Uno's Chicago Pizza and Bar also uses linux on thier POS system.. This Email has been scanned using Norton AntiVirus 2003 Pro. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charlie Bullen" To: Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 1:59 PM Subject: Linux in business > Hello, I would like to comment on 2 recent expieriences. > > 1. Pros and Cons of Linux at the Chandler Chanber of Commerce. January > 15, 2004. > > The general concept of this presentation as I see it was to present the > "Pros and Cons of Linux" to a non technical business audience. > Unfortunatley, most of the attendees are already linux stalwarts, people > such as myself, whose day to day desktop OS is linux and who also makes > extensive use of linux for server applications in my working life, Hans, > about whom no more needs to be said and Thurman, who teaches linux/unix > at Scottsdale community college. > > Personally, I attended, not to learn the Pros and Cons, but to see what > general business peopole think of linux and if they have any interest at > all. The only person there that would remotely fall into the general > business catagory was the representitive of the Chandler Chamber who had > organizaed the event. So I really wasn't able to achieve my objective. > > To sum up this expierience, it was typical of many linux events that I > have attended, long on people who are already sold and short on > potential new converts. > > In thinking of a potential solution to this "preaching to the choir" > situation, I feel as if I personally could have and should have invited > some of my business and personal friends that either are not using linux > at all or are and don't really even know it. In other words forget about > linux stalwarts, they can take care of themselves, lets bring in some > new blood. > > 2. Nation Wide Vision. > > I stopped in to see what I had read about on plug recently and sure > enough they are running some linux variant, using the Gnome desktop. The > desk top was cleared of all icons except 1 for a proprietary program > that they use. That is the only program they use. I asked the employee > who I talked to to click on the foot and the full compliment of programs > and utilities showed up. > > He told me that the emplyees are specifically prohibited from using any > programs other than the one they have the icon form. He reported that > they system itself is real stable, although he said they do have some > problems with their propietary application. > > He showed me the computers that they use , which were plain white boxes > whith no visable floppy or cd drives. He also reported that the > computers in front don't work unless one of the computers in back is > running which leads me to believe that they are running a linux terminal > server. > > The employee didn't realize that he was running linux and in fact had no > idea what linux was. He asked if it was some kind of old operating > system. He reported satisfaction with the overall system. > > I draw the following conclusions from these expieriences. > > 1. We as linux users love our Linux in particular and computing in > general. Most people could care less. > 2. We need to come up with a plan to attract people to Linux who could > care less what operating system they use. > 3. People in general are not aware of Linux. > 4. The vast majority of computer users will never install an operating > system of any kind. The ease or difficulty of installation is of no > consequence to them at all. > 5. Most users just want to sit down and do whatever they need to do with > a minimum of concern for their equipment. > > Enough ranting for 1 day > > Charlie BUllen > > --------------------------------------------------- > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss >