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Linux Case Study Project At Linux International

Posted by Hemos on from the making-inroads-in-the-world dept.

porkrind writes: "Linux International is launching a program designed to show all the different areas where Linux is used. It's the case study project. We figure this is a good place to start on our road to marketing Linux. What do you guys think about Linux vendors pooling resources via LI to launch marketing campaigns for Linux? In the end, whatever we come up with, we want to be used by all Linux communities: business, development, advocacy, et al."

2 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Linux Cases? by grammar+nazi · · Score: 5
    I use my Linux case to protect my linux motherboard from dust and damage.

    Seriously, I can sum up many of the different markets for linux:
    1. Businesses that have a specific IT goal in mind and don't need a large corporation to set these goals for them.
    2. Geeky, pimply youths who like a 'flexible' operating system. (Not intended to flame, since I used to fit this category)
    3. Geeky, conservative older men (yes, men) who like a 'flexible' operating system (Not intended to flame, since I currently fit this).
    4. Developers who have specific goals in mind for hardware systems and don't need a large corporation to set these goals for them.
    5. Those who use Linux and don't understand what it is. This is a direct result of #4 and #1 and a good example is Tivo owners.

    I think it's apparent that companies often blindly follow what large corporations sell them. Thus, I conclude that the biggest potential market for Linux is to have a large corporation start marketing Linux solutions (IBM?).

    Actually, I can further summarize as follows:
    1. Those who need a flexible OS.
    2. Those who need a cheap OS.
    3. Those who enjoy playing with their OS.
    4. Those who enjoy a 'free as in speech' operating system are in a considerable minority. I don't intend this to Flame, I wish it weren't true, but I think it is.

    Did I miss anything?

    --

    Keeping /. free of grammatical errors for ~5 years.
  2. What's up with all of the marketing stuff? by sharkticon · · Score: 5

    At some point in the last few years it seems as though I went to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and when I came back, Linux was a hotbed of corporate activity. What on Earth happened?

    The whole point of Linux was never commercial success or brand-name recognition, it was to provide a high-quality operating system under a free license. Back in those days we didn't care about whether or not we could come up with a case study of success stories in order to drum up more corporate users, hell the corporate users were geeks hidden in darkened corners.

    Why should we care that a bunch of greedy corporate suits want to promote Linux as if it's their baby? To be quite frank, I find all this corporatism an affront to the ideals that RMS stands for, and it's not why I starting using Linux in the first place. Software should be free, not exploited for the bottom line.

    At this rate I expect to see "Bullet Proof Linux", "Fortune 500 Linux" and a whole host of other business-friendly distributions. Corel was bad enough, this sort of thing with its "Collaborative Marketing Programs" is worse.

    Linux is not about money, it's about freedom. Don't let the corporations take it away from us.

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