“Advocating is a noble gesture of support to the many Open
Source programmers, yet it’s important to keep in mind that
advocacy is not about degrading other operating systems.
Advocacy is about an accurate portrayal of Linux; it’s important to
acknowledge that it’s not without bugs, but it does excel in many
areas. Linux has no central authority for public relations, so the
impression that new Linux users get from the existing members of
the community is important. We want people to try Linux and decide
for themselves if they like it or not — and that means listening
to their feedback and offering suggestions and support.”
“One way you can express your advocacy is by becoming a mentor
to a new Linux user. Take them in, help them understand Linux, and
explain to them how things work. It’s not a question of setting up
their Linux system for them but helping to explain it so they know
how to do it themselves. Maybe you can help them avoid any problems
you had when you first started out. Linux shouldn’t be expressed as
a private club where you need to dig through man pages and HOWTOs
to be accepted, although that is the attitude many new users are
getting because it tends to be the most outspoken attitude.”