[Mageia-discuss] Mageia logo proposals and selection

Thu Oct 14 10:17:18 CEST 2010

Graham Lauder skrev 14.10.2010 10:44:
+> On Thursday 14 Oct 2010 19:46:39 Thomas Backlund wrote:
+>> Graham Lauder skrev 14.10.2010 05:37:
+>>> That's the difference.  In these days of online build services there is
+>>> arguably no reason that we could not create different package sets on
+>>> different media for different markets and completely different branding
+>>> for each set.
+>>
+>> oh but there is...
+>>
+>> developer base, testers, QA, Mirroring infra.
+>>
+>> simply rebuilding a package does not mean that it actually works.
+>
+> Fair comment and as I said It is outside my area of expertise so while I see
+> it as desirable at the end of the day there aren't the resources then shelve
+> the idea
+>
+
+Of course we can set up some task-* packages to make it easier to 
+install a specific segment too... time will tell...
+
+>>
+>>> How many users does Mandriva have worldwide, compare that to the number
+>>> of computer users and you will see that the "one size fits all" does not
+>>> equal significant market share.
+>>>
+>>> OpenOffice.org user base is estimated to be around 100 million, the vast
+>>> majority (around 90%) on an MS platform even though linux distros get it
+>>> by default.  OOo is targeted at office productivity people for obvious
+>>> reasons, it's branding, colour design (Blue engenders a feeling of
+>>> reliability and efficiency) is aimed at that market group.  The Logo
+>>> design  is aimed at a 30 to 45 age group, who are the decision makers in
+>>> this group and to whom "Gulls" = Freedom.
+>>>
+>>> As far as we can tell, OOo out performs MSO 2003, 2007 and 2010 combined
+>>> outside of educational institutions, but still is nowhere near the
+>>> combined user base of the MSO 97/2000/XP group.  This penetration is
+>>> down to marketing on a shoestring, the OOo marketing project is the most
+>>> active, marketing group in the FOSS world other than RedHat, Ubuntu and
+>>> Mozilla, most of whom are paid and have a budget.
+>>
+>> Ignoring the Linux userbase for now, OpenOffice usage on MS side is
+>> chosen on three merits:
+>>
+>> 1. its free (economy)
+>> 2. it works as intended (need)
+>> 3. its open source (ideology)
+>>
+>> And the two first ones are the biggest reason obviously.
+>
+> All true, but without people pumping out press releases, hammering the social
+> media, attending events, getting it onto Magazine cds, running campaigns and
+> all that unpopular marketing stuff, those people wouldn't have known that they
+> had a choice. We have pushed it the point now where MS are actively
+> campaigning against us, it's brilliant, it means we're hurting them.
+>
+
+Yep. Very true.
+
+>
+>>
+>>> We do not work on voodoo, we work on science with measurable results.  I
+>>> don't dismiss your code as crap because I am not a hacker.  Don't
+>>> dismiss what I say as nonsense without logical and reasoned argument to
+>>> back it up.   Your "feelings" don't count as a logical counter argument.
+>>>
+>>> I don't "fear", I _know_ from experience and research that a "One Size
+>>> Fits All" Product and marketing campaign will go nowhere.
+>>
+>> Yeah, we can never please all, thats true, but we must also be careful
+>> to not be "too narrow" as it also "kills" the product
+>
+> Here I respectfully disagree, it kills the product in certain market segments,
+> certainly
+>
+
+Yeah, I'm not sure I want to kill a market segment just because I target 
+another userbase.
+
+but the "too narrow" is quite diffuse, so we'll see where we end up...
+
+
+>>
+>>> As an addendum to that I would ask the question, The Zero to dead, male
+>>> and female market group, and I presume all nationalities and all
+>>> religions and all social groupings and all job types and all locations
+>>> and localities, young, old teenaged and middleaged, technologically
+>>> educated and illiterate.  How would you present Mageia to all these
+>>> vastly different groups of people?
+>>
+>> Its Linux! Anything anywhere! Whatever you need, we got it! :)
+>
+> Heh, that's the point, it's not Linux, it's Mageia, if it was only about linux
+> there would be no point, there's plenty of Linux out there already
+>
+
+Yeah, thats also the "problem", we always get into "Its Linux/FOSS", 
+"others can do, so why cant you" kind of arguments with users, so its a 
+fine line to walk...
+
+>>
+>>> Wouldn't it be more sensible to say:  "This group of people could
+>>> materially benefit from using Mageia as their preferred Technology
+>>> platform, let's communicate with them in a way that they can relate to."
+>>
+>> Yep. as long as it's not driven to a point where we offend/repel parts
+>> of the community.
+>
+> I think you miss the point here, this statement applies to any predefined
+> group, that could be developers,  why should communicating with one group
+> alienate another.  All I'm saying is that we need to communicate and we need
+> to shape that communication to the particular audience.
+>
+
+Problem is that if we push too hard on a "This group of people could 
+benefit..." it often turns into "Its only for 'This group of people'",
+you better use ...
+
+Do we really want that?
+
+>>
+>> Remember, Mageia _is_ a Community distribution.
+>>
+>> --
+>> Thomas
+>
+> Indeed
+>
+> Cheers
+> GL
+
+--
+Thomas
+