[Mageia-discuss] Mageia logo proposals and selection

[Thomas Backlund]

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