I own a phone/computer repair shop in St. Louis called Honest Repair, and something really interesting has been happening recently. I had 2 customers in one week that I’ve never met before with Linux installed on their computer! Not only that, in that same week, I installed Linux for 2 other customers!!
I’ve always suggested and encouraged my customers to try Linux, especially elderly folks who only go on Facebook. In fact, I even do a 50% off discount on all Linux installations because it’s easier and faster for me, and also better for the customer in my opinion. I’ve converted quite a few people to Linux, but 4 in one week was really awesome to see. This means we’re winning!
I even have a customer who came to me for privacy consultations, and I’ve been helping him regularly. We got him on Linux Mint, we made him an account with Proton using Brave browser, etc. I just think it’s cool that more and more average people are starting to understand that privacy is important, and I’m just glad I can use my niche knowledge to help my community.
None of this would have been possible without Techlore, you started my privacy journey almost 6 years ago! I don’t normally post this stuff, but I wanted the amazing folks at Techlore (hi Henry!) to actually see that they are making a real difference in the world. You, in a way, have helped hundreds of my customers over the last 3 years. You also inspired me to open a privacy-first repair shop that people could trust with their personal data. So, thank you!