Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 06:49:53 -0500 From: Greg Pavelcak <gpavelcak@philos.umass.edu> To: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> Cc: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Guess we've lost the server market too...? Message-ID: <19990304064953.A252@oitunix.oit.umass.edu> In-Reply-To: <4.1.19990303120036.0097e260@localhost>; from Brett Glass on Wed, Mar 03, 1999 at 12:04:24PM -0700 References: <4.1.19990303025641.03ef9ba0@localhost> <4.1.19990302210116.009fe670@localhost> <Pine.BSF.4.05.9903030103480.687-100000@thelab.hub.org> <4.1.19990303025641.03ef9ba0@localhost> <19990303084501.A27440@oitunix.oit.umass.edu> <4.1.19990303120036.0097e260@localhost>
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On Wed, Mar 03, 1999 at 12:04:24PM -0700, Brett Glass wrote: > At 08:45 AM 3/3/99 -0500, Greg Pavelcak wrote: > > >> 1) The Raving Loonies. This is the fun one. You get to go > >> totally over the top on public forums, starting flame wars, > >> bashing and baiting the competition. Think "Team OS/2," but > >> even more out of control. The more fuss this "lunatic fringe" > >> makes, the better. The purpose of this group is really not to > >> sell the product but merely to draw attention to it; after that, > >> the next group takes over. So, it needs to be the most slavering, > >> slobbering, fanatical, over-the-top kind of "advocacy" -- > >> advocacy which sometimes backfires but GETS ATTENTION. Asbestos > >> underwear required to endure flames. > >> > >I don't see how it can ever be good to become associated with > >assholes and morons. > > No, you don't understand. The "raving loonies" are NOT "assholes > and morons," especially from a marketing perspective. Their > existence -- and the more the better -- gives the world a > sense that the product is something worth being fanatical about. Well, let's see. When I see people at Packers' games in the winter with their clothes off, I don't think the Packers are worth being fanatical about, I think lots of sports fans are idiots. When I see e-mails of the `mine is bigger than yours type' regarding OSes, it reminds me that many people really *into* the software game are not just young but children, in more ways than one. Of course, I often notice that I just assume other people react to things like I do, and I turn out to be wrong. Clinton's presidency often brings this point home to me. > If an OS doesn't have fanatics, the world does not consider it to > be worthy of notice or respect at all. Perhaps OSes are unique in this regard then. Although I'm sure that there are, for example, Michael Jordan and Stevie Ray Vaughan fanatics, I doubt that their talents very often get noticed and respected *because* there are fanatics. > > The size of the lunatic fringe associated with Linux is largely > responsible for its success. > Seems tough to establish this. Again, my own inclination is to disassociate myself from fanatics. > >You have this one backwards. You need loyal FreeBSD people to pose > >as Linux and Microsoft supporters. These people can appear at > >software related events all over the country, always drunk, always > >rude, constantly urinating in public. They should especially target > >FreeeBSD. Is Jordan willing to be peed on for the cause? > > Sorry, but that one won't work. > Actually I was just kidding -- a brief recollection of the G. Gordon Liddy school of campaigning. However, on reflection, I don't see why you don't like the idea. People should get the idea that FreeBSD is worth being fanatical about from the existence of people fanatically opposed to it just as well as from people fantically in favor of it, and on this approach FreeBSD doesn't get tainted by the association with fanatics. Anyway, my vote would be to refrain from being obnoxious, even if it sells. Greg To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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