[ Thanks to Matt Williams for
this link. ]
“For a while now, people have criticized me for having an AOL
account. They say it’s too user friendly and won’t run normally in
Linux. I always agree, citing my laziness as the reason for not
quitting (too many things signed up through it). … It appears
though, that I may have another weapon to use as firepower in their
arguments. That weapon is the number of Win9x users I have helped
convert to or get setup with Linux.”
“Typical AOL users, you see, are relatively new to computers
(or at least the internet). They don’t know much about Win9x, let
alone Linux. This leaves them with many questions. … Unlike
most of us who are in contact with geeks (or happen to be geeks
ourselves), they don’t have a friend they can phone up and ask what
Linux is about. They also are nervous about asking for help on
message boards, as they may feel intimidated. So, what better
way to find out info than from another AOL user?”
“How many confirmed users have I converted? Well, out of those
50 or so I’ve had ask questions, a good 35 or more people were
users with questions, so about 12 people now use Linux thanks to my
help. Is that a huge number? No. Is anything better than nothing?
Yes. If we’re ever going to be the dominant OS, we need promotion.
What better way to promote Linux (without ad money) than to assist
those who need guidance?”