Re: Novice computer users!

[quiliro]

This is such a great summary! Thank you very much Jean Louis for your
contribution. :-)

Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> writes:

> * Marcus Wilson <thewilson@gmail.com> [2020-01-27 21:07]:
>>    Is this too advanced for the new user?
>> 
>>    [1]https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Debian
>
> WikiHow has spying scripts with information being shared to Amazon,
> DoubleClick, Google, etc. I would not recommend to a new user of free
> software a website that spies on them. And I would tell why, and
> explain it why, which I do all the time. Often people ask me if I have
> Whatsapp - I give them reasons why I don't have, first it is
> proprietary software, I don't know and cannot know what it is doing
> with my information, second Whatsapp has thousands of staff members,
> and I don't know even one of them, why should I entrust them with my
> data? I don't trust somebody on street to give them my data, I cannot
> trust to Whatsapp.
>
> The first website to present to users is GNU: https://www.gnu.org/
>
> and then what is Free Software:
> https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
>
> The GNU website does not spy on people, and does not use non-free
> Javascript software.
>
> Installing any operating system is not an easy task.
>
> Yet the FSF endorsed free operating system distributions do have their
> installation instructions.
>
> PureOS:
> https://tracker.pureos.net/w/installation_guide/
>
> Trisquel:
> https://trisquel.info/en/wiki/setup
>
> Hyperbola GNU/Linux-libre:
> https://wiki.hyperbola.info/doku.php?id=en:guide:installation&redirect=1
>
> Parabola:
> https://wiki.parabola.nu/Main_Page
>
> I would recommend exlusively FSF endorsed GNU operating system
> distributions, such as those above, or listed here:
> https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html
>
> Debian is distributing non-free software from their servers, so when
> helping somebody to get free software, it would be good to tell them
> about the truly free operating system distributions, and why they are
> endorsed, and why some of them are not endorsed. See:
> https://www.gnu.org/distros/common-distros.html 
>
> Teaching people about free software is part of my personal duty. Thus
> without teaching them the differences, I am not installing anything on
> their computers. Person shall know why is using free software, and
> should not just target that "new software" as "gratis" software for
> reasons that it need not pay for it, or for reasons that there is
> plethora of software that one cannot otherwise get on Windows. Those
> are common problems.
>
> The first and main reason to install that new software shall be reason
> that it is free software, that user can study and upgrade it easily,
> get support from other people, that user can become eventually
> programmer, and can contribute to development of such free software,
> and other reasons explained on
> https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
>
> And if we speak of free software, then they shall be told what is GNU
> and how GNU started. Thus reference to main GNU website is of highest
> importance. 
>
>>    Sometimes people  might find the task of making a bootable USB drive or
>>    CD or DVD a bit too dificult. In that case you could also point them at
>>    vendors of installation media.
>
> In general, operating system installation is not easy task.
>
> Jean
>
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