About Guerrilla Tech
Guerrilla Tech Support was founded in 2006 in south Minneapolis on three premises:
- Free Software is better.
- Everybody deserves to have a computer in their home and to be able to use it effectively for whatever they want to use it for.
- You don’t have to fuck people over to make money.
How we do it:
- Selling personal computers (new and refurbished) with Free Software preloaded, at a price that people can afford.
- Why it’s good for the revolution: This is twofold. First, a lot of people that live in our city don’t have $800 to throw at a new computer every three or four years. I argue that to exclude all these people from this amazing information revolution that’s going on all over the world is an inexcusable social wrong. A computer in one’s home is more and more a necessity. So how the hell can we justify charging one cent more than everyone can afford? Second, what if, instead of lamenting about how hard it is to find computers with Linux preloaded, somebody just actually went ahead and did it?
- Why it’s good for business: Also twofold. If you look at the above in business terms, there’s a vast market being completely overlooked. First, there’s a large chunk of people (and don’t tell me there’s not, I’ve met them) that would love to get on board with Free Software but don’t know where to start. We aim to serve that market. Second, damn near 50% of the population of this city makes under $35k a year. 29% of the population of the Central neighborhood (where Guerrilla Tech is based) lives below the poverty line. These people need computers too, and if no one else will sell to them, we damn well will. And we will make money.
- Service and education. This goes beyond just fixing something that breaks, or plugging in a new doodad when someone wants to buy a new doodad, and I’ll go a step further and say that this common business model of “technical support” is predatory, and that’s not how we’re going to roll around here.
- Why it’s good for the revolution: I want everyone to think about what I just said in that last sentence. Think about how many otherwise intelligent, rational people you know that are somehow mystified and fearful and distrustful of computers. I think that’s sad, and it’s a social problem that needs to be fixed. And now the ever-timely car analogy: it’s fine to take your car to a mechanic when it needs maintenance if fixing cars just ain’t your bag, but for God’s sake don’t be afraid of the thing. This is not rocket science and anyone that tries to tell you it is is trying to pick your pocket. Period. We teach people how to use their computers. Not just how to use a program or how to click a button or how to plug in a doodad but really truly no bullshit teach people to use their computers.
- Why it’s good for business: Dude, people like good service. And even the most technically inept, non-informed person in this country has a gut sense of when they’re being treated right and when they’re getting fucked. Treat them right, they will come back. And we will make money.
- Outreach outreach outreach. This deserves some explanation. I’ve talked about showing people how to use Free Software effectively, but outreach goes beyond that. I’m talking about concepts like how to be good citizens within the FOSS world (bug reporting, how to ask questions, how to volunteer, etc.), and most importantly and most fundamentally, why freedom is better than subjection, for them personally, for their community (our community, south Minneapolis, our home), and for our future.
- Why it’s good for the revolution: If you put someone behind the wheel of a modern desktop Linux machine and show them what it can do, it’s a pretty easy sale. People coming from Windows especially have very low expectations toward what a computer should be, and those expectations are easy to surpass. This stuff really sells itself. But the first time something goes south (and you know it’s always something, whether you use Free Software or proprietary), the reaction’s going to be “Why’d you push this freeware crap on me?” But show me one instance of someone who really understands what freedom means to them and what freedom can do for them, who then went back to nonfree software.
- Why it’s good for business: Due to the absolute dearth of any competition in this market whatsoever (I used “dearth” in a sentence!), Guerrilla Tech has become, by default, “the Linux people.” Not because we’re technical geniuses (although of course we are), but because no one else in this town is doing what we’re doing. Anyone who’s using Free Software in this town and doesn’t have the know-how or desire to fix their own computer or shop for their own parts or whatever is by default our customer to lose. We don’t intent to lose them. We intend to make. Fucking. Money.
Guerrilla Tech Support is:
- Pete Daniels, founder, sole proprietor, benevolent dictator for life, Captain America
- Greg Grossmeier, technical and artistic consultant, advisor-at-large, Wolverine (it’s the hair)
