[ubuntu-uk] Ubuntu TV Advert

[Sean Miller]

I only saw the short version of the BBC Click piece, at 6.30am on a Sunday
morning or whenever on News 24 but I wasn't actually that impressed with
it... it was, I recall thinking at the time, inaccurate in many regards...
it made a big thing of Open Source software being free as in beer, which we
know is not technically the case, and also video of black screens with text
scrolling vertically as each module loads with a comment from the producer
about how nostalgic this is...  I don't think any version of Ubuntu I've
ever installed (and I've ran every version so far) defaulted to black
screens with text scrolling, instead having the welcoming Ubuntu splash page
and then a login box.

I understand that your average "man in the street" may not be able to grasp
the concept of freedom vs. zero cost early on a Sunday morning but I would
have thought it better to simply not mention it at all rather than state
something that is actually wrong.   The programme also, if I remember right,
gave that age-old impression that folks using Linux are generally geeks and
to use same one needs to have some technical know-how.  This is surely a
message we should be trying to refute rather than encourage the media to
re-enforce it.

I think it is the lack of Ubuntu boxes in the shops that is the major
obstacle... whilst the OS is primarily something that the user has to
install it will remain in the "geek/techie" category in most peoples'
minds.  But with Tesco now selling a Linux box (what was it, £138?) surely
we should be encouraging them to start putting them on display in store...
when it comes to promotion, to use Tesco's own phrase, "Every Little Helps"
and surely it would be a great opportunity for Tesco to show that they're
"daring to be different", offering customers a "completely new computer
experience"... perhaps stamp "Tesco Value" on the box, and offer a Ubuntu PC
and TFT monitor for £199.99... or £219.99 with wireless card.

Perhaps we could actually tailor a version of Ubuntu (as have the "Ubuntu
Studio" folks for music) specifically for the Tesco market, doing things
that nobody could dream of getting for so little from Microsoft... what does
your average Tesco person want from a computer?

We have the basics - Openoffice, Firefox, Pidgin, Thunderbird/Evolution,
GIMP, Skype perhaps, a CD/DVD burner of some sort, photo software of some
sort...

What about MythTV or similar?  Bundle in a TV card and promote this PC as
one where you can pause live TV, record programmes and then burn to DVD...
everything you'd get in a £120 "hard drive recorder" box thrown in virtually
free...

Imagine it... "Tesco, the store that gives you options..." - millions start
flooding into Tesco to look at Windows vs. Linux... they see the rich
multimedia content streaming on that shelf, they see great video demos on
the screen and they see a guided tour of how you can do really exciting
things (similar to what PC World do with Microsoft's creations)... Tesco
sells out of Linux PCs within 3 days and it's all over the BBC News...
"Tesco have been forced to order another 1 million Linux PCs after they
disappeared off the shelves.   PC World and Currys executives have meanwhile
called emergency meetings with their buyers to find out why Linux had not
been promoted in this way in their stores, as Q4 profits at both chains
looked set to be significantly down on this time last year"

Impossible?  Not at all... Tesco already have Linux PCs available on their
website so surely it's at least worth a go?  A joint promotion between Tesco
and Ubuntu must be mutually beneficial... "Tesco - the store that dares to
think outside the (Microsoft) box" ;-)

Sean
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