Blue GNU interviewed Gustavo Narea and Olivier Cleynen of GNU/Linux Matters, the organization behind GetGNU/Linux.org.

When and why was GNU/Linux Matters started?
Olivier:
We started the project because we felt there was a lack of wide-scale communication around Linux and free software in general. Many Windows users still believe that GNU/Linux is a toy for geeks, and don't understand the importance of freedom in computing. We want to change just that!
GetGNULinux.org first went online in July 2006; it was simply a personal project for me. The site caught on well and within a few months a group of contributors teamed up, continually improving the site and progressively translating it in four languages. Gustavo and I set-up the non-profit organisation, GNU/Linux Matters, in February 2007, to make sure the project would always stay on the right track.

Where does the project stand at this point (in relation to its objectives)?
Gustavo:
Our initial, main objectives had been basically to support and represent the GetGNULinux.org project, which we have been doing since day one. However, we know GetGNULinux.org is not enough to make people understand that freedom in computing really matters and therefore we have been expanding our initial objectives by planning more projects, including truly ambitious ones. 3DollarSoftware.org is our second project and some of our potential upcoming projects are proposed in a document "Reaching a Milestone" (a set of suggestions to fight effectively against Freedom-depriving software; it's similar to the World Domination 201, but with freedom in mind).

How many people actively participate in GNU/Linux Matters projects?
Olivier:
About a dozen regular participants. Gustavo and I work almost full-time now, and we have members of our forum on Nuxified.org constantly helping out, fixing bugs, pointing out issues, and participating in different ways. There are also several translators, and a great many occasional contributors.

How do you measure progress?
Gustavo:
As for the development of our projects, we have recently released the GLM Tracker, the website where we keep track of everything around our projects. Regarding the success of our projects, we are always on the alert for the stats of all of our projects (amount of visitors and referrers, specially), as well as their PageRank.

How many people have you been able to help so far (any idea at all)?
Olivier:
Of course as with any web project, it's hard to track. It is safe to say that now at least 200 Windows users visit our sites in all five languages everyday. Since the start of the project, that's many thousand people who have learned something about Linux and free software... Even after so much time I still am amazed!

How does GNU/Linux Matters compare (in your view) to similar projects?
Gustavo:
It is not an easy question and I hope not to start a flame war. GNU.org has always been our main source of inspiration, but it's definitely not aimed at everyday computer users (like our relatives, for instance). Free Software is no longer for techies only and if we want the average computer user to make the switch to a free computing environment, we must approach him the user-friendly way – This is marketing. Linux.org has been hurting our community and it's definitely hurting GNU/Linux adoption. Nowadays, when people google for "get linux" they find GetGNULinux.org right after Linux.org – Someday this will change, though.
MakeTheMove.net and WhyLinuxIsBetter.net spread the word about Open Source and Linux being cool. For us, Freedom is the main advantage of GNU/Linux over Windows and Mac OS, while the rest is certainly relevant but secondary.

How does GNU/Linux Matters help newcomers connect with GNU/Linux?
Olivier:
We start by making sure they know why it's important; taking the time to explain the basics of software freedom (killing a few misconceptions on the way). We also explain the very basics, because it's not always obvious for newcomers what a LiveCD or a distribution is, or even whether "Linux has a taskbar"! We then point to the most helpful places out there. For example, most users don't want to choose amongst 250 distributions, so we suggest three for them.

What are the biggest obstacles the GNU/Linux Matters team faces in reaching objectives?
Gustavo:
The main obstacle is lack of time and the rest is secondary. We believe so much in our association, that we are willing to dedicate ourselves to work for it, but we need money to live (as everybody does) and GNU/Linux Matters is not self-sustainable yet. If we could get ourselves self-employed, we could move forward steadily. To work towards this, we have been encouraging people to help us increase our funds by proposing partnerships and T-shirts. None of these moves has been sufficient yet.

Is there anything else about GNU/Linux Matters you think our audience should know?
Olivier:
Yes, and that is: You Can Help Easily! If you believe we are doing well, make a link to GetGNULinux.org from your site. This is both easy (we have link buttons) and tremendously helpful. We'd like more newcomers to get correct information on an ad-free, clean site, and we need your help for that.

Publisher's Note: The team at GNU/Linux Matters have clarified their comments about the venerable Linux.org site. Their position is that the site is too commercialized and outdated to be of much use, especially to the newcomers it is supposed to help.