At 07:29 PM 01/29/02 -0500, Chris Thompson wrote: >Well, I'd like to just throw one idea into the mix. It's something that's >bugged me for a long time, no better time than the present. > >"mod_perl" is a lousy name.
I don't know about "lousy", but I do agree. I brought this up on the docs-dev list: http://search.apache.org/archives/docs-dev/0236.html During the week I posted that I had run into PHP programmers at a computer show, more PHP programmers at a pub (2 in the afternoon -- more out of work programmers), and ended up talking with a couple of Java programmers one day. The amazing thing was they all had a completely weird idea about what mod_perl is or what it does. And all thought it was slow, old, dead, not scalable, technology. And that was from programmers, not managers. We all know there is a lot of misinformation out there. Marketing is not everything, but it's a lot! What we know of "mod_perl" is more than just perl+Apache, really. It's a development platform, or development suite. It can be anything our marketing department says it is. ;) In these tough economic times, repackaging might be helpful. Who knows? And for some of us we know that mod_perl is also something that makes up a chunk of our livelihood. So, the promotion of mod_perl is quite important, unless we want to start spending more afternoons with those PHP programmers down at the corner pub. So how would a group like the mod_perl community promote itself in new ways? Well, other professionals often have professional organizations or associations to represent and promote their members. I wonder if there are there enough mod_perl programmers to support something like that. Even if there were, what could be done? Run a few print ads in magazines that system admins read? Hire an ad firm for help in developing our "brand?" mod_perl coffee mugs? ("Tired of that old cup of Java?") Free mod_perl clinics? Hard to imagine any of that actually happening, really. So what's a group of programmers to do? The new web site should help, to some degree, but I'm not sure it will change any manager's mind on the technology they pick to run their applications. Of course, most people here have access to big pipes. So, there's always bulk mail ads. I got mail just today saying that it's an effective way to advertise. In fact I got about ten of those today! -- Bill Moseley mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
