Hi All,
On 24/07/11 10:27, Ryan McCoskrie wrote:
> Hello everyone. The SFD registration is now open and I'm looking forward to
> seeing if anyone here submits an event for the big day.
I'd like to humbly suggest that (but am not able to do myself): When
doing public promotions and events, we consider two distinct "target
markets":
-- Users and
-- Techies.
There are also some other market segments (like business managers who
want reliable, secure, inexpensive corporate networks, etc.).
The Users are probably the market =more= likely to change their
behaviours, if given the right kind of information. (i.e. How many
techies, who are up to the sort of tweaking that Linux/FreeBSD/etc.
requires to get going, don't =already= know about FOSS?)
(a) Most Users are Windows users. They are probably aware of (and use)
many shareware applications already, but not most of them and probably
not the applications that have their origins in the FOSS OS sector.
Users with only Windows/Mac experience are unlikely to want to change
operating systems. ("Egads! What for?") They'd have to swap out of
every application and utility they are used to. Or else go through the
"joy" of multi-boot hard disks, or hardware upgrades to do Virtual
Machines or WINE. ("Why am I still using Windows, if it was such a
dog?" they'd ask.)
But, if they are introduced to a wide range of apps and utilities that
have their origin in the Linux/FreeBSD/etc. sector, jumping to another
OS, later, won't seem so bad after all.
Open/Libre Office, Thunderbird, Firefox, multimedia players and editors,
BitTorrent clients, that old unsupported Skype client, etc. We promote
the apps and utilities that have both Windows, Mac, and FOSS OS ports.
(b) Most (or almost most?) of the home-based Microsoft Offices out
there are illegitimate. "Come in from the cold. Stop being afraid of
getting busted for bootleg software. Feel =safe=, if you have to send
your computer in for repairs. Go legit. It feels better."
Ditto for Windows itself?
(c) The later versions of Word, Excel, etc. have that miserable "new
improved" user interface, while the Open/Libre Office has the more
classic look & feel.
(d) Users are unlikely to feel comfortable recompiling their kernel,
installing drivers and libraries, etc. so would expect either a turnkey
application/utility, or readily available and understandable help in
installing, configuring, debugging.
Just some ideas.
Cheers,
Carl
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