I think the best way to advocate Linux would be to popularise it in fields who have no interest in computers but simply use them as tools to get on with their work and life. I see so many posts here that are like "the compiz manager on my geforce fsge32652 running kernel doesnt work" - these are obviously techies. The best way to get people who are NOT to use it would be simply to hunt down the sites where they hang out and tell them. I've already taken the first step, with people who, in general, are the diametric opposite of techies, designers I just went to www.netdiver.net (an INCREDIBLE site) and sent an email to the webmistress telling her about this site. I think everyone here should just pick a random occupation and google for a site (*please*, search for some time to make it worth your while, most forum sites have a "number of times thread viewed" column just like this one) and post there, telling them about Linux and linuxquestions.
The "asking smart questions" thing stops here - a designer or aerospace engineer or movie maker neither knows nor cares what "kernel 23.4.1-5444.2.54" is and nor should they - it's our business to hold their hand, if we can, of course requesting the info needed to actually solve the problem, but still, well, holding their hand - there's a whole topic "Newbies" for that.
But in return can we ask that they give away some of their plane designs and movies for free as well?

You're advocating hassling uninterested non-technical people for what benefit exactly? Bullying others into using certain software really isn't a great step forward for humanity.

To add to my esteemed colleague's post, if we all write to even one other person mentioning LQ we will quickly gain a reputation for being a spam site!

If you really want to advocate Linux, just use it. If your friends see you using it for much the same thing they use Windows for, they are likely to ask about using it themselves. If you have the opportunity to suggest it in a work or office setting, definitely do so. Trying to force it on people will have the exact opposite effect and may bias them against it the next time they think about it.

Just use it and look smug the next time friends and colleagues complain about a system crash or a virus, it's far more effective that way.

I just came across this:
http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=242986

I think we should take note of what they're saying and answer their questions.

I'm going to back up XavierP on this one. I just use Linux on a daily basis and make no effort to convince people that it is worth their time. However, I routinely get all sorts of comments and questions about it. Just the other day I had to give a presentation to some clients. At the end of the presentation, I still had my laptop projected on the screen and as I was shutting down it was very clear that I was running KDE and OpenOffice. That generated a TON of comments and questions since until that point they had no idea I wasn't running Windows.

no this "burrow" mentality is wrong.

I'd agree with the others. This so called hassling others to use Linux, to go out and preach it is like religion, the more you push it onto me, the more I hate it. I mean, I get Cialis and Viagra emails in my inbox daily, I hate spammers and both Cialis and Viagra now..

Stop preaching and just continue using it.. treat it like the movie "Field of Dreams", If you build it, they will come!

I'm fairly sure that the majority of Linux users (I know I did) go through a phase that's almost fanboi-like. Every computer problem can be solved if the person would just install Linux. Frankly, as good as Linux is, there are times when it's not appropriate - there are programs that people require that aren't supported outside of Windows or Mac and a lot of people don't want the perceived hassle of learning a new system.

Best thing to do is to keep your ears open and offer a live CD if someone seems like they may be receptive. Doing it at any other times will turn people off.

"Burrow" (verb) is NOT the opposite of "Proselytize". What people are saying is please do not proselytize. The average computer user will do little more than get annoyed with you---and they will not change just because you are marching up and down the street waving the "Penguin Flag".

This said, there is certainly nothing wrong with telling people what you have learned--or offering to help if they ask for it.

Never try to teach a pig to sing---It wastes your time, and annoys the pig.

I would assume going by people I know and meet that are computer users really just don't care what OS is running, they get caught up with the applications that run on top of an OS.

Compare operating systems to cars. How many people do you think actually look under the hood when they buy a car? My guess is a lot don't care. They like the gadgets inside and looks on the outside/inside. As long as they know where to put the gas to keep it running, that's all they know about their car. I mean, I see advertisements for car commercials that only show what the car looks like and that it has an iPod connection in it. If that's selling cars and I'm sure it actually is a high selling point, they're targeting the exact people who don't care what actually makes the car move.

I've not seen it.

whether you've seen a shitty film about baseball or not isn't exactly the issue here... your ideas are flawed and dangerous to Linux...

you don't actually be putting forward any supporting comments to your initial statement. That thread you linked to - what about it??? it largely supports what we're saying, and it's an individual asking for advice. not someone trying to ram it down someone elses throat.

What the OP ssems to be saying is that the questions posed in that thread are a good opportunity for linux users to invade that forum and start giving people advice on how to use linux, rather than waiting for these people to come to this forum and ask for help. At least, that is my understanding.

I hope you will not do this. Already you see that linux users have a bad reputation for trying to evangelize the world about the OTOS and convincing the world that all others are part of a diabolical plan to keep you vendor locked in software patents and copyrighted software. That is not good for linux or open source, i think.

Rather, people should just see you do your things with the OS of your choice and voluntarily take the step to try it out. If they have questions, the community will help, if they like it they'll stick with it. If they don't, they move on. Because of their own free will, not because some linux lunatics decided to stop the heresy.

The film really wasn't about baseball so I really don't consider it a shitty film about baseball.. shitty in other aspects though..

I generally agree. There are areas where Linux is still weak, so advocating Linux to people in those areas could probably do more harm than good.
That said, if there are areas you are involved with and know something about and happen to know there are good Linux based solutions, you might as well mention them when asked. Many people I know want little more then an office package and a web browser, so in that case I would mention openoffice and firefox on Linux. GIMP might be ok for low and medium end manipulation of photos, but many advanced users hate GIMP and stick to Mac and Windows software (Photoshop etc). I personally don't know enough about image manipulation to be able to judge on the merits of things like GIMP, so I wouldn't want to set people up for being disappointed first time users of Linux.

My point, I guess, is that you need to argue from a bases of knowledge of the domain people are in. And yes, Live CDs are a great first start for many.