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

[Michael Curran]

----- Original Message ----

From: Martin Owens <doctormo at gmail.com>

  
>> Microsoft dominates the business and government marketplace because it dominates the home marketplace.

> No, Microsoft dominates because they hold a monopoly position. One that
should have been dealt with by the courts. See Bug #1.

Not always, IBM used to own the business market, but Microsoft undercut them, before they established their current monopoly.

>> Vista was shunned by home users and was likewise shunned by businesses.

> No, it was shunned by business because they had control over what was
> deployed and they didn't like Vista for a bunch of technical reasons.
> Home users didn't have a choice, if they wanted a new machine they had
> to buy one with Vista. So great was the dislike that _some_ of these
> people bought Apple Macs or refrained from buying a computer altogether.

Home users were forced to get Vista and thanked their lucky stars that their office never upgraded.

>> If you want to play in the business environment, the plan must be to promote a healthy crop of home users.

> Nope, You have to provide a healthy brand with a healthy set of users
> who know it and know that they can do their work in it. That's marketing
> for the first part, but pure education and structure for the second.
> Unless you have a couple of million dollars to pour into a marketing
> campaign or at least the capability to get out there and give out flyers
> (or phone the mayor and _ask_ him). I'll stick to the problem of
> education because it's more productive and more likely to succeed.

We are probably in violent agreement on this point, any way you cut it, you need users before you can convert organizations.

>> 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.

> Not possible.
.
.
.

I disagree with your points here, but I don't think arguing about it will solve anything at this point.


> I do not believe you've thought this problem through, I see many holes
> and hand waving of serious resource problems. But I'd love to speak with
> you all in person on Wednesday night or at our next meeting. Will you be
> there? 

I'll see if I can make it this Wednesday, but I'll be in Texas during the next meeting (teaching people to use a MS product of all things ;) ).  I tend to hang on the IRC most evenings so I can be reached there.

-Michael Curran