Help Wanted: Linux PR

ROSE Blog: Rikki's Open Source Exchange

Sarah Stokely wrote a Linux.conf.au event report for our April issue of Linux Pro Magazine, which is trickling into the printer as I type. I noticed she has a lot of other thoughtful articles on her blog, The Open Source Report, including coverage of women in open source. For example, Sarah observes that none of the 10 winners of the Google Highly Open Participation competition are women.

Sarah also wrote an excellent article about the PR problem in Linux. I'm constantly amazed at how few people outside our community understand the worldwide impact of open source. (In fact, I had to explain to a couple of my non-tech-savvy friends that I don't actually write an "open sores" blog.)

openSUSE's Joe "Zonker" Brockmeier also read Sarah's PR article and he has a few suggestions for spreading the word about open source, including "Be Open and Friendly."

With Linux PR in mind, and in an effort to help future Linux users, I need to find an accounting solution for the nice couple who sat next to me on my flight home from SCALE 6x last weekend. They are small business owners who absolutely hate Windows Vista. Naturally, I asked them whether they've heard of Linux – they hadn't. Now I need to help the couple find an accounting system that will replace Peachtree and convert them to happy Linux users. (I promise my intentions are purely PR-related and have nothing to do with the fact that they are hot tub retailers.) Let me know if you have suggestions for the easiest way to help rescue these future Linux users. Otherwise, I'll do my homework and let you know what I turn up.