[NCLUG] local end-user support

[Chad Perrin]

On Wed, Nov 07, 2007 at 01:40:00PM -0700, Brian Wood wrote:
> 
> All true, but the key phrase was "around here".

There was another key term: "end-user".


> 
> 
> There are plenty of outfits offering this type of support for Linux and
> Open Source systems, and even some "around here". While I don't mean to
> single them out for a plug, tummy.com is local and offers this sort of
> thing I believe, but I'm sure there are others.

I wasn't under the impression tummy.com provided direct end-user support
(which mostly means "Aunt Tillie", who can look up a provider of support
and say "My computer keeps crashing.  I need help!").


> 
> With remote access just about any software problem can be handled by
> somebody not "here", hardware is another matter but if you have an
> extremely critical application you should have enough backup hardware to
> be able to ship a dead machine away for work.
> 
> Personally I believe the OSS community gives great support, but if you
> are looking for commercial support in the "somebody to sue" vein, there
> are plenty of outfits that do that as well.

My question wasn't so much about the "somebody to sue" mindset, but
rather the "I still think that's an automatically retracting coaster, and
don't understand this CDROM business" mindset.  One normally doesn't ask
such people in that category over the telephone to change sshd_config so
that remote administration can occur.

I've been thinking about this somewhat, and it occurs to me that to make
sales of Linux- and BSD Unix-based home computers work as a local retail
business model, one has to provide service on those systems as well.
This may also be the only way to ensure that home end-user support
services are really viable: sell them the setup so that support can be
"canned" to some extent, the same way it is with the considerably less
flexible MS Windows configuration that provides Geek Squad with its
business model.

I'm really just flailing about mentally, satisfying my curiosity, because
I witnessed some online discussion earlier today of the necessity of
having third-party support services local to the end-user for widespread
mainstream adoption of non-Microsoft OSes.  Whether or not that necessity
is real, it does raise questions in my mind like how strong a business
model one could build on that idea, how widespread such businesses may
already be, and so on.

-- 
CCD CopyWrite Chad Perrin [ http://ccd.apotheon.org ]
They always say that when life gives you lemons you should make lemonade. 
I always wonder -- isn't the lemonade going to suck if life doesn't give
you any sugar?