Linux Mint Forums

Being in IT, I send many emails every day, both work and personal, from my LM machine. Since I'm also running Thunderbird for email, my email signature is:

___________________
sent using Linux Mint
Thunderbird email

I usually get at least one "why Linux" or "why Linux Mint" question every day. I don't know the success rate, but I give them the address to the site and message boards and ask them to let me know if they have any questions.

I seed Mint torrents while sleeping. I suggest Mint on a variety of forums in the general discussion and technology sections. I'd like to have a quality Mint decal for my vehicle and a Mint t-shirt as well.

So it seems the way I decided to promote is the same way many people have done it, just let interested people come to you, it's so much easier than trying to promote it to people who will never bite. According to many posters here, it also helps just do something related to linux in a public place, such as simply using your computer with a linux distro booted. I'm gonna see if I can get a nice sticker with a url for the backside of my laptop's screen, that should help quite a bit for passive promoting.

The only person I've ever had use Linux daily before was my mom and that's only because her computer was slammed against something and her harddrive stopped working, so I installed Linux Mint onto a thumbdrive and had her use that. Then my dad got a new laptop for himself and gave my mom his old one, so she's using Windows again. I wonder if she would switch back... maybe I'll set it up on a 10GiB partiton as a dual boot option later (I wouldn't install Windows without having at least a 40GiB partition because it bloats so easily)

sahilshinesalways wrote:my bro is a hardcore gamer loves fancy effect->3d aero,transparency etc.when i showed him the compiz effect in linux he was stunned!!!he cudnt utter a word..no virus problem,no computer slowdown,no defrg,regisrty maintanance needed ,he was amused.he bowld me when he asked me "how to install n play assasin's creed?' he was not satisfied with world of goo,osmos or glest.so i sheeled some buck n installed cedega.though games ran slow,but i played igi,age of empires and nfs hp.he aws not dat satiesfied but said ok,i wana install.now he uses linux for all practical purpose n windows for games.most importantly,he is immencely enjoying linux

Interesting, do you think virtualization would have worked? That way he wouldn't ever have to reboot to play games and have many of the Linux advantages while playing games, such as low resource usage and workspaces. I found Garry's Mod to run faster through Wine than through Windows, maybe a new version would run those games faster? Also for testing games why didn't you use Wine instead of Cedega, at least at first? Cedega is based on Wine with some game tweaks, but costs money while Wine is free.
I'll have to remember dual booting if I ever promote to gamers though, especially since I do it myself on my desktop computer. The nice thing about using Windows only for gaming is that it wont accumulate as much cruft and it's easier to defrag since it's partition doesn't get written to much, especially if the games are installed to another partition. For games that refuse to be installed to a non-default location, such as Halo 2, just use a symlink (available with Vista and newer).

vrkalak wrote:He then asked, "Which Windows Operating System do you have? Windows 95, 2000 or XP?"
I told him that, "I don't have any Windows Operating System on the computer, at the moment," I saw a faint smile cross his lips.

Maybe he thought he could sell an Windows install disc to you, it is a store after all.

Edit: After reading some threads I decided to type up a document listing off reasons Linux (Mint) is better than Windows. If anyone want to read or edit it, here's the link: Linux Booklet?

I promote mint by few ways.. Some of them are:
I share updates about my Linux Mint Experience on my accounts on Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
And I show cool desktop effects to my friends to arouse their interest in Linux mint..
Most effective is one when I burn DVDs of Linux Mint and gift them to my friends.. And tell them how to install it.. Sometimes I myself install it on their computers.. Some friends on community site advised that burning DVDs is not a good idea as it's not environment friendly, since then I try to make Linux Mint bootable USB, except in cases when my friends come from other cities and they have to leave in some time..

I have only converted one person so far. He was continually under attack from someone in his apartment complex and they finally got into his computer and totaly screwed it up. Since we always were talking about computers and i knew this was going on i had a disc with mint 12 on it ready for him. He installed it and is now an avid linux user and activly promoting it to everyone who will listen. I think i may have created a monster but the more people promoting linux in general and mint in particular the better. I also keep a few discs in the glove box in my car of mint 13 with clam av and a couple of other programs to help people fix their windows based systems or use those discs and show them how to do it them selves. Im always ready to help a friend in need with their computer and always use mint in live mode with them there so they can see what im doing and what this free system can do for them.

Got a bunch of "powered by linux" stickers - to put on top of those winX logo's

also run a Linux Meet - once a month - for the seniors - in my area
most of them - are very basic users - of winX - so can transfer to 'nix easily.

I'm doing the 'word of mouth' thing.
I'll always mention it if I'm installing Linux Mint on a PC on my Twitter/Facebook accounts.
Also, if Linux ever crops up on RockPaperShotgun or other IT discussion forums I'll always put in a good word for Mint and the wonderful Cinnamon/MATE desktops.
I try not to bang on about it endlessly because I don't want to put anyone off... It's really tempting to get evangelical about something like this, but you attract more bees with honey than with vinegar, and so I always aim to promote Mint in a reasonable manner without being seen as a 'Linux Snob'. I always used to be scared of Linux, and I guess many other non-IT people will feel the same way!

Slightly different than in my earlier post in this thread.

I actually show them my installs & allow others to use it, for them to "see & feel" how light, yet solid, Mint is. It's very noticeably faster w/o the security & other utilities bogging it down & what little maintaining that I do (other than bi-weekly backups) takes only a couple of minutes per day. A quick privacy sweep with BleachBit & a scan of my /home folder with ClamTK.

Just this year, I've had at least 15 Mint (mostly Xfce) converts. However, I plan to steer a few of them to the Mate version, as 14 runs so well for me. Most were XP converts, nearly all can run 13 with no issues. This is just my opinion, but I feel that Mate is better than Xfce, & it has most everything that one needs. If it's not on the install DVD or Update Manager, it's in the Software Manager.

Every new user counts.

Cat

Currently I am running a series of articles with my experiences of switching. Additionally I post these experiences in my Diaspora Pod. And then there is always word of the mouth techniques as well.

I have used Mint since version 6 but then gave it up until version 9.
Since then I have used it on and off at various times and switch between
mint, ubuntu, and debian, and windows 7.
I must admit that I havent really done much to promote mint until now.
Most offices I have been to that use Linux on a desktop are using Suse.
Recently I am of the opinion that mint has gone a long way toward stabilty,
functionality, ease of use, and user friendliness. I am trying to persuade some
people to use mint as a desktop OS in their offices but it isn't plain sailing.
Mostly I just mention it in forums I visit, if the topic is linux, but there seems to
be an over riding perception amongst others that mint is very entry level and
somehow that means its ok for learners but not pro's nor for office desktops.
I differ on that opinion and think that there are only 2 contenders for the office desktop
Suse and Mint. It's not like I am a mint evangelist but I do believe in the ethos behind it
and say so when appropriate

I promote Linux Mint in my Internet Café in Mauritius. I run Linux Mint on the clients of my Internet Café. Every customer that bring their PC/Laptops for repairs, i suggest them to try Linux. And HOP! They adopted Linux Mint! I have tons of Linux Mint fans waiting in Mauritius !
Check out our page:
http://eugeneinformatique.com/linux/

Doing all I can to erase Microsh!t Windows from Mauritius

I got a lot of family and friends using Mint, my hope is they will pass it on to others.

Being employed by an employer that focuses strictly on software they pay huge licence fees for (the excuse being "we must be certain to get long-term support" and that "our users aren't adequately computer savvy to cope") it isn't easy to get anything done about which system they select to purchase. However, I do my bit in trying to get co-workers to try Linux Mint on their home computers. Perhaps one day we can become a large enough user base on Linux boxes so that none of us wants to work with anything else. We have around 6,500 employees, running you-know-what, and just the restarts every blasted time there's an upgrade would most likely pay for the extra work of having to switch. About 1 minute for every restart, times 6,500 computers, 108 man hours that could be spent working. Perhaps the biggest problem afterwards would be that none of us on the IT side of things would have anything to do. Everything would just work, as opposed to how it is now...

By continuing to do what I do in my prior response, since a few of my friends/family members hates the "new" Windows (8/8.1).

They have to relearn the OS anyway, so why not a new one? Plus Mint solves the largest issue of all, the lack of a Start Menu. Actually Mint's Start is far more feature filled & most everything is a click away.

Finally, my mother-in-law whom always was getting infected by not reading before she downloaded something, many times what she presumed to be an update, was malware. These things are stubborn to totally purge w/out reinstalling the OS. She finally agreed after 2 years to try Mint, I simply removed her HDD intact & loaded Mint 16 64 bit on a spare one that I had. She loves it, no more infections & her original HDD is still stored away for the day she decides to sell/give away her notebook.

These days, security alone is the main way I push Mint, other than those who doesn't like Windows 8. I point them to articles that proves that Linux security is superior, when occasionally asked "is it because it's a small group?", in response I state it doesn't matter. And that the majority of the world's top 20 supercomputers runs some form of Linux, none by Windows.

And to this day I still carry around the latest 32 & 64 bit versions of Mint Flash drives, so that when the opportunity arises, I'm ready to do a demo.

As much as Mint has improved my computing life, I feel it's only right to show others how to accomplish the same & am willing to help anyone willing to learn. It's really easier than many thinks, once most sees that Chrome/Firefox works the same way it does on Windows, that cracks the ice.

Cat

To be honest, I don't promote Mint.
I promote Linux.

While I'm fixing someone's computer, I give them my Linux spiel... it goes something like this, normally:

Your particular Windows problem wouldn't have happened on Linux.
Oh, and by the way, do you know that Linux is more secure, and you won't have to worry about spyware popping up on your computer at random times because programs don't auto-install on Linux. All program installations have to be sudo-approved before the install can happen, and this prevents the malicious software from getting a foot in the door. Oh, and updating doesn't take nearly as long on Linux, because there are hundreds of mirrors worldwide to improve the speed.
The software is broken into small packages, which is much easier to upgrade than a huge program.
You'll also find less frustration in the upgrade process because, unlike Windows, Linux doesn't need to restart to install an update.
And Linux can be upgraded at any time! The update doesn't wait until you are about to shut down your computer to install then.

Oh, Linux sounds attractive to you?
You want me to back up your files and reformat your computer?
Want to know what distro I reccommend?
Now I direct them to Mint.

I usually try to proselytize LM to just about everyone who mentions computers or the os that shall not be named in my general vicinity. I have only ever had one person take me up on it. I bug my employer at least once a month about switching (he pays an arm and a leg for off-site computer support). Unfortunately without comparable and compatible accounting software (Quikbooks), I am having no luck.

Hello, already using Linux Mint for 4 years also I'm a staff in a networking lab at my campus. It has been 2 years since Linux Mint powered all of the computer lab for education and research also for promote Linux Mint for the freshman. Is there any particular permission for using Linux Mint logo (Powered by Linux Mint) in my jacket..? Our lab kinda want it tough.. Thanks and sorry if my English is bad.

I would say, Not really. as far as I know the logo is Open Source, or you could just use one of my mac based versions as they are Open Source.

I promote open source and linux in general, then linux mint as a convenient distro to jump outside the MS cage. I'm a professor and I show to my students the advantages of linux by using it in the classroom (mostly for presentations). Some of them usually are more curious/interested than others, and ask me how to try and install linux in their laptops.

Usually by just one of two methods. I'm often the go to guy for people needing their computers fixed. In the toolkit I have my trusty remastered Mint disc. Quite often the glommed up system will perform much better with the live disc than it had with the previously installed OS. Then I'll explain how that live disc functions and how much faster it would be if actually installed.

The other is when people are visiting. My system is typically on all day with music playing in the background. Often a comment will be is that your new system? Nope, going on 6 years. They will comment how their system has bogged down and I'll show them how mine running Mint is peppy.

In both cases odds are they will then be the ones asking more questions.