Re: Debian and Redhat - are most linux users missing the point?
Hello,
Several years ago , I said that debian should use some of the tools of
marketing to increase the potential universe of users awareness of
debian. i received such flack that i realized that there was a
political bent in many free software users that was anti marketing or
maybe were totally unaware of its value.
now it is time to reconsider this philosophy and look at what the real
objectives of the linux community are?
regards.
allan bart
---Frankie <frankie@skunkpussy.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>
> 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
>
>
>
> --
> Unsubscribe? mail -s unsubscribe
debian-user-request@lists.debian.org < /dev/null
>
>
==
Allan W. Bart, Jr.
Strategic Analyst
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