[Linux-aus] Microsft a Reality? Get Over It?? - A followup

[Brent Wallis]

Hi ,

	On Thu, Mar 06, 2003 at 10:25:18AM +1030, David Ruwoldt wrote:
	> Dear All,
	>
	> My two cents.
	>
	> Microsoft have a marketing machine that is second to none. Novell, Sun,
	
	>Con Zymaris:

	>In order to better deliver the message on Linux and FOSS to the same core
	>audience that Microsoft is targeting, we must understand what the audience
	>wants, and how to outcompete Microsoft in some of its marketing tactics. 
	>If these tactics include spreading obviously false information about
	>Linux, we need to speak out. 

	I have to disagree Con. "Speaking out" is what they want! Reacting to their FUD delivers them something they can attack. Would not a better option be to just keep writing and disseminating the successes? Writing about a Samba install in a large environment, in the target audiences "language of understanding" would be far better than a treatise on why Samba is as good as a Win file and print sharing setup. An example of what I mean is the recent "Australian Made is better campaign run by Dick Smith et al.....Although he may have been right in a lot of ways, he made the fatal error of trying to naysay companies like Kraft. Using the bogey of money draing out of the country and lost jobs. The reality is that this simply is not the case. If he had succeeded in destroying Kraft, many jobs and a lot of local money would have dissappeared. The general public are not dumb, all there needs to be is success. this is what Open Source is all about don't you think? Survival of the fitte!
st, the best code gets included. the best functions are judged by many.

	BW