PDA

View Full Version : Ubuntu website: "Converts"?



HTML-insane
June 3rd, 2009, 06:35 PM
From here (http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu/810features/):


Hundreds of improvements, including features like full 3G support, explain why Ubuntu wins more converts with every release.

Maybe it's just me being picky, but... doesn't that make it seem like our ultimate goal is to win market share? We wouldn't want to come across as, 'on par' with some other large, nameless company that wants nothing else but high market share, now... would we?

I don't know. Personally, I'd prefer if the web page said, "users" instead of, "converts". I think it makes the person reading feel more like a human being, rather then something to be won in some big competition... again, maybe that's just me.

Thoughts?

steeleyuk
June 3rd, 2009, 06:41 PM
Read bug number 1 on Launchpad.

HTML-insane
June 3rd, 2009, 06:57 PM
As humorous a bug report as it is, and be that as it may, the point of open source software was never about getting more users and becoming popular. A nice side-benefit, but it's not the point. The point is actually to give users the choice of something different. If one thing doesn't work for them, then open-source software lets them choose something else. If Windows works for them (regardless of whether Linux is better or not), then they can still choose to keep using Windows. Let them live in their blissful ignorance - it doesn't exactly dent Linux in any way.

I do dislike the whole, "Linux must prevail over Microsoft!" attitude in general. It's like arguing whether Halo 3 or Call Of Duty 4 is better.

steeleyuk
June 3rd, 2009, 07:07 PM
Its not necessarily the open source philosophy, its the Ubuntu one, in a way.

HTML-insane
June 3rd, 2009, 07:14 PM
Even so, it would seem more discrete to call the reader an ubuntu, "user" rather then an ubuntu, "convert". The latter makes them sound more like a religious believer of Microsoft that we are trying to convert to, "the one true path", rather then someone that's just looking for something better then Windows to work on.

philinux
June 3rd, 2009, 07:25 PM
People don't just convert from windows but other distros too.

ddrichardson
June 3rd, 2009, 07:30 PM
Even so, it would seem more discrete to call the reader an ubuntu, "user" rather then an ubuntu, "convert". The latter makes them sound more like a religious believer of Microsoft that we are trying to convert to, "the one true path", rather then someone that's just looking for something better then Windows to work on.
We're not looking for users who want something better than Windows though. We're looking for users who will also return something to the community. This sounds like knit-picking but if people come to Ubuntu expecting a drop in replacement for Windows then they're going to be dissapointed.

HTML-insane
June 17th, 2009, 04:24 PM
We're not looking for users who want something better than Windows though. We're looking for users who will also return something to the community. This sounds like knit-picking but if people come to Ubuntu expecting a drop in replacement for Windows then they're going to be dissapointed.

As I always say: "It can't be the same and better at the same time."
It's not as knit-picky as my original post, I'll give you that :P

aysiu
June 17th, 2009, 04:34 PM
Bug #1 isn't a goal for all of open source. It's a goal of Ubuntu's to fix.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1

niteshifter
June 17th, 2009, 06:16 PM
As humorous a bug report as it is, and be that as it may, the point of open source software was never about getting more users and becoming popular. A nice side-benefit, but it's not the point. The point is actually to give users the choice of something different. If one thing doesn't work for them, then open-source software lets them choose something else. If Windows works for them (regardless of whether Linux is better or not), then they can still choose to keep using Windows. Let them live in their blissful ignorance - it doesn't exactly dent Linux in any way.

I do dislike the whole, "Linux must prevail over Microsoft!" attitude in general. It's like arguing whether Halo 3 or Call Of Duty 4 is better.

Er, no. The point is not "choice of something different", the point of FOSS is to give the user freedom of use - that a user should have complete liberty to use and modify his / her system so that it can perform according to their needs. Four distinct points (shamelessy lifted from gnu.org):


* The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
* The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
* The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
* The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements (and modified versions in general) to the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

Freedom of choice descends from these.

As to not denting Linux, why does this exist: ndiswrapper (just one example).

Market share is the reason. The world develops for Windows, and we pay the cost of it from the waste of time re-inventing the wheel. Have a look at the long list of scanners that SANE can't handle. Look at the spotty state of graphics card drivers. Printer drivers also. We have this state of affairs because a business has to put most of it's people working on what gives the greatest chance of return - and in the desktop world that's Windows. It's essentially a 'luxury' to put them working on Linux stuff.

I also don't care much for the "Linux must prevail over Microsoft" line - that's just ideological BS with an unhealthy dose of vengeance to me. I'd be quite happy to see more-or-less equal footing. But Microsoft isn't just going to make nice and cede their market share to the Linux community, we have to take it. So it is very much all about converting users and becoming more popular.

billgoldberg
June 17th, 2009, 06:22 PM
From here (http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu/810features/):



Maybe it's just me being picky, but... doesn't that make it seem like our ultimate goal is to win market share? We wouldn't want to come across as, 'on par' with some other large, nameless company that wants nothing else but high market share, now... would we?

I don't know. Personally, I'd prefer if the web page said, "users" instead of, "converts". I think it makes the person reading feel more like a human being, rather then something to be won in some big competition... again, maybe that's just me.

Thoughts?

Canonical wants as much people as possible to use their OS. So it's their goal to win converts.

I couldn't care less if someone uses Linux, Windows or anything else.