Linux Advocacy mini-HOWTO - Paul L. Rogers (latest ebook reader .TXT) 📗
- Author: Paul L. Rogers
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Executive Officer. Your words will either enhance or degrade the
image the reader has of the Linux community.
· Avoid hyperbole and unsubstantiated claims at all costs. It’s
unprofessional and will result in unproductive discussions.
· A thoughtful, well-reasoned response to a posting will not only
provide insight for your readers, but will also increase their
respect for your knowledge and abilities.
· Don’t bite if offered flame-bait. Too many threads degenerate into
a “My O/S is better than your O/S” argument. Let’s accurately
describe the capabilities of Linux and leave it at that.
· Always remember that if you insult or are disrespectful to someone,
their negative experience may be shared with many others. If you
do offend someone, please try to make amends.
· Focus on what Linux has to offer. There is no need to bash the
competition. Linux is a good, solid product that stands on its
own.
· Respect the use of other operating systems. While Linux is a
wonderful platform, it does not meet everyone’s needs.
· Refer to another product by its proper name. There’s nothing to be
gained by attempting to ridicule a company or its products by using
“creative spelling”. If we expect respect for Linux, we must
respect other products.
· Give credit where credit is due. Linux is just the kernel.
Without the efforts of people involved with the GNU project
(http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html), MIT, Berkeley and
others too numerous to mention, the Linux kernel would not be very
useful to most people.
· Don’t insist that Linux is the only answer for a particular
application. Just as the Linux community cherishes the freedom that
Linux provides them, Linux only solutions would deprive others of
their freedom.
· There will be cases where Linux is not the answer. Be the first to
recognize this and offer another solution.
7. User Groups· Participate in a local user group. An index
(http://www.linuxdoc.org/links/#lug) of Linux User Group registries
is part of the Linux Documentation Project
(http://www.linuxdoc.org/). If a user group does not exist in your
area, start one.
· The Linux User Group HOWTO (http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/User-Group-HOWTO.html) covers many of the issues involved with starting
an user group and discusses the importance of Linux advocacy as one
of the goals of a user group.
· Make speakers available to organizations interested in Linux.
· Issue press releases
(http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~conradp/linux/pr/) about your
activities to your local media.
· Volunteer to configure a Linux system to meet the needs of local
community organizations. Of course, the installation process must
include training the user community to use the system and adequate
documentation for ongoing maintenance.
· Discus the Linux Advocacy miniHOWTO at a meeting. Brainstorm and
submit new ideas.
8. Vendor Relations· When contemplating a hardware purchase, ask the vendor about Linux
support and other user’s experiences with the product in a Linux
environment.
· Consider supporting vendors that sell Linux based products and
services. Encourage them to have their product listed in the Linux
Commercial HOWTO (http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Commercial-HOWTO.html).
· Support vendors that donate a portion of their income to
organizations such as the Free Software Foundation
(http://www.gnu.org/help/help.html), the Linux Development Grant
Fund (http://li.org/li/fund/grants.shtml), the XFree86 Project
(http://www.xfree86.org/donations.html) or Software in the Public
Interest (http://www.debian.org/donations.html). If possible, make
a personal donation to these or other organizations that support
opensource software (http://www.opensource.org/). Don’t forget
that some employers offer a matching gift program program.
· If you need an application that is not supported on Linux, contact
the vendor and request a native Linux version.
9. Media Relations· Linux International is collecting press clippings
(http://www.li.org/li/resources/pressclippings.shtml) that mention
Linux, GNU and other freely redistributable software. When you see
such an article, please send the following information to
clippings@li.org:
· Name of publication
· Publisher’s contact address
· Name of author
· Author’s contact address
· Title of article
· Page number where the article starts
· The URL if available online
· A summary of the article, including your opinion
· If you believe that Linux was not given fair treatment in an
article, review or news story, send the details, including the
above information, to li@li.org so that an appropriate response can
be sent to the publisher. If you contact the publisher directly,
be professional and sure of your facts.
· If you involved with a Linux related project, issue press releases
(http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~conradp/linux/pr/) to appropriate news
services on a regular basis.
10. AcknowledgementsGrateful acknowledgement is made to all contributors, including:
Kendall G. Clark (kclark@cmpu.net)
Wendell Cochran (atrypa@eskimo.com)
Bruno H. Collovini (buick@microlink.com.br)
Allan “Norm” Crain (allanc@idea-inc.com)
Jon “maddog” Hall (maddog@zk3.digital.com)
Greg Hankins (gregh@cc.gatech.edu)
Eric Ladner (eladner@goldinc.com)
Chie Nakatani (jeanne@mbox.kyoto-inet.or.jp)
Daniel P. Kionka (dkionka@worldtalk.com)
Nat Makarevitch (nat@nataa.fr.eu.org)
Martin Michlmayr (tbm@cyrius.com)
Rafael Caetano dos Santos (rcaetano@dijkstra.ime.usp.br)
Idan Shoham (idan@m-tech.ab.ca)
Adam Spiers (adam.spiers@new.ox.ac.uk)
C. J. Suire (suire@datasync.com)
Juhapekka Tolvanen (juhtolv@silmu.cc.jyu.fi)
Lars Wirzenius (liw@iki.fi)
Sean Woolcock (sbwoolco@eos.ncsu.edu)
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