[NTLUG:Discuss] [Bulk] Re: Explaining Linux and Open Source software

[steve]

The deal here is that you want a snappy line that conveys the following:

* Linux costs $0 (or so close to $0 that it's negligable).

* Linux is much more secure than Windows - for whatever reason.
   (Code quality, Many-eyes-make-all-bugs-shallow, Security-though
   obscurity, genetic variation makes for disease resistance...)

* Because you are guaranteed the rights to the source code,
   nobody can 'take away' your application in the future - you
   always have the (theoretical) capability to fix bugs, add
   features, keep it running on future hardware/software platforms.
   If some software package that your business depends on goes
   on the 'unsupported' list - then you may literally be unable
   to run it the next time your motherboard craps out and the
   replacement doesn't run whatever ancient version of the OS
   you depend on.

* There are a bazillion enthusiasts out there who will happily
   give you free support.

There are other benefits too - but they depend on what niche
your audience fits into:

* Some people should care that Linux is more 'standards based'
   than Windows - Open File Formats are as important as Open
   Source Code to some people.

* It runs better on older hardware than the competition.

* Windows likes to phone home to Microsoft once in a while
   to verify that it's still legal - this is a major
   security violation in some applications (Medical, Military,
   etc)

* In an office situation, you (the employer) may find yourself
   in deep legal problems because one of your staff brought in
   a piece of pirated software and installed it on one of your
   machines the day before Microsoft decided to audit you.
   This is most unlikely in a Linux setting where almost all
   software is free anyway.

* Linux is COOL because it's DIFFERENT!  This works very
   well for nerdy teenagers! :-)

The problem is to pack all of that into a small sentence:

   "Linux is free, you get all of the source code, it's
    standards-based and you don't have to worry about
    viruses."

...but it all depends on your target audience.