Computer Helps Ministry Returns

For the past decade or so I have offered as much computer help as I could for free. People did sometimes offer money, but it was never required. I did what I could because I really like people. In my world, computers serve people, or computers have no reason to exist.

A great many readers have passed through here objecting to my posts about Linux, often with such ugliness I had to delete their comments. I’m reluctant to do that, but particularly among the Linux hobby users and enthusiasts, there is a powerful streak of anti-human sentiment. To understand Open Source, you have to grasp the idea the entire field of endeavor is developer centric, as opposed to user centered. Or perhaps we might say it is centered on the science and art of computer coding, and users be damned. It’s less so than when I first tasted Linux 15 years ago, and there has been a recent upswing in reaching for the user’s favor. I liken it to a very awkward geek trying hard to figure out how to speak to a lovely lass — they are trying, but often miss the point.

With Ubuntu, we have a solid couple of layers between developers and users. While this means the developers get less useful feedback from the Ubuntu community, at least the users are treated better. For older hardware, or simply utility computer use, I still recommend CentOS, but for home desktop users, Ubuntu reigns. This past week I installed it on a lady’s machine, and she appears to have adapted quickly. Perhaps that’s because she does so little with a computer in the first place, but that’s what Ubuntu is designed to cover. All of her hardware works with Karmic Koala, and in a month or so we’ll upgrade to Lucid Lynx. She will be much more comfortable with that Long Term Support, since frequent re-releases would annoy her.

While I could steer most folks to the Ubuntu forums, frankly that thing has swollen to such a scale it’s hard to get involved. I have tried to offer my help suggestions there, but it’s just too hard to keep up with the high traffic. I gave up for the most part. I’ll keep my comments here.

For the most part, I’ll still be supporting the various iterations of Windows, but my primary efforts will be aimed at migrating folks to Linux. It seems to me, after all my years of effort, a couple of Linux companies understand the idea that frequent wholesale upgrades were driving ordinary users away. With all the hassles they experience with Windows, it’s a much easier sell these days. Now that I have more time for this, it seems it might finally fly.