On Tuesday 14 November 2006 10:36, JJ Gitties wrote:
The point of the post was users aren't as open to changes as one would expect. If anything. they might be a lot less open then you would expect.
While that is true, it can largely be headed off at the pass by just a little explanation and listening to what they are really saying and what their concerns really are. People are not as afraid of change as it seems. They just hate the feeling of incompetence they acquire with something new. I had this old geezer as a pro-bono client. Got tired of him bringing his virus laden computer in every few weeks because he could not resist clicking any link anyone sent him. Converted him to to Linux,and kde, after much discussion. I initially didn't understand his attachment to Outlook Express, He lived in that one application. All his friends were in there. He had archived discussions going back years in carefully constructed folders within folders. He could handle the new web browsers, the new document processors, etc. He had been thru several version changes on windows already. He even agreed to pry his fingers loose of their deathgrip on Zone Alarm, Spybot, Norton Antivirus, and Diskkeeper (defragger), which were his security blanket in windows. But Outlook Express was his home. Once I understood THAT, I used the Kmail Importer to suck all his mail in from his old drive (which he keeps around for dual boot to play games on windows). Kmail sucked it all in and perfectly replicated his structure exactly. That mattered more than anything else. And he couldn't be happier. But I had to make it a game for him. I had pointed out it was just like exploring that big culvert under the highway as a child, it was going to be scary, but new and wonderful at the same time. -- _____________________________________ John Andersen