alan c wrote: > Marketing! > Marketing is the key skill with a company such as MS. It is also the > weakest point with FOSS. > > Yep, I think part of the problem is the fact that as individuals we probably don't have much money to put into marketing. In my area I've been giving out Ubuntu CDs and also copies of The OpenDisc and I know a fellow LUG member (Paul Sutton) has been doing the same in his area. > Marketing has short term obvious goals and also much longer term, > subtle, goals. The trick that MS have and probably will continue to > pull is a long term very wide game. Even huge resources such as US > national or European systems find difficulty with bringing the > monopoly wagon to heel, once it is successfully rolling along, > seemingly downhill. There has been a very successful heavy momentum > built up, a very heavy wagon, rolling downhill. > I get the feeling for every one person we encourage to move over to FLOSS there are 10 more who just get the latest pirated version of Windows from a friend.
I can't help but think Microsoft are turning a blind eye to things like this which I got shot off for a friend who had it installed by a bloke in the pub... http://www.winxpu.info/ > I have believed for a long time and I still believe that the least we > can do in the UK is to have a UK list focussed on UK marketing Ubuntu. > Not a shared list, a specific and focussed list. > > If it turns out that there are not many subscribers then at least the > problem is clear to see! It can be addressed. Very few FOSS > enthusiasts are keen on marketing, and I think a UK specialist list > will get the best from what little resource we have. > I certainly agree and I would be interested in joining such a list. I guess you could say what works in one country may not work in another. > At the local Computer Fair yesterday that I am fortunate to display > at, a lad of about 10 years took a Parted Magic CD, his father was > there in support. The intended action was to resize a Windows > partition or similar, with FOSS, for FOSS. > That's good, no doubt it will have saved them £40 or so on Partition Magic. I just wish there were computer fairs down here in Devon, there used to be one a few years back but nothing like that now, the nearest thing is a car boot sale. I wonder actually if we'd be able to give away Ubuntu CDs at car boot sales without trading standards thinking we were giving away pirate software? (they don'#t seem to do much about the pirate DVD sellers at least). > It will take at least another 10 years before that particular lad gets > close to a position of influence in an organisation, perhaps 15 years. > *That* is the time scale of change, and much longer if it is not > driven hard by focussed, determined people. > Well hopefully he'll get a good start with FLOSS, he may even be able to encourage his friends to switch too. The experience I had when I was at school and college is that there were a few of us who used to really be into computers in a geeky way (more than playing games) and we'd share PD and shareware stuff, I guess this still happens so if they're sharing FLOSS software then that has to be good. > *Now* is a good time to start! > Yep, although I guess we may not make so much of a dent against Microsoft and Windows 7, we might be able to target some of the possible upgraders. Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
