[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Before I get to the question in the subject, let me spell out
the background for it:
Linux - *the* open source operating system/kernel
FreeBSD - promotes itself as being the BSD to use for desktop/server
NetBSD - promotes itself as being easy port
OpenBSD - promotes itself as being the most secure unix
FreeBSD - the power to serve
"NetBSD is a free, secure, and highly portable Unix-like Open Source
operating system available for many platforms, from large-scale server
systems to powerful desktop systems to handheld and embedded devices."
" The OpenBSD project produces a *FREE*, multi-platform 4.4BSD-based
UNIX-like operating system. Our efforts emphasize portability,
standardization, correctness,
proactive security and integrated cryptography."
And when we get to OpenSolaris:
"The OpenSolaris project is an open source community and a place
for collaboration and conversation around OpenSolaris technology."
The problem here is that the first two sentences on www.opensolaris.org
do not tell me why I would want to either use or be a part of the
opensolaris community.
If the goal of OpenSolaris is just to be, well, open, isn't
that a bit boring?
While it might be exciting for lots of executive types at Sun,
for those who are in the open source community,
it's incredibly "ho hum".
The executives had no involvement in the writing of that text. Why do
you think they'd be happy with it? Because it's "ho hum"? Isn't that a
criticism of Sun's executives? Is that fair?
What OpenSolaris needs is something like this:
OpenSolaris: the premier open source server platform
I like the assertion but I wouldn't use "premier" since it appears in
almost every press release ever written. I has no meaning at this point.
or...
"The OpenSolaris project is the only SVR4 based open source
platform that scales evenly from 1 CPU to 128 CPUs."
Good focus on technology but not very inspiring for non-tech types like
me. I don't care how many cps I have, and if I have to know such details
than the product is simply not for me. See the problem with this? This
is /not/ easy. We have kernel engineers and general users and students
and app people and marketing people and students and executives and
customers and partners and people spread out all over the world talking
different languages and living in different cultures. This will take time.
OpenSolaris: the open source platform that scales with your hardware
Scaling is certainly a good message to tap into here among the several
dozen others we haven't talked about yet.
You should list all the qualities you want the text to either directly
say or at least suggest. We have people and we have technology, and a
common culture is starting to form that ties everything together. The
culture should be what you are talking about basically. That's what will
inspire people.
That www.opensolaris.org hosts a number of things besides the
nevada source code, I'm well aware of, *but* if we just refer
to a large glob of things, then, well, it is hard to be as
exciting as through dedicated focus on a particular aspect
and attract attention.
I've been talking about OpenSolaris for three years now, and I think we
are really, really over hyping this issue. We are not nearly as
confusing as we think, and we are way more inspirational than we think
as well. I don't think "glob of things" is accurate at all.
Afterall, we are all a part of many different communities,
the question is why and how do we attract someone *to* opensolaris.
Just saying we're "open" (and a community) does not cut it.
We need a differentiator.
Thoughts?
More thoughts here:
http://opensolaris.org/jive/message.jspa?messageID=132674&tstart=0
Jim
--
Jim Grisanzio http://blogs.sun.com/jimgris
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