This would normally be private reverie, but I want to make sure my parishioners have a clue what’s happening here.
I’m writing this more for my own sense of moral focus than anything else. Something is absorbing a lot of my attention right now. I see before me a calling to extend the computer support ministry, in that I need to be ready for bigger things. I still sense that it means I’ll be hired by someone who will sponsor the work for whatever reason. I have a strong sense that it will start out slow and small, and blossom into something I cannot predict. This is the path I tread.
An important task along this path was trying to discern what I would want to offer, to focus on just a few Linux products so I could do a better job for the client. So while I still recommend CentOS for the corporate desktop, I recommend some version of Ubuntu/Kubuntu for just about everyone else except the hard-core computer geeks. I still prefer Debian for myself, but I know that most users rely on less DIY. Please note: The difference between the two *buntus is that the flagship product Ubuntu is much easier to use for younger folks or those who need it really, really simple. It’s quite different from Windows, but a whole lot simpler. Kubuntu would appear somewhat more like Windows to most people. It is more for computer users who have an expectation of gaining a moderate measure of expertise, people who willingly take the time to learn about the system.
I have to keep a focus on the mission, not the methods and means. That means I can’t push my personal preferences, but offer something that is actually tested and known to work for the average computer user. Nothing is perfect; there will never be a computing Nirvana. This means I’ll have to steel myself against wishes for what cannot be. I’ve also made my Kubuntu book free. I believe it was a mistake to charge for it and I should have stuck to my instincts on that. I will also update it for more recent versions.
Behind all this I’m dealing with a potent anticipation based on guesses about how this expanded mission will become viable in the sense of a demand for services. I’m not going to sell this thing like some aggressive entrepreneur. My nature is to respond to a cry for help, and if folks don’t cry, I have little to offer. So it seems painfully obvious to me that something has to change in the world at large, something that will make Windows a major problem for folks who now use it. I refuse to manufacture a crisis; if folks don’t feel the need, there’s no use pushing this. That’s how faith works, and this must rest first and foremost on my faith.
While I can guess what might bring about such a demand, I know that I can’t yet foresee what it will be. A part of me currently expects some kind of technical glitch that can’t be fixed, or some utterly stupid move by MS that would drive people away. Or maybe MS simply collapses in some way and can’t support the product. It’s also possible that there could be some compromise from which MS cannot break away, where it is revealed that MS has become captive to some other force in the world. However, aside from some shockingly egregious change that attacks their sense of security, most people tend to ignore privacy threats. Thus, I lean toward the idea this will more likely be something that simply makes Windows impossible to use for some portion of current users. This is just conjecture on my part; I really don’t know what to expect.
And it would take only a small percentage of market shift. If so much as one percent of computer owners/users decide Linux is a better option, that’s all it would take to put me in business, so to speak. For now, I’m just waiting to see what comes next. Something of which I am more certain is that much of what humans value and use in this world will be more completely tied to the Internet and networking in general. More and more resources will be invested in cyber space and it will matter what tools we use for it. We still have a lot of other crap to face, but this is the focus of my calling.
I’ll let you decide if I’m chasing a delusion, but I’m all in on this one.
