On Tuesday 18 March 2008 12:34:34 pm Laurent Blume wrote:
> I would myself feel uneasy about switching to a .com website.
> And (I'm stretching things a bit here, I know) my employer, which is a
> competitor to Sun, might question it as well. It wouldn't sound
> "non-profit" anymore, like .org does.
>
> > This wouldn't happen -- IMO -- if an opensolaris.com site existed
> > without an opensolaris.org site standing in contrast to it.
>
> I agree that confusion is possible, but then, what about solaris.com?
> Aren't people going to be confused between that and opensolaris.com, too?
>
> I'd love to see a serious redesign of the website, also to ease the
> maintenance of the localized portals, before switching to a new TLD.
>
> Laurent
There are times when it is easier to create a new painting, with a clean
canvas, from the old palette.
I believe using the .com to create a friendly user interface for the
amateur
or novice would be a great benefit to our community. No groups *have* to
move, no one has to forfit abilities. Start small. It sounds like the main
goal for the .com project is to answer the questions of a first timer with
minimal work.
Layout - When we first come to see the opensolaris project, what
questions
are we asking? Answer the questions easily, and direct users to where they
can find more information. "If you'd like to contribute, click here." or "If
you'd like to read more on what we are doing to expand our reach, click here"
etc.. It might seem like complicated questions, but people really just want
simple explanations, and to be given the chance to continue their education
on the subject. Questions like;
What is OpenSolaris?
-Here, things such as values, mission statement, and goals
should be
expessed.
Who is involved with OpenSolaris?
-Here, list corporations, government offices, educational
facilities, etc.
What does OpenSolaris offer?
-Features, new projects (with links), future projects,
comparisons etc..
Where is OpenSolaris used?
-Capabilities, examples, future uses..
Why should I consider/use OpenSolaris?
-Reference things from above, and state that contributions are
freely made,
and how the user can benefit from his own uses of the OS etc etc..
When was OpenSolaris created?
-History, stories, all the stuff people like to hear. Toss in a
timeline for
good measure.
I could probably go on and on.. but the real thing is to make a
presentation
to someone researching OpenSolaris, and obtain future users. The way I see it
no one has to move. I do not see why anyone should have a problem with the
use of the .com extensions. See the wikipedia article if you need a
definition.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.com
If this still poses a problem, it is like me asking "What do you think
when I
say the word 'gun'?" and getting three different answers, "I
think -military-" . "I think -run-". "I think -criminal-." Just because you
think a word means something, does not mean other do. If it bothers you, ask
your employer, "One of the Open-Source organizations I contribute to is
thinking about using a .com domain to create a user-portal, could this
jeopardize my job in anyway?" I think you are probably going to get one of
two answers. "Are you seriously asking me this question?" or "Why should we
care what an open-source organization does?"
Remember, opensolaris is not led by Sun, we are led by ourselves. we
have the
ability to walk away at any time, or fork if we very well insist on it. If
anything we should encourage our employers to show support for what we are
doing, and if anything offer them a way to be involved. .org may should
non-profit but that isn't what it means, and certainly opensolaris.org is not
a non-profit either. OpenSolaris.org is just a no-money organization. Quite a
difference.
I encourage this process of using opensolaris.com as a user-portal. It
might
take a lot of guts to admit to ourselves that we need it, yet after that we
will know it will be a worthwhile decision. Let's start with this and work
with small incremental changes. "Live in day type compartments" I think was
the saying. If it's a success and opensolaris.org wants to undergo
reconditioning as well, or you want to move it over to .org later, worry
about it then.
Thank you for listening,
--
Christopher Frost
http://kodotai.com/roller/frostcs/
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