Re: “KDE For Windows 10 Exiles” Campaign

On Wed, 6/4/2025 8:41 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

“Your computer is toast
 
“Running Windows 10 on your computer? On October 14 Microsoft wants to
turn it into junk.
 
“It may seem like it continues to work after that date for a bit, but when
Microsoft stops support for Windows 10, your perfectly good computer will
be officially obsolete.
 
“Windows 10 will degrade as more and more bugs come to light. With nobody
to correct them, you risk being hacked. Your data, identity, and control
over your device could be stolen.
 
“New versions of your apps will not run, but Microsoft will still block
you from upgrading to the next version of Windows until you buy the new
computer they decide.”
 
Scary? Yes. Exaggerated? No. Because that’s what Microsoft really wants to
do. Just like it has done so many times before.
 
<https://kde.org/for/w10-exiles/>
 

Was that a picture of one of the KDE staffers computer room ?

Maybe that's their build server ? :-)

Seriously, I scanned the page and I don't see an action plan.
How exactly will the software climb onto the PC ?

That's what is missing from the Year Of The Linux Desktop,
is the Concierge service. Remember, your average user is
not a C.S. graduate, and with the sorry state of Google searches
these days, even the best-prepared website is never going to show
up in a search.

How do I put the ISO on the USB stick ? Some of the people,
just a few, will remember trying one USB stick tool after another,
and ending up with nothing to show for their trouble. And those
are the people who will be offering advice.

A few of the users, will try to download the ISO onto
a FAT32 partition for temporary storage. Say, a 6GB Ubuntu DVD.
And you know what happens when you do that. I've done that
*several* times by accident. Today, there are no more FAT32 partitions
in the active computer room. When the WinXP machine died, the interest
in FAT32 went with it.

I looked at gstatcounter today, and I saw some strange patterns
in there. What's weird about the patterns, is there are real world
events... and the patterns in gstatcounter are delayed by two or
three months. Nothing seems to "align immediately" exactly. It's
my suspicion, that Microsoft is winning by playing this game. But
it's a natural outcome. The path of least resistance is being followed.
I've already heard one USENETter say the fateful words,
"maybe I should buy a Win11 machine". Not many would have
the balls to admit something like that. Normally that sort
of thing happens silently.

That's why I'm telling you that Concierge service is the only
campaign that will work. Unless a loaded USB stick shows up in a mailer
on each users doorstep, it's not gonna happen.

Google has an offering for the Chrome Book OS, and the offering is a bit
more friendly than the competition. Unfortunately, their GUI
is not very expressive. When the installer boots, it should just
say "um, we don't install on desktops, hey, try your laptop".
Instead, the interface just freezes... as a status code. When
I booted my laptop with that installer USB, I finally made it
past the first screen. But had no intention of installing it
on my laptop.

If it's one thing I know about helping users, it takes *forever*
to get one of them tipped upright. It's like herding turtles.
How this is a recipe for the Year Of The Linux Desktop,
escapes me. The above web page isn't helping.

If you were serious about your campaign, you'd send 100 serialized
USB sticks to each Public Library. Then, on the KDE web page,
when everything is staged, you'd have the users sign out the
stick at the library, and bring it back later. Or, be charged
a nominal fee (similar to a late book charge). Libraries do not
enjoy being dragged into every crazy assed scheme, but they
were the point of contact here for FreeNet. You could fill
out a FreeNet sheet, show your drivers license to attest to
the details, and the sheet was then forwarded to FreeNet.
There isn't really a FreeNet here any more, but that's how
they got some people hooked up on an "hour a week" dialup plan.
The local FreeNet modem front end was donated by a high tech company.

Pressed DVDs would be cheaper, but the instant response in the
audience would be "hey, I don't got a DVD drive". That's why
I can't utter magic words like that.

   Paul