We are discriminated

[sanderd17]

The media is still not paying attention to ubuntu, I've done a search in google trends and found the following: www.google.com/trends?q=ubuntu%2C+microsoft (http://www.google.com/trends?q=ubuntu%2C+microsoft). As you can see, the attention to ubuntu is growing (compared with M$) with a bump every six months (how would that come?).
But in the media (the second graph) is almost impossible to see the line of ubuntu.
Do you agree this discrimination should stop and have you any ideas to stop it?

[schauerlich]

The media covers what people want to hear about. If people don't want to hear about Ubuntu, they won't cover it. If people want to hear about Microsoft, they will cover it.

The only discrimination involved is an industry moving towards what makes them money.

[Scotty Bones]

The problem is not one of discrimination, but one of marketing.
Windows and Mac have something that linux does not, commercials and advertising. Without these, most people will never know that linux even exists.



with a bump every six months (how would that come?).

In case that question was not rhetorical :) , Its because of the release cycle.

[jrothwell97]

The problem is not one of discrimination, but one of marketing.
Windows and Mac have something that linux does not, commercials and advertising. Without these, most people will never know that linux even exists.
+1

Effective commercials, no? Raising money to put them on TV? How hard can it be?

[JohnFH]

As you can see, the attention to ubuntu is growing (compared with M$) with a bump every six months (how would that come?)

I'm not sure if you are being sarcastic or not, but that bump coincides with the Ubuntu release cycle.

Anyway it's not a fair or even meaningful comparison because it's Ubuntu vs Microsoft as opposed to Ubuntu vs Windows. Microsoft is more than Windows.

Also it's not discrimination by the media and I feel under no obligation to 'stop it'. The media are involved in practices far worse than this but we'll not go into that here.

[BuffaloX]

Ubuntu and Linux are getting some attention, even if Goggle trends doesn't show it.
In Denmark a major paper had an article on a family switching to Ubuntu and how it went. This was 4-5 months ago. It was even quite positive.
In general I see Linux and Ubuntu mentioned more even if it is still quite rare.

I don't think it is conscious discrimination, and as Linux popularity grows, more stories will appear both good and bad probably.

Right now Windows 7 has the limelight, and probably will have for some time.
It could be cool if Ubuntu was mentioned as an alternative to Win7.
I suppose the only way to help that happen, is to write those responsible for the news, and remind them how wonderful Ubuntu is, and that more and more people are using it.
But even if we did that, Apple would probably rank higher than Ubuntu, because it is perceived as cool by most media people.

Linux is still seen as a somewhat hippie budget solution.

Maybe if we contact FOX news, and tell them Linux is socialist, they'll rave on about it for weeks.

[winjeel]

When you do a "ranking by microsoft" you see that the tech-focused and affluent countries are the top rankers. India is a relatively poor country, but with a huge population, and I guess the population who are afluent are perhaps more numerous than quite a few other places. It seems that if you can afford MS, then you don't need to consider alternatives.

[stinger30au]

write a letter to your local news paper to the "letters to the editor" section and tell them how productive you are with ubuntu and i bet it will be printed.

i do it every few months and it gets printed

[schauerlich]

i do it every few months

...Why?

[BuffaloX]

...Why?

I can think of a whole bunch of reasons.

Sharing a positive experience.
Giving tips on how to save a buck.
Attempting to increase use of Linux, so Linux will be better supported.

Asking why to this makes it seem like you just don't care, then why are you reading this thread and even posting in it?

[Sand & Mercury]

It is not discrimination. The media of course are going to try to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Why would anyone be surprised that Ubuntu is not getting attention in the mainstream media yet? Pull your head out. The project is gaining steam every year but it is still niche.

[t0p]

The way the OP talks about "discrimination" its like he thinks that the media outlets are ignoring ubuntu on purpose. Which strikes me as faintly ridiculous.

The media doesnt go on about ubuntu all the time simply because the majority of the audience does not know or care about ubuntu. And why should they? Ubuntu is just 1 linux distro - and linux as a whole is just a tiny blip compared to Windows.

If you regularly watch tech shows on tv, like Click on the bbc, you will see the occasional reference to linux. And thats about all the coverage it should get, on mainstream media that is financed by advertising. So dont take it so seriously!

[Grishka]

I see no discrimination in the media, it seems pretty even. sure, there are no Linux commercials on TV, but there are no Windows commercials either. where I live, most major online newssites, and technical sites, are pretty loud about Ubuntu's new releases. they post reviews as soon as RC is out, and they're mostly objective. there's also a lot of books and magazines available concerning this topic, and many come with enclosed DVDs and CDs for major distros. many high schools only have some flavour of Linux in their computer labs, or at least Windows and Linux. I do see a lot of discrimination in stuff people post in response to online articles about Linux, though it's always the same old myths: "you have to use the command line!", "you can't play WoW in Linux!", "you can't develop commercial software on Linux, because GPL prohibits selling it!", "Windows rules, Linux sucks!", "Linux is hard, Windows is easy!", "Linux is not fit for the desktop!".

[MikeTheC]

The media of course are going to try to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
This one sentence explains more than you can ever know. It is also a (justifiable) condemnation of the media in all of its forms.

[JillSwift]

The media is still not paying attention to ubuntu, I've done a search in google trends and found the following: www.google.com/trends?q=ubuntu%2C+microsoft (http://www.google.com/trends?q=ubuntu%2C+microsoft). As you can see, the attention to ubuntu is growing (compared with M$) with a bump every six months (how would that come?).
But in the media (the second graph) is almost impossible to see the line of ubuntu.
Do you agree this discrimination should stop and have you any ideas to stop it?
Everyone discriminates (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/discriminate). That's why we don't eat the furniture. ;)

News is biased toward the larger interests. That's how you sell ads. Ads are how news businesses stay alive. Until and unless Ubuntu and Linux in general become a more common interest, stories of said will remain page filler.

That's just life.

[khelben1979]

The interest of Linux will get higher as time moves on, even in the media. Patience.

There's nothing wrong with showing that we exist and what we do. To expect that everyone would be interested in Linux is foolish, in my opinion. And as the old saying goes: money rulez! That's why Microsoft and Apple gets more attention from journalists.

[chucky chuckaluck]

ignored, or unnoticed, would probably be better descriptions than discriminated against.

[MikeTheC]

Everyone discriminates (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/discriminate). That's why we don't eat the furniture. ;)
*talking with a bit of a table leg in his mouth*

But I was hungry! :p

[JillSwift]

*talking with a bit of a table leg in his mouth*

But I was hungry! :p
I stand, face firmly in palm, corrected. ;) :)

[decoherence]

As someone who has cringed every time he's heard "this is the year of the linux desktop!" for the past TEN years (or more) I've acquired the following perspective. It's very simple and obvious.

The longer it is before linux becomes "mainstream" (and gets mainstream news attention) the better prepared it will be for that attention.

When it does get that attention, it should not be because someone raised money and started advertising. It should be because it is accessible enough and better enough that people simply no longer want to use Windows. Word of mouth spreads very quickly if that word is actually true. But if it isn't, the more advertising you throw at it, the more false it will sound.

Like an earlier poster said; patience.

[MikeTheC]

I stand, face firmly in palm, corrected. ;) :)

ROFLMAO!!!

You can be awesome, Jill. You sure can be.

[jrothwell97]

sure, there are no Linux commercials on TV, but there are no Windows commercials either.
um... there are. True, they're lying and spinning through their back teeth (such as the seven-year-old importing photos - was he responsible for the weekend project that was removing the crapware from the PC?), but there are Windows commercials on TV.

[Simian Man]

Aside from the obvious fact that few people care about Linux, another reason Microsoft would naturally get more media coverage is that they are a big company with an impact on the economy whereas Linux isn't.

[Grishka]

um... there are. True, they're lying and spinning through their back teeth (such as the seven-year-old importing photos - was he responsible for the weekend project that was removing the crapware from the PC?), but there are Windows commercials on TV.

ah, sorry. I forgot that I stopped watching TV many years ago. :) but really, there are NO Windows commercials on TV where I live.

[Blacklightbulb]

The media covers what people want to hear about. If people don't want to hear about Ubuntu, they won't cover it. If people want to hear about Microsoft, they will cover it.

The only discrimination involved is an industry moving towards what makes them money.
I think thats what the companies want the people to hear about.

[forrestcupp]

When you do a "ranking by microsoft" you see that the tech-focused and affluent countries are the top rankers. India is a relatively poor country, but with a huge population, and I guess the population who are afluent are perhaps more numerous than quite a few other places. It seems that if you can afford MS, then you don't need to consider alternatives.
Well around here, computers just come with Windows on them, and it's not really any cheaper to buy a bare bones system and set it up how you like.

[SuperSonic4]

It doesn't really matter does it? GNU/Linux has survived for a decade at least in the shadow of microsoft and shitfests like vista have driven hardware prices down no end.

Security through obscurity contributes a lot to it's success too

[ibuclaw]

Anyway it's not a fair or even meaningful comparison because it's Ubuntu vs Microsoft as opposed to Ubuntu vs Windows. Microsoft is more than Windows.


So, I'm guessing that this would be a fair comparison then: http://www.google.com/trends?q=canonical%2C+microsoft&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0

Oops, looks like Canonical is not on chart...

OK, scrap that, lets look at individuals then:
http://www.google.com/trends?q=ubuntu%2C+windows+xp&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=1
http://www.google.com/trends?q=ubuntu%2C+windows+vista&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=1
http://www.google.com/trends?q=ubuntu%2C+windows+7&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=1

You would have thought that Ubuntu was doing OK against the "one on one", but specify a release from Ubuntu and it drops back down again.
http://www.google.com/trends?q=ubuntu+9.04%2C+windows+vista&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=1

Conclusion?
Our high google count appears to be what it is because of community and guides. Not because of new releases. :)

[TheNessus]

The problem is not one of discrimination, but one of marketing.
Windows and Mac have something that linux does not, commercials and advertising. Without these, most people will never know that linux even exists.

So... Cannonical and others should together make a commercial, opening people's eyes to see without the Windopple glasses. A low cost, mid-day commercial. And spread it on Youtube too.

[Thelasko]

Perhaps the op is too broad. Please look at this graph (http://www.google.com/trends?q=ubuntu%2C+microsoft+windows&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=1).

Microsoft does more than just Windows these days. It's also a publicly traded company, and Canonical isn't. Of course MS is going to get more searches.

[NCLI]

The media is still not paying attention to ubuntu, I've done a search in google trends and found the following: www.google.com/trends?q=ubuntu%2C+microsoft (http://www.google.com/trends?q=ubuntu%2C+microsoft). As you can see, the attention to ubuntu is growing (compared with M$) with a bump every six months (how would that come?).
But in the media (the second graph) is almost impossible to see the line of ubuntu.
Do you agree this discrimination should stop and have you any ideas to stop it?
I think this (http://www.google.com/trends?q=ubuntu%2C+windows%2C+mac&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0) would be more fair, really.
http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.69be7c93b0.png (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/69be7c93b0.png)

You do have a point though.

[HermanAB]

Linux news isn't news:
"News Flash: Two billion Linux devices worked perfectly today and no virus infections or trojan programs were released!"

Ho, hum....

as compared to:
"News Flash: The whole intertubes came to a halt today and stock markets collapsed world wide as billions of Linux devices were rendered dead by the 512000th virus program released by the Russian Mafia this century. Prez Barak declared that the USA would launch a missile strike against Moscow as soon as he can get his Obama Berry to actually do something again and the software patches to the missile systems were applied and tested..."

[sydbat]

Linux news isn't news:
"News Flash: Two billion Linux devices worked perfectly today and no virus infections or trojan programs were released!"

Ho, hum....

as compared to:
"News Flash: The whole intertubes came to a halt today and stock markets collapsed world wide as billions of Linux devices were rendered dead by the 512000th virus program released by the Russian Mafia this century. Prez Barak declared that the USA would launch a missile strike against Moscow as soon as he can get his Obama Berry to actually do something again and the software patches to the missile systems were applied and tested..."

:lolflag: +1

[Lavaeagle]

That is quite awesome
@HermanAB

The only way to spread linux love is to love.

You've got to remember who controls the game, and as long as they control the game linux will never become really popular.

[bodyharvester]

linux draws some people to it, the people who deserve linux, those who use Windows as their sole OS deserve the problems they get, i really dont care anymore. When someone complains to me about something wrong with their windows i pay very little attention

[lisati]

Perhaps it's the autistic/pedantic side to my make-up making a nuisance of itself but here goes from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discriminate

* Main Entry: dis·crim·i·nate
* Pronunciation: \dis-ˈkri-mə-ˌnāt\
* Function: verb
* Inflected Form(s): dis·crim·i·nat·ed; dis·crim·i·nat·ing
* Etymology: Latin discriminatus, past participle of discriminare, from discrimin-, discrimen distinction, from discernere to distinguish between — more at discern
* Date: 1628

transitive verb 1 a : to mark or perceive the distinguishing or peculiar features of b : distinguish, differentiate <discriminate hundreds of colors>
2 : to distinguish by discerning or exposing differences; especially : to distinguish from another like objectintransitive verb 1 a : to make a distinction <discriminate among historical sources> b : to use good judgment
2 : to make a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual merit <discriminate in favor of your friends> <discriminate against a certain nationality>

[running_rabbit07]

The media covers what they are paid to cover.

Our presidential election was proof of that. They could have very easily pushed stories that would have gained the seat for Clinton, but they didn't.

[Sean Moran]

It's the online apartheid that causes the most real-time hassles methinks, more than the media hype that is about as reliable at keeping the masses in the dark with the silicon that waits at the other end of their keyboard cable as with practically anything that gets written down on the Yahoo! homepage under the guise of 'news'. It's only there to provide entertainment, although the majority of online people (ie. the minority of ALL people) would seem to take it seriously, more fool them.

The online apartheid I refer to is found on those websites that are fairly regularly encountered containing a message box that tells the client, 'This website only works with IE.' and that sort of thing.

That's the discrimination that makes me want to write a letter to CERN, but no doubt they'd already know what a monster Redmond has been trying to turn their child into. It defies the natural laws of economics and free enterprise so it can't last much longer before the m$ pride goes for a fall, and when it does, I want my money back too.

NEWS FLASH: Gates ordered to refund XP/Vista/7 licence fees.

(wouldn't that be hilariously entertaining news?)
:popcorn:

[MikeTheC]

Abraham Lincoln is claimed to have said “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.” And, while I don't (quite obviously) believe that one can fool every single last person on the planet every single time, I believe the fact of the matter is that we are being (whether deliberately or incidentally) dumbed down, mis-informed and simply left uninformed -- as a society and to such an extent -- that we can just about "fool all of the people" all of the time.

Frankly, I think that's pretty darned sad.

[howlingmadhowie]

The media covers what people want to hear about.

dear, dear me. such naiveté is a thing of beauty.

[sloggerkhan]

What about this?
http://www.google.com/trends?q=ubuntu%2C+windows+7&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0

[Cortux]

Abraham Lincoln is claimed to have said “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.” And, while I don't (quite obviously) believe that one can fool every single last person on the planet every single time, I believe the fact of the matter is that we are being (whether deliberately or incidentally) dumbed down, mis-informed and simply left uninformed -- as a society and to such an extent -- that we can just about "fool all of the people" all of the time.

Frankly, I think that's pretty darned sad.

Quote the above, Abraham mentioned that regarding the banking system and how much we are being blinded. If it makes them money, lots of it then put it in the media to blind the public of the truth. If it doesnt then discard it. Just like energy, it can be free but it wont make them money and allow them the monopoly, not to change the subject, its exactly the same when it comes to software, put it down if it doesnt make the elite few millions.

[howlingmadhowie]

hee-hee :)

ubuntu and osx (http://www.google.com/trends?q=ubuntu%2C+osx&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0)