Date: Sat, 7 Aug 1999 01:31:46 -0400 From: "Eric A. Griff" <eric@cfpower.com> To: "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@zippy.cdrom.com> Cc: <freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: Marketing FreeBSD / FreeBSD as a pr Message-ID: <008f01bee096$24db2350$c100000a@cfpower.com> References: <2228.934000984@localhost>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Jordy!
Good, straight up point! A little rough, though maybe necessary =)
----- Original Message -----
From: Jordan K. Hubbard <jkh@zippy.cdrom.com>
To: <brian@pobox.com>
Cc: <jkh@zippy.cdrom.com>; <freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG>
Sent: Saturday, August 07, 1999 12:43 AM
Subject: Re: Marketing FreeBSD / FreeBSD as a pr
> > You're going to trivialize this discussion? This issue here
>
> The conversation started out on a trivial note when you went after an
> icon rather than a real shortcoming, I didn't turn it there.
Well, we need non-trivial goals =) Maybe:
1) Move further to be a better known Server Platform. This is a personal
goal, since much of what I am on would move much further along, with the
support of a number of key products. Here, I subcontract Network
Maintainance/Admin assistance in return for office space and link.
A few weeks ago, I was getting a closed mind towards FreeBSD from
Mgmt/Marketing types, even though it was running continuous without problem
for over a year for numerous things. DNS, Some Web (Non-ColdFusion), Email,
and Chat.
Both of those servers reached 100 days uptime about 2 weeks ago (when
updating was performed, and reboots). One 2.2.8-STABLE (100 days old from
then), and 1 3.1-STABLE (100 d/o again from then).
At that point a threat arrived. RedHat 6.0, and a newbie that only knew all
the books he had been reading, and kissing their managements ass with..
So of course, I had to mess with it for a few, and accomplished 2 things. 1)
Put the newbie in his place, and 2) Educated/converted.. He decided a
Firewall/Router was a lil more than he could chew, and also got some
firsthand experience as to the easier layout of FreeBSD..
The #1 reason NT is still the primary server(s) here, is ColdFusion. This is
a simple Middleware by Allaire Corporation, that gives a lot of power.. It
also leads to fast training of new employees, and some Large, highly dynamic
websites.. I've taken people off the street, and trained them over a couple
of months, and had them off developing websites, shopping carts, search
engines, and numerous other things, and with decent quality.. The key there
is it's power, yet simplicity.
Allaire is currently working on a version of this for linux. I intend to
grab it as soon as possible, to attempt to have it running under linux
emulation..
They are a very fast growing company. Companies like them are what we need..
A good chance the balance of there users could shift over the next year
towards linux.. We need to market there. 1) Differences between BSD, and GNU
licensing.. 2) Show a userbase that they see will make their worthwhile.
1) IMHO, we won =) 2) No contest right now.
They have forums at http://forumns.allaire.com/ that in the past year had a
large amount of linux interest. And maybe 3 or 4 for FreeBSD.. We're talking
1000:1 ratios..
MARKETABLE PUSH AHEAD (IMHO): would be to entice them to possibly get us
into the Allaire ColdFusion 4.5 linux beta 8 (heard from an Allaire
Strategic Alliance Partner that this was actually running, and almost
release quality today), so we could do what is needed to get it to run under
linux emulation. To have it running on FreeBSD alone would probably get some
new frenzy going in there forumns going again. ESPECIALLY, if it were to
perform better and more stable.. It might at least draw out more interest at
Allaire to maybe tweak occasionally to work even better.
It would also get a lot of people seeing FreeBSD for a while.. Around the
ColdFusion MiddleWare development there are several mailing lists, one that
likely exceeds what a number of the FreeBSD mailing lists currently push in
load.. (CF-talk@houseoffusion.com filled my folder w/2555 messages over the
last week of a lot of strong developer talk).
To get it to run on FreeBSD will push us ahead in that Arena.. I do have
contact with a couple of their Strategic partners, and have been pushing..
Emulation would definatly get them trying FreeBSD (one is a very large ISP
in Europe). And the other in Allaires hometown (Cambridge, MA).
WHAT WE NEED HERE:
1) Openminded and Cordinated presence on the Allaire Forumns. (Note
coldfusion is just 1 of there products, some others include Alive, JRun,
HomeSite, ColdFusion Studio, and a huge eCommerce system called Spectra
coming soon). ColdFusion also has some builtin LoadBalancing, and Clustering
technology at this point..
2) A beta to attempt to run, and once successful, Ride that wave..
3) A number of other companies in a similiar fashion..
Closing Notes,
Allaire is just one example of startup (1992) companies that are moving
fast into a much larger arena, and do cause a lot of press coverage. A lot.
In a number of arenas, they are looked at as direct competition to
Microsoft. They just went IPO recently..
Strategically, snagging a company like them, might lead to many others,
as The Boston/Cambridge area has a large number of similiar companies that
know each others. Allaire is in that circle..
Just some ranting about of just one place we could drive into, if we
plan, and play cards right. Remember, a year ago, allaire had no intention
of any new Unix platforms (other than Solaris). Now, HPUX is out, and linux
in the works...
> What *would* represent a non-trivial committment on your part would be
> a book or magazine article, as I've already mentioned, and if you're
> interested in getting yourself out of the realm of trivialities and
> into something substantive then the next step is honestly up to you.
> Others have asked me for pointers on this topic, so I'll provide a
> short, and by no means definitive, list here:
Getting mention on large CO's sites on a regular basis, can lead to more
people interested in writing these. With linux, what came first? Magazine
articles, or Some large Corps Strategic Partner trying the OS, and saying
that I want this, because it's faster, and stuff......
Take a look at allaires forumns, and Main site. I'll bet there is a lot
less time done on them, that the FreeBSD site... Also more doable by
creative/artistic people, that often do web pages much better..
> Magazines:
>
> Dr. Dobbs Journal (have published several FreeBSD articles by Sean
> Eric Fagin already).
>
> Performance Computing (formerly Unix Review)
>
> SysAdmin Magazine (an especially good target)
>
> Linux Journal (yep, they will publish FreeBSD related stuff also)
>
> BYTE Magazine (the new electronic version - www.byte.com).
>
> PC Magazine
>
> iX Magazin (Germany)
>
> Unix User (Japan)
I will be looking at these when time is better permitting....
>
> For contact details, simply purchase a copy of the magazine of your
> choice and look on the masthead for the editorial board's address.
> You can also contribute to any of the fine FreeBSD-oriented electronic
> publications like www.daemonnews.org, www.freebsdzine.org,
> www.freebsddiary.com, www.freshmeat.net and even www.slashdot.org.
>
> Books: The following publishers have all expressed an interest in
> publishing [additional] books on FreeBSD and are *always* happy to
> receive an outline:
>
> IDG Books
> Addison-Wesley
> O'Reilly
> Prentice Hall
> SAMS
>
> If you plan on being at LinuxWorld, the Open Source conference or any
> upcoming tradeshow, that's also an excellent place to troll for
> publishers (and vice-versa).
>
I wish (maybe next time =)
> Finally, on the subject of the artwork used for the CDROMS, I've
> already said several times in these mailing lists that "the tailless
> waiter" is out and the old artwork back in, it'll simply have to wait
> for the publication of 3.3 for people to see this since we obviously
> aren't going to recall or stop shipping 3.2 CDs just because people
> don't like the artwork. :)
Cool!
> And on that note, I think I've wasted enough time on this discussion
> and have nothing more to say on this matter.
>
> - Jordan
>
Eric A. Griff <eric@setjmp.com>, http://www.setjmp.com
setjmp Software Your source for custom
181 Genesee Street Software Solutions.
Suite 504
Utica, NY 13501
ICQ# 28146852
Office: (315) 734-1668 Extension 205
Home: (315) 495-2385 (seldom)
To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?008f01bee096$24db2350$c100000a>