I would like to add a few points from my 'User group coordinator' point of view ...
It does seem to me however that the Linux community suffers from an overdose of that sorry old computing tale - assuming that everyone else in the world knows as much as you, and despising them if they do not!
Hopefully this is not the case - as this list shows ... or do we assume too much ? It is hard to help someone with a problem when they just tell you 'it doesn't work' - but with a little detail from an initial investigation on the users part, things can usually be resolved - but it has to be a 2-way thing. We try to help (and volunteer our time to help) - but the user has to try to help to help (if you see what I mean) too. Those of you who have problems - have you tried contacting your local user group ? With Linux you have (at least ?) 3 support options : 1. Do it yourself 2. Contact the community (local user group, mailing lists, etc) 3. Commercial support Of course, 1 is hard (if you do not have the experience). 2 relies on you being able to do some work yourself. Mailing lists are quite useful - but taking your box along to a user group meeting can be so much more efficient. With this option you must put in some effort yourself - even if it is just turning up to a local meeting and talking to someone ... usually the 'community' is pretty helpful ... If you need more direct support than volunteer help then the only alternative is paying for technical support ... The problem is that with Linux, at the moment, there are more people that need *some* technical support to start with (well, I would guess more than Windows) - but don't forget, it is possible to buy a PC fully installed with Linux - as you would do if you bought a PC from the high-street for home ... Also, you have to remember that with Linux, you are trading time for money and control. It is not (currently) possible to have everything absolutely 'for free' right now - in a few years time ? Who knows ... :-) How many people follow the 'Linux is free' banner, buy a 2 quid CD (or get one of a mag), try and fail to install it then throw it away ? I don't know - but I do try to encourage new users to buy a box set that comes with a manual and email/phone installation support. Also, there seems to be a subset of people that assume that the user group is there to get them running Linux at all costs - when really, it is about sharing experiences ... The community often helps if it can - but the key bit is the 'sharing'. With regards to this 'free' thing - sometimes Linux advantages can really work against it ... :-) This is probably the biggest problem to solve in the whole Linux advocacy thing ... IMO Adopting Linux is not trivial, not expensive (in money) but does cost time, but the rewards can far outway the alternative approaches if you make it ... hopefully more people are 'making it' these days ... Just my views ... Kevin. Northants LUG.