[Linux-aus] FOSS marketing mistakes (was: a Reality?)

[Leon Brooks]

On Thursday 06 March 2003 10:38 am, Con Zymaris wrote:
> Interestingly, the FOSS community makes the least number of marketing
> mistakes of any of the major 'parties' involved in purveying software
> technologies to the mainstream. I find this curious and heartening.

So... do you think that's because we're a `hobbyist product' or because we're 
`a bunch of unco-ordinated hobbyists'? (-:

How well do you think FOSS would do if we could just whip out our collective 
cheque-books and do this?

    Microsoft will run a $US400 million ([AUD]$670 million) public
    relations campaign,

And...

    "Are we going to be aggressive in telling our story and convincing
    people we have new things? Yes, we are," Mr Ballmer said.

...three interesting points arise from that.

  * Have Microsoft ever been *other* than aggressive?

  * Do people want `new things' or something that works?

  * Is the problem really that people don't know about them, or is the
    problem that Microsoft's `new things' are of no use to most of them?

So, what aspects of Linux should we be promoting, if we're to address upper 
management effectively but not wind up spouting froth and empty promises like 
Microsoft?

Cheers; Leon

-- 
http://cyberknights.com.au/     Modern tools; traditional dedication
http://plug.linux.org.au/       Committee Member, Perth Linux User Group
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http://linux.org.au/            Committee Member, Linux Australia