to check out a couple of 
short articles we've written for our customer base at

"Replacement Windows" (our internal play on words)- 
http://on-disk.com/cms/index.php?wiki=Windows_Replacements

SOHO - http://on-disk.com/cms/index.php?wiki=SOHO

And yes, I'll admit that Fedora isn't in our Replacements guide because 
for our average customer, Fedora is a little more ooomph than they need 
for their first foray into Linux.

We've found that 'baby steps' are more helpful for first time users - 
especially if they are a very basic computer user.  It's simple 
Psychology where if the first attempts are easy, they are more likely to 
try other things.

As they take control over the basic functions, they gain confidence to 
try other things.  That's when the branch out and begin trying more 
distros.  That's the point they find Fedora.

The users that go directly to Fedora (at least the ones I talk with) for 
a first time out are those who are already advanced Windows users. 
They're looking to build their first server or wanting to explore Fedora 
to see if they'll have a shot at RH certifications for promotions at work.