[ubuntu-us-ma] Promoting Ubuntu: Battle Plans

[Michael Curran]

From: Martin Owens <doctormo at gmail.com>

On Sat, 2009-10-10 at 15:00 -0700, Michael Curran wrote:
>> If they can't be convinced to use them at home, they'll never use it on the job.  See Vista as the example.  It isn't a matter of saying versus doing, if you attack from the front, pushing new software on users that use Windows at home, you can't win.

> What example?

> I'm having a hard time understanding where your coming from, in no way
> have you given me yet a good plan to execute.

Microsoft dominates the business and government marketplace because it dominates the home marketplace.  Vista was shunned by home users and was likewise shunned by businesses.  If you want to play in the business environment, the plan must be to promote a healthy crop of home users.  Look at the latest Win 7 promotion, MS is targeting the home users with their eyes set on convincing them to beg their IT guys to upgrade.  You want a battle plan?  

1.  Find someone, anyone, that works in city hall or the state house that uses Ubuntu.
2.  Convince them to ask the IT department to let install Ubuntu on this work PC (even if only wubi).
3.  Channel as much brainpower as we can muster to find ways to get all of this work related software working smoothly on Ubuntu.
4.  Once we have a solution, create a ubuntu release that comes preconfigured to work this the system.
5.  Leverage the foothold to gain converts and work our why up the ladder.
6.  Pray that MS isn't paying attention.

Michael Curran