Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 14:27:15 -0500 (CDT) From: "Matthew D. Fuller" <fullermd@futuresouth.com> To: "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@time.cdrom.com> Cc: freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: BSD vs Linux Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.96.980513140149.19536d-100000@shell.futuresouth.com> In-Reply-To: <9730.895076375@time.cdrom.com>
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These are my thoughts. I can't do most of them, certainly not alone. I do what I can. Over the year (well, a little more) that I've been running FreeBSD, I've personally converted at least 3 people. If every one of us converted 3 people a year, above and beyond other growth, that'd add up pretty dang quick. OK, onto my spiel. On Wed, 13 May 1998, Jordan K. Hubbard wrote: > > All I am saying is that FreeBSD isn't really on the mainstream's mind. I > > But we know all that already and you're not really adding anything > useful to this conversation in pointing that out. What we need > here are: > > 1. Concrete examples of what can be done to improve the situation. > 2. Actual attempts to do so. We need to counter that penguin 'Cool! It runs with Linux' with a little daemon with a tie-dyed headband slurring out 'Groovy! It runs FreeBSD', and we need to get it on TV commercials, right after the 'Where do you want to go today?' adds. We need to convince the companies that sell parts that will work under FreeBSD to stick a little Chuckie on the box. Basically, every time I see a penguin, I want to see a daemon. I have neither the contacts nor the capital to implement this. I think the tack we need to take with hardware vendors is the 'You're marketing that your <insert peripheral name here> supports open source OS's to counteract a monopoly. Why not add to the multitude by sticking this cute little daemon on your package?', and when they so no, ask why? No BS about 'it's not a big enough user base to add much', every little bit is a profit, and they can't really lose any user base for that, so they're gaining. And if some conservative grass-roots group starts hounding them about satanic symbols on their box, well... I know people who weekly go to the American Family Association's web page to see which albums/movies they're ranting against this week, and use that as their gauge of what to see/buy instead of newspaper critics. If the AFA's upset about it, it must be good. I think, at this point, we really ARE in a situation where no press is bad press, in both meanings of the phrase. If I though I could keep my job and sanity by mussing up my hair, wearing a 'The End Is Near' sandwich sign, and running around town telling people 'The world is ending! The only thing you can do is repent! Oh, and here's a copy of FreeBSD', I'd be doing it in a second. Just to say 'Hey look Mom, I'm on the news!' I don't like saying something that sounds reproachful like this, but the hardware vendors etc. is a place where Walnut Creek has the weight and, I dunno, authenticity maybe? to throw around, the clout to suggest something. When you buy a peripheral, call the manufacturer's 800 suggestions/comments line and ask 'Does this work under FreeBSD?', even if you know it does (or better still, if you know it DOESNT). When you order your next computer/server, ask the place you order it from 'Can you ship that with FreeBSD on it?'. All we as individuals can do is open up awareness. Walnut Creek has to do the next step. Pardon me, I shall retreat back into my flame proof cell and pretend I can code for a while... *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* | FreeBSD; the way computers were meant to be | * "The only reason I'm burning my candle at both ends, is * | that I haven't figured out how to light the middle yet."| * fullermd@futuresouth.com :-} MAtthew Fuller * | http://keystone.westminster.edu/~fullermd | *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message
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