This stuff comes up periodically, and I think it should. As I have too much time on my hands, I'll do it this time...
While there are stickies and rules and tutorials covering this stuff, it also bears repeating in a thread. What we do here is mostly tech support and education mixed with some advocacy.
A Linux advocate is someone who has gotten one project done with Linux and realized the system's incredible power. The key to putting another Linux advocate on the street is getting the person through that first project.
When you read these points, notice how hard they would be to apply to a stupid person. So, if you have a choice of who to teach Linux to, try to pick somebody smart.
- Unless a question is a really simple one, try to take questions, test answers, and explain answers in that order, not all at once.
- When somebody says something doesn't work, ask what error message shows up. Most of the time it's a simple error and when the person goes back to try it again and write down the error message, it will work right and he or she will get confidence from having figured it out with "no help" from you. It will also get the person into the habit of paying attention to error messages.
- Make the person do things for himself or herself to the extent of his or her ability. If you are hoping to make the person into a fully qualified administrator, that means he or she does everything. If you are just getting somebody set up at the user level, ask him or her to navigate dialog boxes and such.
- Follow up on questions you answer. A simple "How's that smb.conf working out" can get followup questions whose answers will put the person on the road to true productivity.
- Keep encouraging the person with news of excellent results that others are getting with Linux. If you find another organization that is doing a similar project with Linux, be sure the person knows about it.
- If you run into trouble, mention as an aside that you're glad you're not trying to do the same task on a proprietary system.
- When the person is happy after accomplishing something, be impressed and let the person advocate to you.
eg:
NEW USER: "I got the web server set up the way I want it. Works great."
YOU: "That stuff can be a pain to configure. You wouldn't believe how long it took me the first time."
NEW USER: "Really? It was easy! You were right before when you said Linux rules!"
reference:
http://zgp.org/~dmarti/linuxmanship/
