By Abhijeet Chavan
February 21, 2000 - Linuxpower
The "Low Fuel" light lit up on the dashboard of my car. Great timing! I was already running late and now I had to stop for gas. But rather than risk being stranded somewhere, I kept a lookout for a gas station and pulled into the first one I could find. I swiped a credit card, put the nozzle in place and I was just about to fill up when I noticed a small sign on the pump. It said, "Contains MTBE. The State of California has determined that this chemical presents a significant risk to the environment." I paused. Questions immediately popped up in my head:
I did not have to care about this issue; I could continue to use this gas without worrying about what MTBE is. However, if I wanted to be an informed and responsible consumer, I would want to know more.
When making buying decisions, all consumers consider factors such as price, quality, and reputation. Some consumers also consider the impact of a manufacturing process on the environment or a company's involvement in its local community. Corporations try hard to be seen as eco-friendly or contributing to social causes. They know that to attract the informed and responsible consumer, they need to be responsible too.
So what does this have to do with Linux? Read on.
When I first started using Linux, I had typical "newbie" questions:
Between the HOWTOs and the newsgroups I usually found the answers. However, as I began using Linux as my primary operating system, I came up with new questions that went beyond the technical aspects of using Linux:
I really did not need to know this information to use Linux. But I wanted to because I felt that it would help me understand Linux better.
Today, I have the choice of several commercial Linux products and services. When making a buying decision, I have a set of questions I ask before I purchase or recommend a Linux product or service:
If you are a new Linux user or considering becoming one, I would encourage you to ask such questions too. Linux is not just about the cool technology. Make an effort to find out more about the movement behind it that brings you so much power, flexibility, savings, and freedom. And when you are evaluating a Linux product or a service, be sure to find out about that business' contribution to Linux.
Just two years ago few businesses made money from Linux. They had to ensure that their business strategy made financial sense. They also had to earn the trust of the Linux community. As more users are attracted to Linux, the Linux business landscape is changing rapidly. It seems everybody is getting on the Linux bandwagon. We, the Linux community, would like these businesses to be responsible by contributing to Linux in different ways. But not all of them may choose to do so.
Today, when so many business plans are being hurriedly rewritten by replacing yesterday's buzzword with "Linux", how do I know which businesses are truly Linux-friendly? Tomorrow, when shrink-wrapped packages hit the shelves with "Open Source Inside" labels, how can I tell if the claims are true? As more companies offer Linux products and services, how do I keep myself informed?
A good place to start would be to look at a company's web-site. Keeping track of Linux news is another way to stay informed. However, we need to make it easier for new Linux users to get this information. Well-researched articles from respected and unbiased sources on this topic would be very helpful. Perhaps one of the Linux community web-sites can take on the task of maintaining a list of Linux-related businesses and their contributions. Businesses could participate by sending in an annual statement of their contributions. Users would benefit by having a central resource where they can easily find all related information and decide for themselves which businesses they would like to support. It is up to us, the consumers, to encourage responsible businesses by asking the right questions before we put our money down.
Do you have suggestions on how new Linux users can learn about which Linux businesses give back to the community?