Convincing a school district to migrate from OS X to Ubuntu or Edubuntu

[CLIFFORD ILKAY]

David McNally wrote:
> Hello everybody.
> 
> This question will probably take a little while to type, but I'll try to
> get it through.
> 
> First off, I should probably point out that I live here in the United
> States, in northern New Jersey. The kind of people who live around me
> are rich idiots; they're the kind of people who, somehow, have a lot of
> money, but still use Windows. No one here knows anything about Linux,
> let alone Ubuntu.
[snip]
> Would we be able to do this at all? Also: is Edubuntu really that much
> better for schools than Ubuntu?
> 
> Please let me know what you think.

Hello David,

The place to start is with yourself. Calling people who use Windows
"rich idiots" is not the way to win them over. Most people don't give a
whit about computers and just muddle their way through them to get a
limited number of things done inefficiently. That doesn't make them
idiots. Treat the people whom you're trying to win over with genuine
respect, acknowledge their strengths, and learn as much as you can about
what they do. From that, you will figure out how to help them and they
will be more inclined to take you seriously. If after you understand
their particular circumstances the logical conclusion is that Windows or
OS X might in fact serve their needs better, be honest and tell them so.
Linux is NOT the right choice for everyone, yet, though in K-12
education, it is an excellent choice.
-- 
Regards,

Clifford Ilkay
Dinamis
1419-3266 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON
Canada  M4N 3P6

<http://dinamis.com>
+1 416-410-3326
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