OT - IDC Explains Linux Went Right

p.daniels teeahr1 at gmail.com
Fri Apr 18 13:25:03 UTC 2008


Michael Leone wrote:
> Well, "iNoun" (shouldn't that be "iNouns", for the multitude of
> products) are not really intended for a business use, and - way back
> when - I though this thread started with "code names are silly, in a
> corporate environment". So it's not really applicable, even if
> somewhat humorous.
>
> And yes, I was iKidding ...
Aha! I have found the source of our disconnect! Indeed you are correct 
in your assessment that "code names are silly in a corporate 
environment," but I don't see that as really the main target market of 
Ubuntu. And within (what I see as) that main target market, namely 
individual desktop users, "silly code names" are a /good/ thing. It 
helps differentiate your product. "Oh, Ubuntu! They're the ones with the 
crazy animal names!"

Which is why I keep pulling out i* as an example. Dumb name if I ever 
heard one, but people remember it. So much so that non-Apple folks try 
to hitch their wagons to it, and now everyone's trying to market their 
stuff as iStuff. Even my mp3 player is called "iAudio," and it's made by 
Cowan, has nothing to do with Apple, and is a great, high-quality 
product in its own right. Because "silly names" work.

-pete




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