Roy Schestowitz wrote:
> Taking Open Source to the Next Channel Level
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | IDC has estimated that the open-source market could grow to be worth
> | as much as $3 billion by 2009. But if it's to come anywhere close to
> | that it will take a lot more than the good will of IBM, Oracle and
> | Novell to make that a reality.
> |
> | For the most part, those vendors spend their time telling customers
> | about why they should adopt Linux to run proprietary middleware
> | instead of Windows. Very little of their marketing money is actually
> | spent on getting people to adopt open-source technologies higher up
> | the application stack.
> |
> `----
>
>
http://www.channelinsider.com/article/Taking+Open+Source+to+the+Next+Channel+Level/203689_1.aspx
That started off well, but then went wrong.
First Linux has been better off without advertising, for the most part
attracting people who want Linux rather than those who just accept the OS
that happens to be onboard the PC in PC World.
Then we needed vendors who are willing to preinstall Linux for their
customers, which it looks like we are going to get from a few major vendors
quite soon. Partly so that those who have tried Linux but struggled with
drivers etc in the past, can know that the Linux installed PC their buy
will not have any driver issues, it is already done for them. Then to those
that only want to buy a PC that is ready when they get it home, Linux is a
god send, nothing more to do than switch it on, set the initial password
and user name, The End. No waiting while multiple things all battle for
attention on first boot, as with windows. 'Symantec needs you to register'
"Sound program needs to update' 'Windows needs to restart' 'Antivirus
update complete, need a restart' and all the others that flash up before
the user can actually get to use the computer. Linux in comparison to
Windows at that stage is a breeze.
Then, how long is it since any of us Linux folk desperately needed software
that wasn't there at first switch on? Office software, email clients,
browsers, picture editors, developement kit. It's all there, The only extra
I tend to get is my beloved StarOffice, but OpenOffice in nearly every
respect is just as capable. I can't imagine the extra filters, templates
and data capabilities are of much interest to most current Linux users, let
alone new users.
So, once these Linux installed PCs are ready, then a bit of advertising to
let people know and watch the ball roll.
I didn't like the last paragraph though,
> | What's really needed to take open source to the next level is a
> | concerted effort by an organization that has the ability to put
> | aside the parochial interests of its individual members to
> | finally provide some real open-source leadership at the application
> | level that has been sorely missing these past 10 years.
If you are a developer, particularly if you have already been seen mooching
around sourceforge, and you come across something that needs attention.
Lets say 'This mail client could do with an auto archive', he can pop in,
join the team (or go solo) and implement an auto archive utility. Then
offer it to the team as an addon.
Had they been a pyramid of developers to climb up to get this done, he may
well of not bothered.
But that same person, thrilled with his success the first time, come up with
another, an Artificial Intelligent anti-spam that it deletes everything in
your inbox leaving the message 'All email is spam, because all of it comes
unbidden'.
That same team that accepted his first project can reject his second.
This leadership that the writer is talking about already exists. Different
teams tend to have different methods, but they tend to boil down to the
same thing, the good gets passed the bad gets blocked.
That same approach is very very good for new items, they are a lot of
projects in sourceforge that touch new areas or stretch other areas. Not
only in Linux, but it it's applications, in it's implementation. Sometimes
in popular areas, other times in areas that tend to be avoided because they
are difficult areas, possibly invisible to the end user so no glory
involved.
The Linux way works. We have the big teams, the small teams and the
individuals, if they have something to add or improve, then they can get in
and do it. No big steel doors with 'MS' or 'Apple' to keep them out.
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