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1337455 10534
September 27th, 2007, 02:16 AM
Nine months ago, the word "Linux" had a negative, backward ring to it.
No one I knew used it. No one talked about it. And no one knew anything about it.
So I finally Googled it after I saw my friend (try) to but Dapper on his 98. I read for a while, and 2 weeks later Feisty was on my doorstep; neatly packaged.
2 months of trying to install it (and one thread on the "live acpi=off" boot command later), I had Ubuntu running great on my computer. Months passed, and the ignorance of this wonderful OS passed. 5 of my friends have asked me to put different flavors of Linux on their computer at one time or another.
But still, most people are talking about how they want Vista, and few friends have asked if I had Vista after they saw Compiz Fusion.
Well, OK; I'm going to leave the Vista-hate messages to the Vista-hate message threads, but I just don't understand how M$ does it!!!
How do they advertise really what is an inferior OS and have millions of people buy a new version of it with virtually no productivity enhancements??

How do we get the genereal computer population to acknowledge, discuss, and possibly use Linux??
We advertise.

Don't you think if that Google had a short line saying "Google is powered by Linux servers! Read more... " on Google's home page instead of a pop-up prompting you to get the Google Toolbar would foster awareness?
Or how about the same thing for TiVo?
And (honestly) how many of you people knew that the Razr runs on Linux??!!?? [i just found out recently]

What the Linux community needs is more interest, more manpower for faster growth. There should be some sort of "movement" to get Google to do this.
Or any other companies possible.

What is your view on Linux promotion / advertising?

nonewmsgs
September 27th, 2007, 02:21 AM
i like the idea of something subtle like on the google page, but the masses don't really want it. right now if you actually post here for help most likely:

1) you managed to find out about ubuntu,
2) burned an iso
3) found and joined this forum

i like that idea at least to a degree. that means a lot of the people who ask even the simplest question have really put forth an effort already.

danny joe ritchie
September 27th, 2007, 02:25 AM
I believe that microsoft has been offering a downgrade(to XP) because of the problems with Vista!
To answer your question,I don't know!

Dark Hornet
September 27th, 2007, 04:24 AM
well, Windows has most of the market share simply because it comes pre-installed on most computers. With this said, I think that Linux is making some great strides in its "marketing"...for instance Dell now offers Ubuntu on some of its desktops. I think this kind of promotion would have a huge impact on the world of Linux.....anyway, just my 2 cents.

Sporkman
September 27th, 2007, 04:28 AM
Product placement in shows & movies.

adamorjames
September 27th, 2007, 04:36 AM
The Google idea sounds awesome I like it a lot. M$ has a lot of people brainwashed :(

HermanAB
September 27th, 2007, 05:27 AM
The amazing thing about marketing is that if you repeat something often enough then lots of people will believe it. Many advertisements say nothing at all: "Lyle Soap". If that gets printed all over the place, then lots of people will buy it.

Next time you go out, count how many times you see 'Microsoft' and how many times you see 'Linux' printed somewhere. MS is sure to win by many to zero almost every day...

Google:
613,000,000 for microsoft.
531,000,000 for microsoft windows
330,000,000 for linux

Sporkman
September 27th, 2007, 04:00 PM
The amazing thing about marketing is that if you repeat something often enough then lots of people will believe it. Many advertisements say nothing at all: "Lyle Soap". If that gets printed all over the place, then lots of people will buy it.


People also respond well to items that are branded or have some sort of special qualifier, like "angus beef" vs "beef", or "arabica coffee" vs "coffee", or "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" vs "Frankenstein"...

1337455 10534
September 28th, 2007, 02:30 AM
Hmm, I remember hearing about those Dell laptops. That would explain the section devoted to Dells on the Homepage.
---
But what is stopping people from finding Linux accessible?
On a task vs. time/complications table, everything in Ubuntu is a s fast as can be, if not faster, and in my opinion a lot sleeker than XP.
---
I dont think pooping the word "Linux" in random places is going to help the cause.
---
How do WE get Linux pre-installed on 90+% of the computers in the world?? How did M$ do it? I think that mite be the one thing they got right; advertising. We need to learn and adapt. Anyone know an authority on this?

Depressed Man
September 28th, 2007, 03:26 PM
How did they do it? Well they had the advantage years ago when the PC industry was still new. IBM offered MS money at the time (Apple was huge back then compared to now) to put their OS on their PCs (which could be built from most parts instead of Apple's buy it as it is).

And well they've been preinstalling it on there since. As a result they've gotten more hardware support and more software support because of it.

bruce89
September 28th, 2007, 04:07 PM
Hmm, I remember hearing about those Dell laptops. That would explain the section devoted to Dells on the Homepage.
---
But what is stopping people from finding Linux accessible?
On a task vs. time/complications table, everything in Ubuntu is a s fast as can be, if not faster, and in my opinion a lot sleeker than XP.
---
I dont think pooping the word "Linux" in random places is going to help the cause.
---
How do WE get Linux pre-installed on 90+% of the computers in the world?? How did M$ do it? I think that mite be the one thing they got right; advertising. We need to learn and adapt. Anyone know an authority on this?

An EU think-tank has said that the EU should ban comptuters being sold with Windows on them and require you to buy the OS seperatly. I would extend this to Apple things too.

Incidetally, this computer is a Dell Ubuntu.

Diggs808
September 28th, 2007, 04:52 PM
I think that a lot of it has to do with an overall perception of friendliness. Please stick with me on this one (I'm a pastor and can tend to be long winded)...

The thing that has really sold and I mean SOLD me on Ubuntu is the friendliness of the forums. There are literally tons of people who are willing to help and they are friendly about it. This is definitely different from what it was a few years ago in the Linux communities. I honestly think that is why Ubuntu is doing so well...people can feel comfortable coming in here and asking questions (no matter how silly they seem) without the risk of being treated like an idiot because their Gnome crashed. This will end up making a difference for a lot of people (and as a consequence...cause them to switch and become civilized fans), especially as Ubuntu keeps on putting out releases with improvements that are light years ahead of the previous release.

Go to some apple forums or Microsoft forums....they are really disorganized (something I found out when I was helping someone with their MacBook last week) and quite unfriendly to the average user. I generally found that I could not find the information that I needed to fix the problem (eventually I figured it out on my own). In many Apple forums the solution always included buying some piece of software or it would turn into a "guess what Apple Whatever I have" thread. Microsoft forums are pretty worthless...they are either extremely technical without any kind of organization or end up as a forum where FanBoys flame each other about problems. This is where the difference is made now and will continue to be made for Ubuntu. As long as people stay friendly, courteous, and helpful then Ubuntu will continue to make inroads into the market-place. People want to feel like they are treated with some amount of civility when they have messed something up...because more than likely they are experiencing that "oh c*ap" moment when they realize they did something to mess it up.

I guess I said all that to say this....keep up the good work. Be friendly, that will draw people in and help them to recommend Ubuntu to all of their friends. That is what makes the difference for me. If I recommend Ubuntu to a friend, then I know that they can come here and get help (because if they call me this is the first place I come to look for an answer) without being treated horribly. Microsoft and Apple will lose customers when they are perceived as unfriendly. I tip my hat to the Mods around here and the community in general. This is a fun place to play.

daverich
September 28th, 2007, 05:39 PM
I just give it a mention on my website, with a link to the main ubuntu page.

I've also converted a few people who've seen it running on my machine.

It's a slow process,- but I think word-of-mouth is much more effective in the long run.

Kind regards

Dave Rich

marco123
September 28th, 2007, 06:07 PM
Word of mouth is definitely the way to go.

When I laugh at people's stories of their futile attempts to maintain and secure their PCs I say to them "That must mean that you still use windows then?" and they generally don't know there are other options out there.

I then explain to them that once I've installed Ubuntu and the programs I need I don't even need to restart it unless it's to clean the dust out from inside the case. I usually offer to burn them a Live CD as well so they can give it a spin and see if their hardware is compatible. If it is I'll set it up for them and give them a quick walkthrough too.

samb0057
September 28th, 2007, 06:48 PM
I dont think pooping the word "Linux" in random places is going to help the cause.

haha i dont think pooping anywhere is going to help linux that much

Sporkman
September 28th, 2007, 06:57 PM
haha i dont think pooping anywhere is going to help linux that much

I dunno, if one were able to poop the word "Linux", then it would gain media attention, and people would wonder why someone who is so talented is endorsing this strange "linux" business...

jviscosi
September 28th, 2007, 07:03 PM
I dunno, if one were able to poop the word "Linux", then it would gain media attention, and people would wonder why someone who is so talented is endorsing this strange "linux" business...

This sounds painful, especially the "X". And for the love of God, make sure you're using a sans-serif font.

Het Irv
September 28th, 2007, 07:08 PM
The one thing about the Dell Ubuntu Computers that I have heard (but have no idea if it is true) is that Ubuntu was not the first OS they tried. I think they tried to get Mac's OS X but Apple wouldn't let them have it.

As to "pooping it everywhere," It's not a bad idea (even if the terminology is). Though I have not gotten someone to do this yet I think that Ubuntu would work very well with a Internet only computer. That is, one that is only used to check e-mail and surf the web. Ubuntu is safe secure and pretty easy to install. I makes for the perfect Granny OS. (No insults intended)

jviscosi
September 28th, 2007, 07:30 PM
I think one good way to do this is to donate old machines with Linux on them. I have a friend whose company donated about 15 computers to the school where my wife teaches. I put Linux on all of them (take a cue from the tobacco companies, and hook the kids!) and many went into use that way, although a few ended up getting Windows reinstalled on them.

Such machines could also be donated to libraries, senior centers, etc. These places often don't have the money to buy new machines or Windows licenses, so as long as the OS meets their needs (Internet access, e-mail, word procesisng, or whatever) they should be happy to get them.

1337455 10534
September 28th, 2007, 11:18 PM
All great replies; I had no idea that the EU was trying to sell OSs seperate from computers, sounds like a step forward to me..
Another thing, when I read the replies, I realized I made a typo. "Pooping" was meant to be "popping", but the side effects were HILARIOUS.

I know that IBM is contributing to the OpenOffice project; mebbe they'll took a long, hard look at Linux and decide to help us out.

ANotherthing about the EU; I think ms got sued for 1.2 million euro or something for market bullying. I read an article somewhere about it... Can anyone post a link??

wheredidrealitygo
September 28th, 2007, 11:33 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_v._Microsoft

Quite a bit more than that. Try $613 Million USD.

1337455 10534
September 29th, 2007, 01:57 AM
WOW.
Umm, doesn't that kill all of the Vista profit??
I feel warm inside...

wheredidrealitygo
September 29th, 2007, 06:08 AM
They had to pay that back in March of 2004, so maybe that's one of their many excuses on why Vista was released so late after it was supposed to be. :lolflag:.

marco123
September 29th, 2007, 02:16 PM
I love the idea of selling PCs without an OS!:)

Imagine having just bought your PC in the store, then your by the OS section there's Vista for £200 and next to it is a stack of Ubuntu disks with "Please take one.".:lolflag:

Not a hard decision then.

Dimitriid
September 29th, 2007, 02:27 PM
You will never beat Microsoft with advertising. Its just not possible, they will always come up with money to buy out whatever space you try to use, they can even buy out the entire company if they dont want to cooperate.

What needs to be done, at least outside of the US, is class action lawsuits for illegal business practices using bribes and other tactics to get PC Manufacturers to unfairly offer windows preinstalled.

As impossible as it sounds, to me is the best and only morally acceptable way.

petersjm
September 29th, 2007, 02:29 PM
I haven't read all posts in this thread, so forgive me if someone has alluded to this before... But, you know what else works in the whole advertising/marketing world? Saying certain people can't use it. Here in the UK, does anyone remember the Yorkie Bar advertising ("It's not for girls") or McCoy's crisps ("Man's crisps" or words to that effect). If Linux distros started advertising with a slogan like "Hands off! Linux ain't for you" - how many people would go "Hey, you can't tell me not to use it, gimme that LiveCD!"

Just a thought... ;)

marco123
September 29th, 2007, 02:31 PM
I haven't read all posts in this thread, so forgive me if someone has alluded to this before... But, you know what else works in the whole advertising/marketing world? Saying certain people can't use it. Here in the UK, does anyone remember the Yorkie Bar advertising ("It's not for girls") or McCoy's crisps ("Man's crisps" or words to that effect). If Linux distros started advertising with a slogan like "Hands off! Linux ain't for you" - how many people would go "Hey, you can't tell me not to use it, gimme that LiveCD!"

Just a thought... ;)

Reverse psychology, I like it.:)

1337455 10534
October 12th, 2007, 12:25 AM
I dont like that idea. Thats what drove people away from Linux in the first place, I think.. My dad said that Linux users come off as snobs to him :(.

Ireclan
October 12th, 2007, 01:51 AM
Without more commercial support, the future of Linux is uncertain. What would REALLY cause Linux support to take off is if one of the companies that sponsored it (IBM, Google, etc.) would run an add campaign. The fact that this hasn't been done makes me think that some of the companies who sponsor Linux want to keep it just as it is; a tool that one can take advantage of without it getting in the way of a competing product one might release in the future.

1337455 10534
October 12th, 2007, 10:51 PM
One would think that companies would advertise their tools (i.e software i.e Linux) so that the development communites behind that type of software will compete to produce better code. That doesn't mean that code should be closed-source, just that if something is good, it deserves to be made better. By all of us (i.e developers, sigh).

Zyphrexi
November 6th, 2007, 06:56 PM
mind-control... they start em young, and brainwash em until the zombie-consumer accepts a reality created by those with the most money. Pretty much the same reason all news networks sound exactly the same. money talks... and it's a loud SOB.

songshu
November 6th, 2007, 07:47 PM
I know that IBM is contributing to the OpenOffice project; mebbe they'll took a long, hard look at Linux and decide to help us out.


???? it was IBM in the first place that has placed Linux on the map.
http://www-03.ibm.com/linux/

i agree with most here, advertisement is what will do the trick and i suspect google to be the one to do it

Vitamin-Carrot
November 6th, 2007, 08:38 PM
when it comes down to it,

a marketing stratagy would go along way for all linux distros.

1337455 10534
November 6th, 2007, 10:28 PM
So anyone know people in Google?
Perhaps we could, write a letter... Or something.