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 Channel Futures

Open Source


Ubuntu Support for Non-Geeks

  • Written by Christopher Tozzi
  • August 10, 2009

As WorksWithU reported last week and Canonical announced the following day, the company has released a new set of support services targeted at Windows and Mac OS X expatriates migrating to Ubuntu.  At first glance, the entry-level “Starter Desktop” package might appear a bit lackluster, at least to experienced Ubuntu users.  But that’s exactly what Ubuntu needs in order to break into the mainstream.  Here’s why.

When I first read the details of the Starter package, priced around $55 according to Linux Magazine Online, I wasn’t impressed.  Tasks like configuring Evolution and installing the flash plugin in Firefox are so trivial and so exhaustively covered by tutorials on blogs and the Ubuntu forums, I thought, that no one would be willing to pay money for assistance with them.

Then I remembered that I’m more of a geek than I’d like to admit, and that tasks that seem trivial to people like me can be impossibly intimidating for individuals switching to Ubuntu, even if they are well documented online.

From a normal person’s point of view–a normal person being the kind of computer user who is unsure of the difference between Windows and Microsoft Word, or between the Internet and Internet Explorer–$55 sounds like a reasonable price to pay for a year’s worth of help configuring Ubuntu for the simple tasks that normal people perform with their computers: Web browsing, email, playing multimedia and word processing.

Reassurance and Professionalism

Canonical’s decision to offer an affordable phone- and email-based support service will also go a long way towards accommodating non-geeks who are used to calling corporate support centers, rather than turning to community members or Google, when they have a problem.

Geeks may prefer community-based support in forums and IRC channels over being put on hold with an offshore call center whose service representatives do little more than follow a script.  But normal people expect an experience like that, dismal as it is, when they have computer problems.  Having a number to call is a significant reassurance for individuals considering a move to Ubuntu.

Along similar lines, Canonical’s development of a support plan aimed at desktop users (previous offerings were really only realistic for enterprise customers) adds a sense of professionalism to Ubuntu’s image.  Whether they choose to subscribe or not, many non-geeks will be encouraged to know that Ubuntu has a solid, corporate-sponsored support infrastructure behind it, which is more than most Free operating systems can say.

It remains to be seen how well Canonical can actually deliver the support promised by the Starter package, and whether the new offering will help generate the revenue needed to make the company self-sustaining.  I’m also skeptical about the other support plans introduced last week, which, at $110 and $220, seem less realistically priced than the Starter package.

In any case, a move to deliver a more traditional desktop support infrastucture, with all the reassurances that non-geeks need to feel comfortable in front of their computers, is a solid step in the right direction for a company aiming to bring Ubuntu Linux to the masses.

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7 comments

  1. Avatar Jef Spaleta August 10, 2009 @ 2:41 pm
    Reply

    As a nice complement to the starter package is the online desktop training that Canonical is already offering for in experienced user. Look for it in the Canonical store.
    http://shop.canonical.com/product_info.php?products_id=134amp;osCsid=3e05e0c9f2a82628f24416ddbc59020f

    The Ubuntu desktop web training and the starter package support option seem to me would be a very good 1-2 punch aimed at helping novice linux users to take the leap. But how is the target audience for these services going to find them?

    How many people reading this have purchased an Ubuntu pre-install as a gift for the non-technical people in their life? Raise your hand if you would be willing to spend ~$100 extra on such a gift in order to add the online desktop training and the starter support package from Canonical to help that person feel comfortable using something a little unfamiliar?

    For it to be really effective OEM partners are going to have to start bundling this into price points at time of purchase. The online training has been available for a while now and none of the OEMs haven’t picked it up yet and put it in front of consumers…that is a problem. Both the online training and the starter support package would be a no-brainer bundle if Ubuntu pre-installs were being sold as boxed electronics on retail shelves.

    The OEMs will make or break this as a revenue stream. If they do their part and make consumers aware of these offerings at the time of purchase, these could see enough adoption to matter as a revenue stream. Hopefully the overdue Dell site overhaul and the re-introduction of Ubuntu desktop systems will include both the Canonical online training and the support options.

    -jef

  2. Avatar aikiwolfie August 10, 2009 @ 5:18 pm
    Reply

    I think this is a good step forward by Canonical in supporting new Ubuntu users. If you’ve ever been to Ubuntu forums and seen a newbie flamed out of existence for asking something as seemingly trivial like how to get flash working then you’ll appreciate the need for a service like this.

    Linux community forums can be a gold mine of helpful information. But only if the community are in a helpful mood. Just one too many uber-geek with his it’s head firmly stuck in it’s sphincter and things rather shamefully turn very nasty very very quickly.

    Not really the way to promote a new platform. Canonical have done good with this new initiative.

  3. Avatar Hmm August 10, 2009 @ 6:51 pm
    Reply

    Though if they make money off support for configuring things that should be intuitive to configure out of the box, isn’t that a perverse incentive to make the desktop harder to use? If the users are paying them money to help work around problems, then there’s no incentive for Canonical to fix those problems.

  4. Avatar Hmm August 10, 2009 @ 6:55 pm
    Reply

    “Linux community forums can be a gold mine of helpful information. But only if the community are in a helpful mood.”

    It’s not even just the forums. I’ve seen a number of condescending comments by Canonical employees on Launchpad. It goes all the way to the top. There’s something endemic to the free software movement that either creates or attracts arrogant assholes.

  5. Avatar Andrew Oakley August 11, 2009 @ 6:24 am
    Reply

    The problem with online support and documentation is that, with a new Ubuntu every 6 months, the documentation is out-of-date almost the moment it is published. Reading through forum posts is often a waste of time, since most posts are over 6 months old.

    Ubuntu need to focus on LTS releases as the “stable” release, and leave the other releases as unstable/bleeding-edge for techs to fiddle with. If you’re trying to Get Stuff Done, then LTS is the only sensible option.

    Officially-supported documentation should, by default, cover LTS only. You should only see the non-LTS docs by signing into Launchpad or similar.

  6. Avatar aikiwolfie August 13, 2009 @ 1:51 pm
    Reply

    I think Canonical do a pretty good job of providing the relevant documentation. Normally it’s all arranged by Ubuntu version number and then topic category.

  7. Avatar kira September 12, 2009 @ 6:30 pm
    Reply

    As a brand new Ubuntu acolyte, I was very excited to stumble upon this article. My pc just took a huge dump on me so I went to my locally-owned computer-wizard store and they convinced me to install Ubuntu. My guy told me how to find the forums and sent me on my way.

    I think I love it, but it’s taking me ages just to figure out how to do things (and, yes, some snarky comments on the forums have kept me from posting what I know are elementary questions). I don’t mind doing the research, but I know that some of the things that are holding me up could have been easily handled in a short “getting to know your Ubuntu” session – sort of like what the Apple stores do with their “New to Mac” workshops.

    I wholeheartedly agree with Jef Spaleta that the OEM’s really need to make this service much more visible to people like me. At the very least, it may keep us from posting as many stupid questions on the forums. . .

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