Ian Lynch wrote:
Robert Derman replies: I can't argue with that! When I build PCs for customers I always advise them to use a processor about 2 speed grades behind the leading edge, and at this time I advise the use of AMD rather than Intel, it's a better value I think.On Thu, 2005-01-20 at 05:40, Robert Derman wrote:
Robert Derman replies: The whole point, which I am still not sure that Ian gets from the wording of his replies, is that since the demise of BYTE,
I used to read Byte and I hardly play any games ever. Only rugby ;-)
MaximumPC is the favorite magazine of the HARD CORE hardware geeks. The editorial staff of MPC is not known for handing out praise liberally, and they have in fact been known to brutally diss a product oposite a full page add for the same product. Many MBAs would call that stupid too, but it* is* one way to earn the trust of hardware geeks.
I was using the word stupid as a rational not an emotional description.
Sure they might be a good target and a help to marketing OOo, a general
attitude that no computer with a CPU speed < 3 GHz is worth using is in
absolute rational terms stupid but then they are making their judgement
emotionally rather than rationally.
But the core of MPC readership is HARD CORE hardware geeks. These are the guys that won't accept anything less than the fastest chips available, and they are the first to embrace SATA and PCIE. The editorial tone of MPC reflects the bias of these readers. The main point however, as the example of the dissed product oposite the full page add shows, you *cannot buy *a favorable review in MPC. Therefore their reviews and awards are *trusted *by many people, and an award from them may mean more than one from a publication that is quick to praise anything new or different regardless of its true merit.
OOo Marketing might just want to mention here and there that OOo has won the Softie Award, it couldn't hurt!
The point being if MaximumPC gives you one of their highest awards it is SIGNIFICANT!
Its useful publicity, I agree.
Many important people in the computer and IT fields are regular readers of MPC, and the Softie Awards are very prominent! This WILL get noticed, and IMHO this is some of the best publicity that OOo has gotten so far!
That is a bit debateable. Its certainly useful and the momentum keeps building so the more publicity the better, even from "stupid" people :-)
Note I have been using :-)s. Maybe this should go to Social if followed up?
