[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Debian and Redhat - are most linux users missing the point?



I don't know where to post this to, but this seemed as good a place as any.
This is not a Debian vs Redhat flame war email, so please do not treat this
posting like that.

A couple of weeks ago there was a poll, which showed that redhat hat had
about 2 or three times as many users as debian, and that redhat was first
with debian was second, but far closer to the other distros than to redhat.

Now I may be wrong, but I believe that many (if not the majority) of linux
users are attracted to linux because its free, and because it is symbolic of
the backlash against the large corporation ethos of many of its competitors,
rather than its reliability (let alone it's ease of use :-))

OK, so the two leading distros are redhat and debian. debian, on the one
hand, is run as a voluntary organisation etc, whereas redhat is (or is going
the way of) a corporation, in the sense that it employs programmers, is very
far ahead of any of the competition and (arguably although I think)
sacrifices reliability over commercial factors. (eg rushing distros to get
them out to coincide with the marketers strategy).
I know that redhat have done a good job in promoting linux for the masses
etc, but does redhat seem like the next MS to you?

On the basis that linux is soundly based on ideology and a belief that the
internet should remain free, debian may well be the best distribution, and
on that basis, redhat the worst.

Yet most linux users opt for redhat. This is perhaps because they don't
really care or understand about the history of linux or the philosophy
behind it. Essentially debian at the moment has the potential of becoming
the linux distro for RMS wannabes and noone else.

Personally, I want my distro to be the best distro, and I believe it is.
But the vast numbers of users who prefer redhat to debian means that when
(as will probably happen, due to their commercial nature), redhat decide to
consolidate their position, debian will lose out.

I think that debian needs to adopt a (slightly) aggressive marketing policy,
to increase its userbase. The fact that it doesn't have professional
marketers counts in redhat's favour.
For example, in the last month or so, I have seen one debian logo on a
website, about 15 redhat logos, and no logos for any other distro.

This could easily be corrected, by, for example, the debian organisation
writing to major linux sites (eg /. , freshmeat etc) and asking them to
display a debian logo. Or, failing that, every reader of this posting with a
website to display the debian logo when it comes out on their website. This
would provide an amount of free advertising for debian which would help to
raise its profile.


</rant> cos I'm tired.

frankie



Reply to: