[ubuntu-uk] Ubuntu promotion

[Tony Gist]

Just thought I would relate my experiences on promoting Ubuntu.

First of all, I run a one-man-band IT training/maintenance outfit. I run
a number of courses at venues, mainly in the rural areas of North Devon,
on the usual SOHO apps stuff. All the training I do is done on Open
Source apps. i.e. Open Office and GIMP etc. For the student it makes
sense to do training on Open Source applications as I let them have the
software as part of the course which enables them to practice at home
using exactly the same software that is used on the course. This gets
around the problem that I used to have when I did courses using MS apps,
as invariably students did not have the same version of MS Office (if at
all) as I was using on the course.

One of the courses I do is about Internet security. Whereby students
learn all the security issues concerning Windows and what to do about
them. The final part of course is about Linux and specifically Ubuntu,
emphasising the security of using such a system. As a result of these
sessions I have installed Ubuntu on many of the students PCs (usually
dual booting) and the result has been very positive. It is interesting
that the majority of Ubuntu uptake has been with students of retirement
age. As a result courses are planned for the students specifically on
using Ubuntu.

In short, emphasising the improvement in Internet security has been the
driving force in the uptake of Ubuntu Linux in this corner of the UK.