[NCLUG] local end-user support

[DJ Eshelman]

You know, the more I've been thinking about all of this, the more I was
thinking about some really great products that I'd love to start supporting
for end users, like LinuxMCE (I've had a few customers in the last few years
express pretty extreme frustration with Windows Media Center, this could be
a capture market for us).

And, in the very near future, the gPC (Google PC) - a $200 PC that Wal Mart
will be selling

The thought I had, and this is unfortunate, is that given the choice, I
would not want to support someone who was only willing to spend $200 on a
PC!  At least the LinuxMCE customer would be wanting high-end hardware and
would want the very best.  It's the old adage that the customer who pays the
least complains the most.

So, this brings up the other 'burning' question - what kind of 'end-user'
would you *want *to support?

But again, with what we're doing lately with Small Businesses, I'm starting
to see Linux gaining a second wind in this market, with emerging
technologies like VMWare and people just simply unwilling to put up with IIS
as a webserver.
I've also been deploying Linux-based solutions in areas of network
management and managed services - so it's not a stretch to think that given
the right 'killer apps', Linux could be a viable solution.

I always think of the medical clinics I support that call me every day.  If
their applications had been programmed on Linux, I can pretty much guarantee
they wouldn't have the issues that they often call me with.

But hey... it keeps the paycheck steady, so why rock the boat, right?

-DJ