From: "Al Amzeen (Alexandr Amzin)" <amzeen AT mtu-net DOT ru>
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp,comp.os.msdos.programmer,comp.os.msdos.misc
Subject: Re: c|net: Microsoft has officially killed MS-DOS.
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 11:54:48 +0400
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==
oneliner:
     The Tree of Liberty must be re-
     freshed from time to time with the
     blood of patriots . . .
-- Thomas Jefferson,
          1787
Greetings, Alexei A. Frounze <alex DOT fru AT mtu-net DOT ru>! You wrote:
> > There is no need to teach someone. GNU products are cool enough with
their
> > marketing policy.
> You're wrong. There _is_ need. People would figure out how something works
very
> long, if you didn't teach them. Furthermore, they used to use those MS'
products
> and selfteaching may get stuck their work. So basically they don't start
to
> learn something new. They still use old software.
>
> If switching from M$' products to others was as simple as that, they would
> certainly use other brands than M$. M$ products are widely used. Others
not.

If there is a need, I think you should e-mail immediately to GNU, FSF and
linux.org about absolute catstrophe. As far as I remember there 20% of Linux
systems are on the market and it grows.

So, if you'll take a closer look to GNU concept, you'll see that there is NO
NEED in advertisement. GNU chosen the most effective way to advertise
itself: through @adepts@ (I'd like to use that term to all alternative
users) of new systems. Clifford Simak said about such kind of marketing as
about the most effective...and destructive to old market long before GNU
appeared.

What are the main profits of advertisement in GNU style?
- it's free, because adepts will help each other as we do in this NG
- debug cycle is dramatically short -- adepts are testing it for free and
often made it working if it fails!
- there are so many product lines as adepts want (compare with positioning
of Linux distributives and you'll see)
- there is a huge amount of docs -- for free, created by adepts too
- and there are as result:
    - chain reaction between generic users and adepts
    - _very_ stable code

So, there is nothing more than just natural selection between products.

Here we are on the way to the main question: WHY NOT TO TEACH.
I think that everyone will agree and accept that homo sapience cannot
understand unix-like systems with docs only. It's a _feature_ of that
systems. They are flexible but you have to _grok_ them by yourself. I'll say
more: if you want someone to get Linux, give him a chance to buy Windows.
And THEN he will download/or buy Linux distributive after his OWN free
choice. Without any tutors, guru and teachers.

But there are always Windows adepts too. ;)

[I have nothing to offer but
     blood, toil, tears, and sweat.
     -- W. Churchill, XXth century
soldier-statesman]