[ubuntu-uk] Non default driver

[Rowan]

I would certainly want to make it clear to anyone considering starting 
with Linux that unless they are already online with another machine (I 
am using a beat-up old sony running WinXP) it will be absolute hell for 
them to find anyone who can help them get started. I could not possibly 
have figured out what my problems were unless I had been online, and I 
spent altogether about a week picking people's brains online (on this 
and two other lists, in addition to talking to the suppliers) before I 
really felt that I had the problems identified. I couldn't have done it 
using an online terminal at the local public library, it would have been 
insane, because you keep getting sent back to the machine to try 
suggestions.  I hope that explains my ready recourse to offering money - 
it's a reflex from not really expecting to be able to deal with it 
except as a well-defined commercial contract, which I could book and 
rely on. That sort of contract you can set up with one phone call - 
assuming there is a commercial outfit in your town that you can locate 
for such tasks ,which is probably not the case anyway, but you see what 
I am getting at - I was looking for a one-stop solution I could just 
dump the problem on, who could provide a hands-on engineer rather than 
just advice. That would be a good angle for some commercial software 
service outfit: they should advertise as "linux newbies' rescue centres".

Jon Reynolds wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I would like to add something to this, although not entirely relevant to Rowan's case, but it reminds me of a lot of people thinking when it comes to adopting Linux.
>
> I have tried, half-heartedly, to get family members to switch to Ubuntu, or even just try it out for a while, thinking once they've used it for a while they will convert. My father, for example, seems genuinely keen to give it a go; he isn't a 'why would I want anything but windows' person, he is quite open minded to the open source community, but as a basic user has a bit of fear of the unknown.
>
> His reason for not trying is support. Now for most of us that's not an issue... we have a problem, we go on the web and find a solution. He is not like that, not capable of that and not inclined to want to do that. How he works at the moment and how he wants to continue to work, is that if something goes wrong with the computer, if he can't solve it over the phone with me, he just drops it into his local computer shop and says 'fix it'. 
>
> I am not sure on the capabilities of the local computer shop, but assuming they are Windows people, then he is right in as far as what does a new linux user do when things go wrong? I think this puts off a lot of people even trying.. because of the 'what if something goes wrong'.
>
> Perhaps most local computer shops are full of linux buffs anyway and they would be happier to fix his pc if it was linux rather than windows...?
>
> Jon Reynolds
>
>
>  On Tue 24/02/09 21:02 , Rowan rowan.berkeley at googlemail.com sent:
>   
>> Thanks but I shall wait until someone is able to reinstall the driver, 
>> install DKMS, and give the thing a general once-over, as discussed
>> earlier.Please understand that although I appreciate the 'open source 
>> philosophy' I do NOT regard myself as competent to fix this.
>>     
>
>
>