Title

Think user Linux registrations can make a world change?

The question

Do you think the registration of Linux users can make people, companies, governments, institutes, and everything related to technology change their opinions (minds)?

Introduction
My first experience with a PC

I used proprietary software since I owned a PC.
Starting from the operating system to the programs all was backed by a closed company.

Eureka

At the year 2004, I have read a magazine that mentioned the word "Linux",
it was the first time I got to know that actually there was other Operating Systems than Windows.

I "googled" and "wikipped"(searched),
all the information I could get about that new system(for me).

After few searchs the word "Debian GNU/Linux" came up.
I have burned the ISO file for a brand new CD and got all enthusiast.

Experience

I had actually complete the command line install,
but always thinking for myself "What a waste of time!" (Yeah... such an idiot I was at that time).

After the installation, I booted the distribution and at the minimal error and/or thing that didn't worked like I pretended, I would just say a lot of terrible things and give up.

The second chance

Only at about 2007, I gave Linux other chance(ironic, like Linux was the guilty for my lack of skills...).
I downloaded and burned the Ubuntu Linux 6.06 Live CD ISO.

I was astonished when the CD booted,
asked for language and actually changed it.
Then the Live Environment "flashed"(appeared).

I was out of words and almost regretted everything I have said about Linux efforts(I still didn't had a open mind tough).

For the first time I actually faced-up the problems and issues that came up, but annoying everyone and saying bad stuff(I'm terribly sorry).

The enlightenment

Only at about end of 2009,
I started actually wanting to learn how everything worked.

That was the time I changed for Slackware Linux distribution.
I learned many stuff.

But with the time, I realized that the important isn't the Operating System and/or Distribution we use, is the use that we make of it.

Nowadays I use about any distribution without complaining much.
We need to respect the work of others after all,
and we can learn with the mistakes too.

All this to ask

The question

Do you think the registration of Linux users can make people, companies, governments, institutes, and everything related to technology change their opinions (minds)?

NOTE: This reflects for BSDs, OpenSolaris(now over) and all other related open source software not just Linux.

Please, share your toughs!
And sorry for all that text...

Linux is like any tool. It is a very good tool and certainly superior to other tools which Shall Not Be Named as a tool.

But tools do not make for change, persons do.

And I'm not sure what you mean by "registration."

Registering as a registered Linux user is quite benign, but, frankly, doesn't influence anyone who doesn't already know about Linux.

But withall, welcome to LQ; I commend you on your enthusiasm.

I don't think having Linux users register will do a lot of good. Even if corporations, etc saw how many Linux users there are, Microsoft would still be spreading FUD about Linux wherever it goes. The world has been trained to submit to the authority of Windows. This can only be changed on a person-by-person basis by stripping away layer after layer of anti-Linux propaganda.

However, as Linux continues to mature and offer user-friendly distros (ie Ubuntu), this process will become much easier.

Okay thanks for the feedback frankbell and eveningsky339.

I just made this thread,
because I hear a lot that market share influences everything related to IT.

For example companies of PC's(laptops mostly) don't give the freedom to choose the operating system we want by default, usually comes bundle with OEM windows products.

Another example is the drivers,
most of them don't support certain operating systems and don't even give us the freedom to create a driver for it.
This is the part that I'm more worried.
After all hardware should be independent from software (just an opinion).

About the commercial applications and "games",
well that I understand...
Companies need to make their bills(tough patents give money too)...
So that I won't complicate much...

So... This thread is a way of may learn some new things about how people see Linux.

I won't compare Windows, Apple or Linux(or others),
because they all have a reason to exist(that's why people use them after all).

A thing that I learned, is that we(people) fight a lot for freedom,
but when we get it, we split ourselves in groups,
so that everyone can live happy on its way of "living".

Thanks for the replies, cheers and hope santa give many presents.

I think in part it will help. But it will not be some magical thing were it changes the world overnight.

The advances and direction things are going in, for example with Linux, is great. But the best things in life take time.

All companies see are sales figures. If Linux was something that could only be purchased and was from only one source and had clearly defined guarantees on functionality, then they would support it.

Like Android.

It comes from google, has the backing of a large company, generally only comes on devices that you buy, has an easily understood packaging and distribution system as well as SDK, and has lots of idiots that buy worthless garbage with it.

That's profitable.

If all linux users were using redhat and redhat made clear guide lines as well as a redhat SDK, then we may see more companies develop other kinds of software for it that isn't server related.

Me personally, I've stopped buying games and software for Windows. I don't even bother trying to install the ones I have under wine or boot into Windows. It's not worth my time.

I think the only other thing that would make companies listen to linux, or any other OS for that matter, is if a really large company drops there licenses and purchase agreements and says they are switching to open source only because they feel it matches better with their goals. But that would require more productive desktop software. Currently I think OpenOffice is the only thing that really meets those standards and small businesses miss use OpenOffice as a stand-in to let everybody view and edit the master office files. OpenOffice is designed to use openoffice documents. Trying to make it use any other document format is silly and any support it has it there for convenience. As for multimedia we have Blender, Gimp, Inkscape and other such things. They may be fully capable, but their ease of use and productivity isn't there. There are things that can be done in Adobe Products that are so much quicker and effective than getting the same results in Gimp and Inkscape. I'm sure the same can be said about Blender. But either way, Gimp and Inkscape aren't aimed at the same audience as Adobe products. If they were aimed at production companies then they would have premium content and probably offer paid support and universal pre-compiled linux binaries.

Thanks Amdx2_64 and Lumak for answering!

So... What Linux needs is some "kinda" of standard?

From mine ball of crystal(previsions)...
We may have a standard on this categories:

Ubuntu - Desktop (with a company supporting it)

Red Hat Linux - Server (company too)

Debian - Community

Android (it's still Linux, right?) - mobile devices (company google)

But if the market only cared about these distributions,
I think that would be bad...

And what about Slackware Linux, Gentoo Linux, OpenSuse, Novell Enterprise, Arch Linux and others...

That would be terrible, so what may be really needed is a global standard for FOSS(and may even Proprietary ones)?

Like the ".run", ".sh" formats? But greater implemented...

(But often people who don't follow the standards, makes new ones, ah... I'm all confused...)
Well don't pay attention, thanks for the replies.

And yes OpenOffice is a great example,
but the move for LibreOffice is another example of a change.

Anyway, everything as it place.

Sorry if I'm misunderstanding...

Cheers!

I think the whole idea of mass registration of Linux would be more than detrimental to Linux as more people would be thinking another M$ type of EULA... NO THANKS !!!They would be also in the mindset that Linux OWES them to be better than the competitors thus this or that piece of hardware or proprietary program must run in it.

Probably not, but GNU/Linux will still change the world nonetheless, and it already has. I did not registered as a Linux user, although I could if all they ask for is an e-mail address.

I personally wouldn't see registration like a windows EULA. It could just be a general one with GNU and FOSS. Something distro independent. Similar to The Linux Counter but more formal and standard with all distro's. Maybe have an extra line to fill for the distro(s) one uses.

From what I can see now, Linux user registrations aren't that important as I thought.
Forums like this and other projects that are distributions and system independent,
show that we can "share" the differences and live well with it.

Maybe the real issue is the licenses of the products,
that give so much limitations, that we end up can't making using of it.

Tough I'm no expert, I think ZFS file system is one of that examples.
Also the Adobe Flash Player, which forces people to make a promise of never make a product "similar" to it, a reason that affects gnash project (not sure).

But well... Thanks for the posts!

Hello All,

I feel registration is important as it shows how many people actually use Linux. I am ashamed to tell you that with my new laptop I have also bought Windows 7. But a laptop without would be twice the price. Now, I would like not te be counted as someone who uses windows, but rather as a Linux enthusiast. If registration helps to show that MS's market share is not what they think it is, I am happy to register.

On the subject of nettiquette (?, how to behave on the net and in e-mails) is it rude to mail someone a document in an MS Office format? I feel it is more appropriate to use standards, such as pdf. I don't want to go off topic, but does anyone know the do's and don't regarding the exchange of documents?

Regards

I don't know for sure about netiquette, but I would personally never send a document in a proprietary format to anyone (besides the document is explicitly demanded in that format, but I would complain at first).
Of course you can try to open word documents in Open Office, but there can be issues with that.
I simply don't see the point in sending documents to someone for that the person has to buy a software (and may be the appropriate OS) only to be able to look at them in the way there were written.

To the original topic:

I don't think that registering as Linux user will change anything. I myself am an registered user, but I think their is a flaw in registering as user.
Microsoft doesn't count registered users, but sold copies. So even if there were as many Linux users as people using Windows, Microsofts count would be way higher. I for my self have three (main) machines, all running with Debian, no Windows here. But I count only as one user. Would I be a Windows user I would count as three sold copies. And if I buy a prebuilt PC, and we all know that most of them come with Windows preinstalled, I would count as three copies, even if they were deleted and I installed Linux only on that machines.

So I think we should not register users, but machines running with Linux, with an extra counter for deleted Microsoft OSs.

1 members found this post helpful.

Unfortunately, in certain fields, you can not live without Windows. To be profitable in a Game Development or Multimedia Company, you have to use Windows... or mac... You can support Linux, but you will not be profitable in those fields if you only support/use Linux

However,

The home user that basically only watches video, looks at webpages, and reads e-mail, documents, etc. can without a doubt, replace windows completely. I don't see why they don't. For anybody that only does these things, I would always recommend Linux.

Additionally,

A linux registration would probably have to separate desktop, work, and maybe even type of work, for the most visible and useful statistics gathering.