Change of strategy to make free and open-source software mainstream.

As a free and open-source software advocate, I try to help people make to the move to software that its at least open-source.

Personally, I run Linux Mint on my personal laptop, Mozilla Firefox my go to web browser, Mozilla Thunderbird my email client, and LibreOffice as my office suite. Rhythmbox is my go to audio player. All this apps work for me, so much so that I consider them indispensable to have on my system and are the ones I recommend the most since I used on daily basis.

Yet, with time I've seen that not everyone would be served as well by these apps because their needs are completely different. Even for me, at work I can't use Linux Mint since we use SAP ERP, and Microsoft Office. As such, I've to use Windows for work. I still use Firefox for when I need to keep track of certain things I need to for my work.

This has thought me that if you don't give people the right app, you are asking for trouble. There are some proprietary apps that doesn't have an alternative open-source app that has at least equivalent functionalities, as such trying to make people switch will make the whole experience a nightmare. We need to avoid this happening, because that experience will make them want to distance themselves from all open-source software.

As such, there are a couple of things that need to happen to bring more people to make use of free and open-source software.

First of all, we need to start to actually listen what the average user needs, and wants, from the software they use. It's the only way we can give them the software they need, and want, to use for their daily use.

Secondly, and the hardest part of it, open-source apps need to be created with which proprietary ones can be easily replaced with.

I'd add that there is a need to stop trying to shove open-source down people's throat, and stop pontificating about how good it is. What we need to do, is to show them that open-source software is at least as good as proprietary software, and can be better. This is usually the best selling point.

At the end of the day, for free and open-source software to became mainstream we need to change how people think of it. Android and Mozilla Firefox have already proven that it is more than good of it, now it's time to make people conscious of it.