OT OpenOffice.org 'advertisement' windows java update

[daniel.mons at iinet.net.au]

 On Tue Mar 11 20:58 , Sebastian Spiess  sent:

>Recently my work computer said that there is a new Java update available, so I updated.
>
>Here is a screenshot of a OpenOffice.org "advertisement" by the java updater, it was shown during the install process.
>
>see here http://img391.imageshack.us/my.php\?image=javaadvertisementforooogb8.png
>
>I am not sure if I like or dislike this.
>
>I think it is good to spread OpenOffice.org but the word advertisement alone makes me wan't to "switch off".

I'm all for it.  To the "average user" (and how I loath using that term, because there isn't such a thing) Microsoft office is the *only* office suite.  I have said time and time again while I dislike Microsoft's business techniques, their marketing department are utter geniuses.  They've managed to convince the entire world not that their product is the best (as most marketing tries to do), but rather that there simply is no other choice.  The mindshare numbers are utterly incredible, of somewhat scary.

Throwing little ads like these into Java updates is a nice wakeup call to "average users" who are otherwise ignorant to alternatives existing at all.  Breaking mind share, even if it comes in the form of *dun dun duuunnnnn* an advertisement, is a good thing.  Similarly, OpenOffice and Firefox ads in newspapers throughout the US have shown to capture the attention of users who otherwise are happy to merely use the supplied defaults on their desktops and laptops.  Sometimes capturing the attention of the non-technical will require using mediums that are foreign to the techies. 

-Dan