[CS-FSLUG] Tech Jargon In Plain English

[Brian Derr]

On Thu, Nov 11, 2004 at 07:23:31PM -0500, Don Parris wrote:
> Can anyone think of some simple ways to explain to non-techy folks
> some of the advantages of the GNU OS?  For instance, I've made mention
> of the fact that GNU/Linux uses all the RAM it can, thus reducing the
> need to store data on the hard drive.  Hopefully, that's not too
> "techy".

I think the easiest way to catch their attention and get them to
contemplate an open source solution is liberty.  Liberty, or freedom, is
the one thing that everyone strives to have and others try to take.
Governments _love_ to take liberty.  Corporations _love_ to take
liberty.  Give a simple example of a corporation doing this.  You want,
my favorite, some mint chocolate chip ice cream.  So you head down to
Baskin-Robbins and peruse their selection.  All they have is cookie
dough.  Thirty one cartons of cookie dough.  When you ask the clerk
about it they say the company decided that since most people like cookie
dough it is the only option now.  "Well what about me?!  I like mint
chocolate chip," you yell!

Yes, a very lame and poorly thought out example (can you tell I am about
to get a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream?  ;-) but still proves my
point.  Corporations are not looking out for your liberty, they are
looking out for their coffers.  They do not want to offer you choice
because choice is going to cut down on sales.  Linux/BSD/whatever offers
choice.  Almost too much choice for a newbie.

Thousands upon thousands of people have gone to war over freedom and
liberty and yet we give it up over something as stupid as an operating
system?  "Give me Liberty or give me death" is how Mr. Patrick Henry put
it I believe.  

> But how to explain the advantages of the hybrid kernel?  You guys
> might know other technical advantages that I haven't thought of yet,
> as well.  This is going into my outreach material, so we gotta keep it
> fairly simple.

Way too techy!  Don't get into kernels and OS theory if they are not
technical.  A kernel can be confusing enough for someone that is really
trying to grasp computers let alone someone who hardly understands what
an OS is.  Keep it really simple.  Talk of choices and personal
freedoms.  Not that opening vim and looking at the source code of grep
is their idea of a good time, yet, but it is a small selling point to a
non-tech crowd.  The idea that I can change it if I don't like it.

Just some crazy ideas from a guy that is way too tired and needs some
ice cream!  :-D

Brian

-- 
The just man walketh in his integrity:
his children are blessed after him.  -- Proverbs 20:7
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