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Date:      Thu, 21 May 1998 19:18:58 -0400
From:      "Jason" <kib@poboxes.com>
To:        "Atipa" <freebsd@atipa.com>, "Josef Grosch" <jgrosch@superior.mooseriver.com>
Cc:        "Jonathan M. Bresler" <jmb@FreeBSD.ORG>, "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@time.cdrom.com>, <fpawlak@execpc.com>, <hasty@rah.star-gate.com>, <kline@tera.tera.com>, <freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG>
Subject:   Re: Enough already! (Re: Why we should support Microsoft...)
Message-ID:  <00c401bd850e$e3bb9640$023aa8c0@kib.kib.net>

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Its about time some of you decided to get to the real point of this thread!

Bravo!
Jason
-----Original Message-----
From: Atipa <freebsd@atipa.com>
To: Josef Grosch <jgrosch@superior.mooseriver.com>
Cc: Jonathan M. Bresler <jmb@FreeBSD.ORG>; Jordan K. Hubbard
<jkh@time.cdrom.com>; fpawlak@execpc.com <fpawlak@execpc.com>;
hasty@rah.star-gate.com <hasty@rah.star-gate.com>; kline@tera.tera.com
<kline@tera.tera.com>; freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG <freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG>
Date: Thursday, May 21, 1998 6:04 PM
Subject: Re: Enough already! (Re: Why we should support Microsoft...)


>
>> They are in volation of US anti-trust laws, yes, The justice department
is
>> setting a bad presidence trying to tell microsoft how to write software,
>> yes. All these things are true, so what were you planing on doing about
>> this?
>
>Make better software? :)
>
>[... snip ...]
>> In theory they are employees of "We the people". Go out and _WORK_ to
>> change things. If you are not part of the solution then you are part of
the
>> problem. (Now my past is beginning to show)
>
>Actually, if you are not part of the solution, you are a precipitate.
>(Sorry for that Chemically inert pun... now _my_ past is beginning to
>show!)
>
>> What is really pissing me off about this entire thread is all of you have
>> missed the fact this this is a golden opportunity to advance FreeBSD. In
case
>> you have not noticed, FreeBSD is in microsoft's cross-hairs.
>
>Well, I got yelled at profusely when I mentioned this topic in -advocacy.
>But I agree with you wholeheartedly.
>
>> So, rather then spend all out time theorizing about anti-trust and
>> Objectivism (or what ever they are calling Ann Ryan's bullshit these
days)
>> lets focus on how we can make the FreeBSD the OS of choice for the ISP
and
>> server market and fuck microsoft & the horse they rode in on.
>
>I agree. I started this thread to let people know that we need to be just
>as cautious w/ Unlce Sam as we are w/ Uncle Bill, but you are right that
>the point was lost along the way.
>
>Here are my suggestions for advancing FreeBSD, and what I think we need to
>do to get cut into the MS pie:
>
>1) Provide professional support.
>--------------------------------
>
> Many companies are very weary of software that does not have
>on-demand, fully capable support facilities. Although those of us in the
>community are familiar with the "support system" (emails, web pages,
>newsgroups, friends, etc.), the whole deal looks very second-rate to
>companies accustombed to on-site OS experts and 24-hour tech support
>hotlines.
>
> This service would need to be provided by a 3rd party support
>network. I see this support segment not only as a valuable service to the
>Project, but a great business opportunity. I tried to register the domain
>for freebsd-support.com, but it is already taken, and the web site is a
>disgrace.
>
> NetBSD has found its way into some good situations solely on its
>support. FreeBSD would benefit greatly from such a service.
>
> After speaking with several commercial companies, their number one
>problem with supporting the "Free" OSes was support. They saw a big
>potential liability for customer support at the application level since
>the OS level support was not readily available.
>
> Professional support would increase the confidence of clients and
>developers, and offer a good money-making opportunity for those involved.
>
>2) Market Thyself!
>------------------
> We all complain about how MS sells w/ marketing instead of
>substance, and are too PROUD to "stoop" to their level. That is a bit
>harsh, since they have gargantuan financial backing and financial motives,
>but the essence remains: the market needs a shrink wrapped, advertised,
>clean-cut product. Walnut Creek has done a good job with the content and
>delivery, but tuning in the masses is not really their concern.
> The only way I see to spread the word without dropping millions of
>dollars is to have a PR team that just produces media-ready info (Press
>Releases, product comparisons, benchmarks, reviews, etc.). I know this
>has been discussed, but I think the level of promotion is still relatively
>low.
> Being pragmatic and looking at "the Powers that Be", I have
>decided that marketing is more important than the actual content and
>technical merit of a product. This is not romantic and perfect, but it is
>the way people work. They are not logical, but they _are_ predictable.
> It appears to me that FreeBSD work is about 99.5% technical
>(kernel updates, ports, packages, features, security, etc.), and about
>0.5% "fluff"  (documentation, marketing, promoting, graphic designing,
>etc.). We need more "fluffers".
> The biggest enemy as far as Press is concerned is Ziff Davis. They
>are my second most hated company (behind US West), and they are bigger
>sluts than MS. They totally flaunt their heavy-hitting advertisers and
>have NO REGARD for the truth. And they have so many trash rag magazines
>that their sphere of influence in computing is very large. I'll need to
>think about infiltrating ZD, since coming up w/ big bucks is not an easy
>option...
>
>3) Fix Threads and Java Support
>-------------------------------
>These are the only technical problems I feel are holding down progress.
>There are always knick-knacks and do-dads, but those (related) problems
>are hurting fairly badly.
>
>As far as networking, security, stability, hardware support, etc., I feel
>FreeBSD is about as good as it gets. I think the techincal merits of
>FreeBSD are many, and we can make a bigger impact immediately just by
>investing in Problems 1 and 2.
>
>But I see the only way to beat MS will be to get commercial developers
>away from MS binary compatibility. Java is the best way so far in my
>estimation.
>
>These are only my opinions, and please nobody take any of these criticisms
>personally. There are no personal criticisms whatsoever. And for those who
>say, "Well, easy for you to say!", let me know where to sign up. I am
>serious about making things better.
>
>Regards,
>Kevin
>
>
>
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