Pay it forward - 'Giving' Ubuntu to Windows Users

[Steven Davies-Morris]

NoOp wrote:
> It's the holiday season again :-)
> 
> The thread on "Selling Linux to Windows Users" brought up some good
>  points with regards to both Linux and Windows. One of the best 
> ways that I've found to introduce linux (Ubuntu actually) to 
> someone is to give them a fully configured system with 6-12 months
>  free support.
> 
> Some of you may recall that last year about this time I cobbled 
> together a recycled system, loaded Ubuntu on it, and ended up 
> giving it to a local teenager for Christmas. Happily, the kid (and 
> his family) are still using it (I checked on them on this month), 
> and I think I've received only a couple of calls for help over the 
> course of nearly 1 year.
> 
> This year I've two "Santa" systems restored from the recycle bin: a
>  1.8Ghz/768Mb w/dual 40GB drives, and a 2.4Ghz/512Mb w/dual 40GB 
> drives that are cleaned, primed, tested, and ready for wrapping. 
> One even includes my old, but very good 17' Hitachi 641 monitor 
> with it as my wife found me a used Dell 1800fp 18' for $50 (that's 
> my Xmas present :-). While the Hitachi is only 17' (15.5' 
> viewable), it's .24dpi is professional quality and very easy on old
>  eyes. Both will include 6 months free tech support.
> 
> A reminder; with the economy in the tank worldwide, now might be a 
> good time to dust off a workable system that you have in the back 
> room (desktop or even a laptop with a worn out battery), clean it 
> up, load Ubuntu on it, test it, and give it to someone near you 
> that can't afford a system. Also, some folks still can afford a new
>  system, so check with your friends & neighbors to see if they are 
> throwing out a perfectly linux/Ubuntu usable system to replace 
> their shiny new Vista ready system that they buy for their kid or 
> themselves. Most don't want to pay a recycle fee, so they might 
> just be willing to give you their old one.
> 
> However, just as last year, I want to remind those that follow my 
> suggestion; be _sure_ to include _free_ tech support for at least 6
>  months with the system that you give. As evidenced by all of the 
> postings here, and on the beginners forums, for even the most basic
>  advise, your gift will soon be another box in the garage if you 
> aren't willing to give some support time along with it. So _give_ 
> some _time_ along with the hardware and your gift will be put to 
> good use.
> 
> Had a bit of a chuckle a few weeks ago during US Thanksgiving... 
> went to my mother-in-law's home (she's 86) and discovered my 19 
> year old nephew and his girlfriend in the back room surfing the 
> internet & watching football on the PC. I asked him how the system 
> was & he replied that it was just fine. Now this is a kid that has 
> a gaming system with all the bells & whistles, yet he was quite 
> happy using the PC. You should have seen his face when I told him 
> that the system (one that I installed for my mother-in-law's live 
> in nurse) is only a 600Mhz/448Mb system running Ubuntu! Now 
> obviously had he decided to do any heavy lifting in OpenOffice, 
> playing games or such, he wouldn't have replied the same. But it 
> was nice to know that a crappy old 600Mhz machine with limited 
> memory and Ubuntu was doing just fine for a teenager browsing the 
> internet away from the boring 'old folks' during Thanksgiving :-)
> 
> Happy Holidays to all, and to all may your xorg.conf always work on
>  future installs & upgrades.
> 
> Gary/NoOp

I'm motivated, Gary! I have four systems that I'm doing exactly this
with, though I must confess one of them will be going out with my old
copy of WinXP as a dual boot. To a fellow geek (Windows) looking to
learn a bit about Ubuntu.

They're all quite decent systems with life in them that will do good
work for some time to come -- as long as the recipients don't plan on
playing the latest 3D graphics games or anything else that your local
Windows reseller *cough*Frys*cough* would recommend Vista + a dual
core + 4gb DDR2 to accomplish!

I used one of them for a few years as my main DAW for the Systems
Theory project, and another was the Linux dbms server in the largest
dry cleaner in Los Angeles (supporting 24 Esprit stations/PCs) until
last summer. So they have plenty of disk space.

The other two were my sons' WinXP PCs. Which eventually came to be
upgraded by the trickle down laws of systems integration...lord these
very nice cherried-and-maxed-out Vista machines fell from the sky and
they may as well go to two lads who are bugging the hell out of dad
for "bigger, faster and shinier". They'll want cars next...

I also have a few other older boxes in various states of disrepair. I
probably won't get to them until the new year. But I know they'll make
perfectly acceptable Linux-based "browser+email" machines once dusted
off. Maybe the community center run by the Church that sponsors my
sons' scout troop. Or some equivalent place that could put them to
work.

And my wife will be pleased to get some of the space back in our
family room area. :-) Which is a win all by itself.
-- 
Cheers, SDM -- a 21st Century Schizoid Man
Systems Theory internet music project: <www.systemstheory.net>
on MySpace: <www.myspace.com/systemstheory>
on Last FM: <www.last.fm/music/Systems+Theory>
get "Codetalkers" *free* at <www.mikedickson.org.uk/codetalkers>
NP: nothing