[ubuntu-uk] What's in a name?

[suprengr]

On Sat, 2011-06-11 at 21:42 +0100, john beddard wrote:
> These are valuable lessons that we need to take on board Tony. 
> 
> However we are dealing across an international community, where Ubuntu
> can have different meanings. Not forgetting that Microsoft Windows has
> very negative image across the world. To the point that most users had
> to begin using it, because they had no other choice. 
> 
> My first response would to make the name more accessible by the
> marketing people : U2 Ubuntu. However, probably better, would be the use
> of graphic characters, something the open-source community  has been
> exceptional at doing. So for example a Natty Narwhale character for the
> current 11.04 release. Making each major release more memorable.
> Alternatively, whilst Ubuntu's logo is strong, this characterisation
> could be done for the school's and young adult market in general.
> 
> John
> 
> 
> 
> On Sat, 2011-06-11 at 21:06 +0100, (:techitone:) wrote:
> > Hi,
> > 
> > I've been using Ubuntu on and off for a couple of years now and have
> > learned a lot from reading the UK Ubuntu Talk emails. I've install
> > Xubuntu many times on older (+5 to -10 years) laptops and I've given
> > these laptops to people to borrow for community projects that I'm
> > working on. 
> > 
> > It takes them a little while to get out of their Windows or Mac OS way
> > of working but the people that borrow them are eventually impressed by
> > how easy and reliable they are to use.
> > 
> > These people are 'Joe Public', they have no tech skills and have no
> > desire to have any tech skills. All they want/need to do is email, use
> > Facebook, surf the Net, write something to print out, maybe watch a
> > DVD and play music.
> > 
> > Everyone knows what Windows is because they, their friends, family,
> > neighbours, work colleagues etc use it. Windows is everywhere in Joe
> > Public's world.
> > 
> > Some of them use Mac's, sometimes for the same reasons as above for
> > Windows but in my experience it's because it's what they used during
> > further and higher education, ie for creating video's using Final Cut
> > Pro, publishing using In Design etc. They then go into the industry
> > and use FCP etc on Mac's in the workplace. The iPod, iPhone and iPad
> > have also converted many users to the Mac.
> > 
> > In my experience when I speak with people about trying, or even
> > switching to, Ubuntu there is always a stumbling block with the name
> > 'Ubuntu' and the names of all the releases, Dapper Drake, Hardy Heron,
> > Karmic Koala, Lucid Lynx, Maverick Meerkat, Natty Narwhal. They just
> > seem to 'switch off' to the whole idea of it.
> > 
> > Windows is a familiar word. It's releases have progressive names,
> > Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7. They sound cool.
> > 
> > Mac OS X 'sounds' cool. Its big cat release names sound powerful. Lion
> > is soon to be released and is very cheap. This is cool. 
> > 
> > If it doesn't sound cool it isn't gonna sell, even if it's free! Any
> > advertising freelancer will tell you this.
> > 
> > What's Ubuntu? What's an Ubuntu? The UK market have no
> > concept/comprehension of this word. They have no common frame of
> > reference.
> > 
> > They want to know what the word Ubuntu is. I tell them it's a
> > philosophy and that it means,
> > 
> > "I am what I am because of who we all are." (From a translation
> > offered by Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee.)
> > 
> > and that it's an operating system that they can freely install on
> > their PC. I can even give them the wiki definition,
> > 
> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_%28philosophy%29
> > 
> > And by the time I mentioned the names of the releases they have just
> > glazed over. Apart from when I say 'Maverick Meerkat' which is 'cool'
> > because of the TV ads featuring a Meerkat that says, "Simples".
> > 
> > If Ubuntu is not a cool word = Ubuntu is not cool :(
> > 
> > Most of the people that borrow the laptops end up installing a copy of
> > Ubuntu on their home Windows PC so they can dual boot into either,
> > just in case!' They feel much 'safer' using Ubuntu after using it on a
> > free machine for a while, with everything installed for them and
> > working.
> > 
> > Only one person I've 'spoken' to about Ubuntu has installed it on
> > there own desktop as their only OS. They came to my house to install
> > it becuase they we're worried something would go wrong. This person
> > really enjoy's using Ubuntu. They took a copy of it to Uni on a
> > bootable flash drive and impressed fellow students and their lecturers
> > when they were able to boot a copy of Ubuntu from a 'pen drive' on a
> > networked Uni PC, and were amazed when they could gain access to files
> > they shouldn't have been able to! This made what Ubuntu could do cool
> > for these people, the name though was not popular.
> > 
> > The Ubuntu OS is really cool, but we know this. The word Ubuntu is
> > cool in our world but from my experience it's not cool in the world of
> > Joe Public.
> > 
> > I would really like to find a way to enthuse people about Ubuntu but I
> > don't know how the get past it's name turning them off the idea.
> > 
> > Any suggestions, please?
> > 
> > Cheers, Tony :)
> > -- 
> > --
> > (:techitone:)
> > --
> 
> 
> 

Two quickies:
1/ if the users care more about the name than the system,; why bother
building a system?
2/ whilst we in the minority: we are not the target [MacDefender refers]

Cheers,
SuprEngr. 

ubuntu-uk at lists.ubuntu.com
https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/