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How To 'Sell' Open Source Software
An anonymous reader writes "Have we missed the boat in terms of selling Linux to the average Joe? The writer of this article at NewsForge certainly thinks so. He points out that most people don't yet get the idea of a free operating system, and that the best way to start winning them over is to provide free software for Windows, such as OpenOffice.org." This sentiment isn't new, but unlike a lot of commentators, the writer in this case is in a good place (as a retailer who's tried selling Linux-equipped systems) to observe the man-on-the-street reaction to Free operating systems as of 2003.
I wonder about this too. Since I released that halter tying manual that should be SO simple that nobody should be able to screw up, I got my first customer asking me to make one for her within first 15 minutes.
People are often too lazy to download and burn a CD, they want a "hard copy from reliable source", they may want a paper manual... or they are too used to buying software to actually understand the idea they can get it for free...
(not counting these who consider this a way to contribute or express gratitude to the open source community)
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I have a weird case - a project for a local government agency is being stonewalled by the 'official' IT department/subcontractors who want to control all software used anywhere in the govt. I'm told we can get around thier clutches (I'll leave the reasons why out for now) by buying some software we can use for internal operations, then, once that's in the door, we can try to get the software exposed to the internet so our 'customers' can use it as well. But I have to buy it. If I develop it (using open source) then the whole thing falls apart. Must be bought.
It's a Content Management project, so I'm hoping to pick an open source solution and offer the developers some cash if they give us a bill of sale.
Silly reason, but it's one that I've come across for why you might have to buy free software. Buy=product. Free software = custom development. We can buy products but we aren't alowed to develop solutions. Go figure.
closed minded is as closed minded does
To fight fire cold water is some times the only answer. Right now if you go into a retailer the MS A+ pimple faced tech discourages you from using Linux. We all know that in reality Mandrake is really a main stream distro now and any user could easily learn it. Even MSN and AOL keyword junkies.
The battle is hardware shelf space and it always has been. If I were to open a store there would be two sections for hardware MS stuff and stuff that is Linux friendly. That way the user would very quickly see that Linux mostly runs on the good stuff, like HP lasers, and dual processor boards etc.
Another good tactic is to let them run on the net in customer user profiles, with applications like Kstars. Especially show them the great math and science tools that are already there. Leave the other part of the store to braindead gamers, and Hot Mail, but point out that Hot Mail is actually quicker on BSD or Linux running KDE.
OH THE SHAME I fell off the wagon and use sigs again!
Linux maybe great, but until well known names run on the platform, you can forget it. I am not talking hardware, but software. I got so fed up with my Win98 box three years ago I switched to SuSE 6.4 and was happy. Then a year ago, I bought my iBook when it became clear that while OS soultions were progressing, I still needed Photoshop and MS Office. I've been more than happy with my iBook and tell people if they are going to purchase a new desktop, especially just for checking email, surfing, basic word/excel stuff, to buy a mac. For desktop use, Apple has come to play and is beating Linux badly. I know more linux people that switched to OSX than from windows to X or Linux. I am now an IT director for a small company that owns several dozen public access terminals that currently run Win2Kpro with a custom kiosk app. In my first week, we pulled half the HD's and had to clone them with Norton Ghost because people DLed programs they should not have been in the first place. I found a replacement in the Linux Based FirecastOS that we are testing over the next 30 days. If that doesn't work out, then I am going to begin to develop a custom solution using RH 9. (well it will proably be PHP or PERL based so should work on any *iux enviroment) We bought the $40 copy of RH 9 from Best Buy so I could show it to him and the number of times I got the, "Are you sure we can install this on as many boxes as we want with having to buy any more licenses?" In our case, Linux offers a great solution, but guess what, joe Q. public will be using Linux on our terminals and not know the difference. So long as they can surf the net and check their hotmail accounts, they don't give a *&#$9. We are in works to see about putting a "This terminal is powered by Linux" ad button. We currently have one box in the field we are test marketing. And when users are asked if they knew they were using Linux, they mostly say no. Then when asked what they thought, its "Well I could check my email, its what agian?" If photoshop (Sorry GIMP doesn't cut it), Dreamweaver, and maybe a couple other widely used apps made it to Linux (like Maya has for 3D artists), then people might be willing to make the jump. Ask most Mac users if they know that FreeBSD is under the hood, and they will say "Free what? It runs iMovie, and this iTunes is cool. Word and Powerpoint work better than on Windows." Now as a server OS, I still deploy FreeBSD before Linux for most uses. I guess its a personal thing, but FreeBSD was designed as a Server Platform. While Linux still has that Desktop/Server dual personality issue to work out.
"The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money" - Thatcher.