1. Standardise on a Windows-like desktop
Home is where the heart is, and this applies to the computer desktop as well. There are plenty of Linux desktops to choose from, and the one you select can make or break your users' Linux learning experience.

If your users are PC un-savvy and have used only Windows, make sure you stick with K Desktop Environment (KDE) or Xfce. You could even use a modified Gnome to look and act exactly like the Windows desktop. Take this even further by modifying the default start menu of either Gnome or KDE to parallel the Windows Start menu. Now when your users sit down to their Linux desktop, they will not feel as if they are working in a foreign environment.

2. Get users familiar with applications before you switch
Before you migrate users from Windows to Linux, help them to become familiar with the new applications. Because some of the most often-used applications are cross-platform, you can start them on the applications while working in their familiar environment.

For example, you can start them on OpenOffice and Firefox while they are using Windows. Because they will be doing most of their work in these two applications, by the time they get to Linux they will already have some level of familiarity.

There is also a port of Evolution — the Linux version of Outlook — for Windows. If your users use Outlook for email and calendaring, using this port could be a positive step in your users' Linux education.

3. Choose the right distribution
Why would you choose Slackware as the distribution for new users? You wouldn't. Slackware is not a distribution aimed at ease of use. But plenty of distributions are available for the novice.

Ubuntu tops the class for ease of use. But Ubuntu is not alone...

...in this category. PCLinuxOS, Mepis, Linux Mint and Mandriva are all outstanding distributions for the new user. Of course, this issue is hotly debated. Everyone seems to want their distribution to be the distro of choice for new users. Suffice it to say there are plenty of Linux flavours for the new user.

4. Have a machine up and running for users to play with
Instead of pulling the rug from under your users with a sudden switch, make a machine available to them to experiment with. Set up this machine exactly as their desktops will look so they can see, first hand, that their future PC will be at least as easy to use as their present system.

You can take this one step further and install a virtual machine on their Windows PC to allow them to play with Linux on their desktop. This measure has the added benefit that if they mess up the install — chances of this are slim to none, of course — it is no problem to recover it because it is being run in a virtual machine.

Even better, but much more time-consuming, is to set their machine up to dual-boot. With a dual-boot setup, they can move back and forth between the two operating systems until they are comfortable with Linux.

5. Remove administrative menu entries
For the new user, seeing Samba, Network, SELinux, User administration, and other related administration tools in the menu can only confuse them.

A control panel, such as the Gnome Control Panel, is fine. But having high-level menu entries will serve no purpose beyond tempting fate. Limit the menu entries to user-specific tasks. When you are training new users, you do not want to have to spend extra time teaching them how to configure SELinux or use Gnome Partition Editor (GParted) — or to have to tell them constantly that they do not need to bother learning about a particular tool.

6. Adopt Adept
Adept, and other simple update and installation tools, are key to keeping users happily computing.

One of the biggest problems with new users and Linux occurs when they come to install applications. You do not want to have to teach a new user the ins and outs of apt-get or rpm, as these are tools best suited to users who know what they are doing.

It is far easier to learn application installation if you have a user-friendly, graphical front-end. That is why installations are much simpler with a Ubuntu-like distribution. Because Ubuntu uses sudo, you do not have to worry about teaching users what the root user is. Instead, you can just explain that they have to enter their user password.

That approach to application installation has more in common with OS X than Windows, but it is much easier to teach than having to go through root privileges. Besides, users do not need to have access to the root user anyway.

7. Offer printed materials
Before I go into this, a word of warning: never tell new users to read the manual. That tactic will not get you very far in educating users about Linux. But you do need to have printed material for users to keep with them.

That material should not be generic Linux information, but specific to what they are using. If your users have KDE 3.5 on their desktops, do not give them...

...handouts that refer to KDE 3.4, KDE 4.1, or even KDE 3.x. On top of that, make sure your information includes specific references to the menu entries they see in front of them.

You may have to create your own documentation or edit documentation already available. But never give your new users a printout of a man page. For experienced Linux users, a main page says a lot. For new users, you might as well hand them a printout in Martian, because they will get nothing from it. Along those same lines, make sure the documentation has plenty of pictures, with solid practical examples that relate to users' likely experiences.

8. Make screen casts of more difficult tasks
I can think of one specific task where a screen cast — a short video clip — will help more than any printed image.

When your new Linux users have to open a file, they are going to be presented with their home directory. You cannot tell new users to navigate to their ~/Documents directory. And telling them to navigate to /home/USERNAME/Documents will be equally meaningless. Instead, capture a screen cast of you navigating to the ~/Documents directory to show them exactly what they need to do.

Of course, you will have to tell them that they are not looking for /home/jlwallen/Documents. Make sure they know what their username is, so they know where to go.

Showing new users how to navigate around their ~/ directory will go a long way towards increasing their competence and will save you from constantly having to remind them where they have saved their documents.

9. Encourage the use of Linux-based forums and mailing lists
There will be times when you are not available for help or training. When this happens, and your users have problems, it will be helpful if they know how to turn to a KDE user list, a Gnome user list, or a new Linux user list for support.

If you do suggest this to them, make sure they are informed of the etiquette for these lists. Nothing is more discouraging than getting flamed by a troll on a list. If your new users find themselves caught in the cross-hairs of a forum or list troll, make sure they know the best way to handle the situation, which is not to reply at all. Here are three good mailing lists for your users:

1. KDE
2. Gnome
3. For a novices' list, users can send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with the subject 'subscribe linux-newbie'

10. Have an installfest
Work with me on this one. Offer your braver users your services in installing Linux on their home PCs. Make sure they know the benefits of using Linux at home — security, reliability and free software, for example.

When your users have the same setup at home, they are going to become familiar with Linux much more quickly. Granted, this approach is not going to be as easy in a large-scale setting. But for those of you in smaller businesses, this method could be a valid option to help your users gain familiarity with the operating system.