GetGeek@Boot is a compelling idea and I like it. However, I'm inclined to feel that this would fail for two reasons:
1. There is simply a cultural boundary between the geeks and the non-geek population that would cause such an idea to fail. I suppose there is a self-selection process involved such that geeks who are willing to help will have a greater natural ability to communicate to non-geeks than those who aren't. Then again, the non-geeks who are most likely to give Linux a try and call in may have higher-than-average technical skill and therefore the gap would not be so large.
2. If the gap were large (given that these are Linux geeks volunteering, above all), how would we incentivize geek retention? This would be a challenging, time-consuming job that demands a high amount of patience--much more than CD burning--for no reward besides karma and the satisfaction of a small handful of potentially new Linux users.
I am fan of Canonical and what they have accomplished with Ubuntu. They could spearhead such an idea, if they haven't already. Obviously, they would be inclined to support Ubuntu, but any Linux distro beyond that is probably too much for non-techies. A real financial backing could make a significant difference.
Not trying to bash your idea; like I said, I like it. Rather, trying to provide some criticism to evolve it. Anybody else?
I am somewhat inclined to disagree. I think a lot of geeks desperately want to be help, to be appreciated by the non-geeks. Why else would they starve themselves in garages trying hack to start-ups that so universally strive to do not just valuable, but helpful, socially-centric things? The odds of money just aren't there.
Your belief is incorrect from my point of view. Sure, we want to help in some occasions- and of course there are bad apples in every bunch irrespective of your profession. But we don't do it because we want the "approval" of non-geeks, that's sad in my opinion, unless they have a sound reason for it. Why we do it is evidently not clear to you- which, simply put, is for the pure passion of it. If we sought to be appreciated(at least the geeks I know), or sought approval, we wouldn't be geeks. -Surely, correct me if you think I'm wrong, but unless you have experience in specifically enjoying what you do and you're not in it for the money and "starving in your garage", then don't respond. Of course there are geeks that do seek approval, - but you said "a lot" which can imply "most" and personally I don't empirically witness that. I believe Paul Graham and/or RandsInRepose has an article on this subject of why we do what we do, but the links are escaping me at the moment.
1. There is simply a cultural boundary between the geeks and the non-geek population that would cause such an idea to fail. I suppose there is a self-selection process involved such that geeks who are willing to help will have a greater natural ability to communicate to non-geeks than those who aren't. Then again, the non-geeks who are most likely to give Linux a try and call in may have higher-than-average technical skill and therefore the gap would not be so large.
2. If the gap were large (given that these are Linux geeks volunteering, above all), how would we incentivize geek retention? This would be a challenging, time-consuming job that demands a high amount of patience--much more than CD burning--for no reward besides karma and the satisfaction of a small handful of potentially new Linux users.
I am fan of Canonical and what they have accomplished with Ubuntu. They could spearhead such an idea, if they haven't already. Obviously, they would be inclined to support Ubuntu, but any Linux distro beyond that is probably too much for non-techies. A real financial backing could make a significant difference.
Not trying to bash your idea; like I said, I like it. Rather, trying to provide some criticism to evolve it. Anybody else?