I've said it before and I'll say it again: I believe Linux is ready for the mainstream. I have been using various distributions of Linux for several years now (Ubuntu, Fedora, Mint, and gOS are a few that I've tried) and I've also helped several friends successfully make the switch to using Linux. While I can't ignore the fact that there is a learning curve associated with picking up Linux, I can say that in my opinion it's no worse than the learning curve associated with switching to a new version of Windows. Linux is different, but it's not harder.

So why aren't more people switching over? One of the biggest reasons is simple money. Microsoft spends lots and lots of money, making sure that when you think of buying a new computer, it has Windows pre-installed. They also spend money to ensure that Windows is the household name when you think of an operating system. An article printed yesterday at The Register brings us evidence of this straight from OpenSource World.

"Novell openSuSE community manager Joe Brockmeier, appearing with Finch, said raising awareness to stimulate consumer demand via marketing is Linux's biggest hurdle.

"If you take my marketing budget, add it to Ubuntu and Red Hat's marketing budget it's not even a rounding error for Microsoft. For us to generate the market awareness to say: 'I want Linux on a netbook' is going to be incredibly hard because we don't have the tools to do that," Brockmeier said."

And that is the plain truth that Linux supporters have to face. Linux in any one of it's forms, and probably even as a whole, will never have the advertising budget of Microsoft. We may see a change in that once Google's new Chrome OS comes to market, but Google has not been known for expensive ad campaigns despite the fact that they can afford them. It will be interesting to watch the battle shape up, but we at Nillabyte are not quite convinced that Chrome will be the Windows killer that some experts predict. And at any rate, I've never been one happy to sit around and wait for others to do the work for a cause I believe in.


The question I find myself asking all too frequently is, "What can I do to support and spread the open source software I believe in?" Many who ask this question find themselves thinking, "I'm not a programmer, so I can't contribute." Or even worse, "I can't afford to donate money to help this, so I can't contribute." But the fact is, there is a ton you can do to help out. In order to spread and flourish, open source software needs artists and software testers, documentation and support help, and even just people to help get the word out. One of the main pushes for Kyle and I creating this website was so that we could do our part - to educate, to support, and to vocalize the cause.*

So if you find yourself using open source software at all, start asking yourself what you can give back. If nothing else, order an Ubuntu or Firefox T-shirt to wear around and be ready to tell people what it's all about. I also wanted to mention the exciting GNU Generation group recently started by the Free Software Foundation. Encouraging young people to get involved will ensure that free and open source software has a bright future. The more people we get involved and using open source software, the more it will spread, and that's pretty exciting.

* -- Our goal at Nillabyte is to help people find ways to do what they want with their computers, and although we're surely not objective, we do try to help people understand all the options (Linux, Mac, and Windows). We both have and use all three operating systems regularly. Yes, we are geeks.

Welcome to Nillabyte's new Linux and Open Source column. We're very excited about open source software and the many great options that it offers, and we hope that we can share that with you through this section of our site!